[Fine Binding | Riverside Press Bindery | Bruce Rogers] The Life and Death of Cardinal Wolsey

Cavendish, George. The Life and Death of Cardinal Wolsey. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin and Company, 1905. Limited to 1030 copies. Designed by Bruce Rogers and printed at the Riverside Press. Printed in Caslon type. Three initials, each of which have been lightly colored by hand. Frontispiece portrait of Wolsey and 10 other illustrations, most of them portrait paintings after Hans Holbein.

Bound in full deep red crushed morocco by the Riverside Press bindery (stamp-signed on back of front flyleaf) with both covers featuring several gilt fillet borders surrounding a wide frame, built up from a large circular floral stamp placed at regular intervals and small boxes with straight edges vertically, and slightly curved, gouged edges horizontally. Title and author to second compartment of spine, with three gilt borders to each of the remaining five compartments. Three gilt borders to turn-ins. Bottom of rear turn-in with a monogram of the potential finisher of the volume, but difficult to decipher. It was likely produced during Philip Dana Mason's period as designer at The Riverside Press bindery (1899-1907), pre-dating L. Averill Cole. Measures approx. 7.75" x 11". A few spots to the covers, along with some very light rubbing. Overall, a beautiful--and rarely seen--example of Riverside's fine binding productions.