The History of Napoleon Bonaparte. [Fore-edge Painting].

HORNE, R. H. [Napoleon Bonaparte].

Item Number: 122443

London: George Routledge and Sons, 1879.

Finely bound example of Horne’s biography of Napoleon Bonaparte with a fore-edge painting of him. Octavo, bound in full morocco with red morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt ruling to the front and read panel, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt with a fore-edge painting. With additions by S.R. Townshend Mayer. Illustrated with several hundred designs by Raffet and Horace Vernet, tissue-guarded frontispiece portraits of Napoleon. With the original cloth cover adhered to the front pastedown. In near fine condition.

The first known example of a disappearing fore-edge painting (where the painting is not visible when the book is closed) dates back to 1649. Around 1750, the subject matter of fore-edge paintings changed from simply decorative or heraldic designs to landscapes, portraits and religious scenes, usually painted in full color. The technique was popularized in the 18th century by John Brindley (1732-1756), publisher and bookbinder to the Prince of Wales and Edwards of Halifax, a distinguished family of bookbinders and booksellers. The majority of extant examples of fore-edge paintings date to the late 19th and early 20th century on reproductions of books originally published in the early 19th century, including the present volume.