Sacred Biography and History Containing Descriptions of Palestine, Ancient and Modern

1878

Special Collections BS571 TJ58

Guelph. Ontario: Lyon

Osmond Tiffany’s compilation of Sacred Biography (1878) is a perfect example of the elaborateness of bindings that adorned many Scriptural works in the Victorian period. It seems that once the technologies were developed and fine-tuned, British, American and Canadian publishers went over-board. The scuffed black leather of this reprint has a heavily pressed blind-stamped design along with gilding that highlights biblical phrases such as ‘Ask and ye shall receive’ and ‘Hearken unto me’. In the middle is the gilt centre-piece decoration proudly proclaiming ‘Biography’. Please compare the similarly-styled Holy Bible in cabinet 18.