Colourful Book Collection

This cheerful collection of 14 vintage books has just gone into the Freshly Found online store.  This bunch was far too beautiful to pull apart and make into something else.   They are Book Art all on their own - and will look good as a bright vintage accent in a decor vignette!  The books were published in the 1950s and early 1960s and were part of a series from The Companion Book Club (London).  I love the gently coloured
linen coverings with their varied textured weaves.

I was really interested in the coloured top edge of the pages.  Colouring edges of pages has come in and out of fashion.  I believe that top edges of books were gilded in years gone by to protect the pages from dust.

In my quick research, I found out about a form of book art I had not yet heard about: Fore-edge painting.  This is where a scene was painted on the front page ends of a book.  According to Wikipedia " There are two basic forms, including paintings on edges that have been fanned and edges that are closed; thus with the first instance a book edge must be fanned to see the painting and in the second the painting is on the closed edge itself and thus should not be fanned. A fanned painting is one that is not visible when the book is closed".

 

I hope this delightful set will soon find a happy home.
This quotation by Jerrold is printed in the front of each book:

'A blessed companion is a book'  

This set is an entire friendship circle !