[Fine Binding | Hardy, Maillard, Pilon | The Booklover's Shop Bindery] The Romaunt of the Rose

Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Romaunt of the Rose. Rendered Out of the French Into English by Geoffrey Chaucer. Illustrated by Keith Henderson & Norman Wilkinson of Four Oaks, with 20 tissue-protected color plates. Bound in full dark navy morocco by Henry Hardy, Leon Maillard, and Gaston Pilon of the Booklover's Shop bindery (signed on the front & rear turn-ins), featuring wide borders created with individual compartments of elaborate arabesque tooling on the top, bottom, and corners. Five bands to spine, with the title to the second compartment, and similar arabesque tooling to the remaining compartments. Gilt ruled turn-ins. Top edge gilt. White & light blue marbled endpapers. Bookplate of Willis Vickery. Measures approx. 7.75" x 10". Gilt to spine slightly dulled. A beautiful copy. 

After the dissolution of the Club Bindery, Hardy, Maillard, and Pilon moved to Cleveland in 1909, with the establishment of the short-lived Rowfant Bindery (1909-1913), bank-rolled by Willis Vickery. The binders then were known as the Booklover's Shop bindery (1914-1917), and following a move back to New York, The French Binders (1918-1920s) (Bound to Be the Best: The Club Bindery, Boss).