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Friendship’s Offering, the earliest known dust jacket, newly rediscovered by the Bodleian library. Photograph: PR
According to the UK Guardian a surprising discovery was made at Oxfords Bodleian Library - The earliest known book jacket, dating from 1830 that wrapped a silk cover gift book, Friendships Offering.
The dust jackets from the early 19Th century where used to wrap a book completely, like a parcel, since the silk used to bind these books was very delicate, the book seller would leave it in the cover till purchased, and as you can see, this cover was found with traces of the sealing wax.
The wrapper was discovered by the Bodleian’s head of conservation, Michael Turner, when sorting through an archive of book-trade ephemera that had been bought by the Bodleian in a sale in 1892. The jacket had been separated from its book, and had never been catalogued individually. It remained hidden until the library was contacted by an American scholar of dust jackets looking for the earliest known example.
For the full article click here.
Hat tip Ephemera
