The Art of the Book

Quite apart from its importance as a repository for and conservator of early texts, the RBLA is also a significant resource for research into graphic design, illustration and others book arts.

Judging a book by its covers

The RBLA has a particularly important collection of bindings. There are great European folio'monastic' bindings with metal clasps and bosses, early English blind-tool binding (the work of Spierinck and others), 'fanfare' binding for the wealthiest of patrons, and gilt, dentelle tooling, giving the most sumptuous borders on red leather folios. Even the lack of formal binding is important, the set of Britton and Brayler's Beauties of|England and Wales in blue wrappers - as issued to subscribers in the earlt nineteenth century - probably being a unique remnant of book trade history.

Many of the volumes at the RBLA have the armorial badges of their owners stamped into their vellum or leather covers. Particularly remarkable are the stamped books from the persoan libraries of Lord Burghley and Jean-Baptiste Colbert, both first ministers, respectively, of Elizabeth I and Louis XIV. Other gilt stamped volumes signify their earlier location on the shelves of European monasteries or of famous English collectors such as Michael Wodhull.