We Buy Leather Bound Books
Are you an owner of Leather Bound Books? Many people have in their possession old family bibles, prayer books or hymn books that may have been part of an inheritance. If you wish to know more about such items, and their value, please do contact us. We will be happy to evaluate such books for good cash prices.
The oldest Leather Bound Books date back to the 3rd and 4th centuries, with the discovery of the Nag Hammadi library with three Coptic papyrus bundles bound in leather. The leather served to keep such documents together and preserved them from otherwise rapid decay from damp and general ageing.
Medieval book bindings were made from animal skin, pigskin or calfskin, which provided protection for valuable manuscripts. The natural stiffness of the leather made it ideal for this purpose. Some ancient Icelandic scripts were protected by the use of seal skin, as an example of the use of natural resources. These, dating back to around 1290-1310, still survive in local museums.
The oldest book to survive with the original leather binding in place is the 7th century Saint Cuthbert gospel. This script was apparently placed in the coffin of St. Cuthbert in 687. The bindings were found to be very well preserved when the coffin was opened in the 18th century. There have been some gruesome discoveries, with the use of human skin, as late as the 17th or 18th centuries. A priest who took part in the great Gunpowder Plot was executed in the early 1600’s and his skin was used for binding purposes.
Many ancient Leather Bound Books had elaborate designs etched on embossed in the leather fronts, often gilded or embossed and some could bear a coat of arms or other detailed designs besides the book title. A deeply embossed cover is known as Relievo Binding, whereas a two tone leather cover is called a Cambridge. Then there were “Etruscan” bindings, etched with acid.
Many Medieval books have survived from the Middle Ages, generally religious scripts from Christian, Jewish and Muslim religions. Some of these were beautifully decorated, for instance the Book of Hours of Frederic of Aragon, 1501-1502. Another noteworthy manuscript was the Gospel Book of St. Augustine of Canterbury. These medieval manuscripts are known as a codices, or singly as a codex, the name given to a book consisting of pages bound between a front and back board. In the Middle Ages in Europe, all manuscripts were laboriously copied by hand, usually by monks as they were better educated and could read and write. Some such scripts were also beautifully illuminated and colours are well preserved. Such books were kept in monastery libraries. Copying by hand was a necessary task to preserve history and knowledge. Some monks would travel far to view books and copy them for their own libraries. However, it sometimes happened that fires would occur, and many of the ancient books would have been destroyed in such accidents.
Arguments arose between some ancient Christian writers, against depicting illustrations in early manuscripts. One such writer, St. Augustine of Hippo, declared that all images are not real and true, but lies, as illustrations cannot be real. These arguments related also to early art forms and paintings which were criticised as being “imposters” or deluded. They could not possibly be real and true.
Gradually artists abandoned the recording of “real” subjects, such as people or images of nature, as was the classical representation. Instead they became more abstract, as such could not be termed idolatrous. New Christianity was thus farther removed from its “pagan” past. The rule of Charlemagne in 800-814 saw this approach to visual arts being adopted, and the controversy continued into the Byzantine Empire.
Continuing on into the Victorian era, many volumes on all subjects including classical novels and text books were published and works on every subject exist. Through the ages several private printing presses were set up. William Morris established the Kelmscott Press in 1891, and Roycroft Press was well known for their leather bindings. The United Kingdom had the Golden Cockerel Press in the 1920’s and 1930’s and the Caxton Press was established in North America, publishing a few small editions. Owners of large country houses would fill their private library shelves with such books, which were probably never read.
Many authors popular in these times had their works published as Leather Bound Books, for example Charles Dickens, and classical poets such as Alfred Lord Tennyson.
If you have any unwanted Leather Bound Books of any age and condition, we invite you to get in touch for an assessment as to their value. You can contact a member of our team by telephone or by email, with a photograph of your items, and we will deliver a prompt response.
