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Lucile Book by Owen Meredith This edition was published by Hurst Book cover is in split suede (ooze calf) with factory pyroengraved design and handpainted details Digital image thanks to Sid Huttner

The catalogue description of this series, called Burnt Leather Classics, is as follows: 1904 PTLA, 16mo. A Choice Selection of Classic Literature, Suitable for gift purposes or the parlor table. Bound in genuine ooze calf, with floral and scenic designs painted by hand, and titles burnt in the leather, gilt tops, silk markers, boxed. A real novelty in bookmaking. Price $1.25. [Lucile only; cut]. Description of this edition follows: 360p. Frontispiece portrait. Decorative half-title. Illustrations. Limp ooze. Silver and gold floral endpapers on green background. Marilyn Barth collection: inscribed Christmas 1905.

Lucile Book by Owen Meredith Publishing House was Crowell Drawing of cardboard gift box cover for edition of Lucile shown following Digital image thanks to Sid Huttner

Lucile Book by Owen Meredith This edition was published by Crowell Factory pyroengraved cover in split suede (ooze calf) Description of this edition follows: [Copyright 1899]. block = 115x178mm; binding = 125x200mm, 360p. Frontispiece is b&w riding party in mountains. Limp ooze is glued directly to brown paper endsheets. Teg, foreedge and bottom left untrimmed. Red silk bookmark. S&EH: inscribed December 25, 1905; with original paper-covered box whose label reads "Pyrogravure Leather Binding". Digital image thanks to Sid Huttner

Lucile Book by Owen Meredith This edition was published by Caldwell Factory pyroengraved cover in split suede (ooze calf) Following is the description of this edition: Nd. 107x160mm, 379p. Frontispiece and titlepage as above, frontispiece bound following titlepage. Text block has been removed from publisher's binding, two holes drilled along inner margin, and the block sewn with a ribbon into a limp ooze case, pyrogravure flowers and title, rear board has burned "Souvenir of Block Island, R.I." Marbled endsheets. Running head is "Lucile" in gothic letters. S&EH. Digital image thanks to Sid Huttner

Lucile

Books by Owen Meredith

Of these two copies of the same edition, Sid Huttner notes: "They are quite similar, but differ sufficiently in detail to persuade me that the pyrogravure work, as well as the coloring, was done by hand. What an immense amount of work!"

This edition was published by Hurst & Company

Each book cover is in split suede
(ooze calf) with
Hand done pyroengraved design and handpainted details

Digital image thanks to Sid Huttner

Lucile Book by Owen Meredith This edition was published by Hurst & Company Factory pyroengraved cover in split suede (ooze calf) Following is the description of this edition, which is The Ooze Leather Edition of the Poets, 1905: Nd. 125x185mm, 334p. Frontispiece portrait in purple tint, titlepage in purple and green. Padded suede leather with pyrogravure title and flower, handpainted in red, pink, white and green. Aeg over red. Floral endsheets printed silver over a pattern in blue and white (silver overprinting not visible in scanned image above; see Burnt Leather Edition image where the silver is more apparent). S&EH. Digital image thanks to Sid Huttner

Sid Huttner, who is Head of Special Collections, The University of Iowa Libraries, intrigued by the immense popularity of a 19th century literary work Lucile, launched The LUCILE Project, which is a quest to locate and acquire at least one good example of each edition of that book. Since it was published in an enormous variety of presentations, Lucile encapsulates the history of 19th century bookbinding.

Visit The LUCILE Project on Sid Huttner's website, linked here, to find out about the book itself, its plot summary, the author, and his unique project.

The story of Sid Huttner's Lucile Project was highlighted in "Pyrograffiti", published on line in the WWWoodcarvers Online Magazine, March–April 2000 issue.

The last three examples, which were added in May 2000, were highlighted in the July–August 2000 issue "Pyrograffiti".

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Following are URLs that link directly to those pages on Sid Huttner's website with descriptions of editions of Lucile with pyrogravure leather bindings (which are those editions of specific interest to the E-Museum). Images of the known surviving examples in leather from his website are those shown here in his E-Museum Salon; the additional entries will show only catalogue drawings of the leather covers available at that time and provide a description:

http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/lucile/publishers/caldwell/other.htm

http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/lucile/publishers/caldwell/rosemary.htm

http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/lucile/publishers/caldwell/sesame.htm

http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/lucile/publishers/crowell/pyrogravure.htm

http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/lucile/publishers/crowellhv/hvsegovia.htm

http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/lucile/publishers/hurst/hvburnt.htm


http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/lucile/publishers/caldwell/CALDWELL.HTM
(See the Rosemary series for several illustrations of pyrogravure bindings;
there is no record yet of a surviving example.)

http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/lucile/publishers/crowell/cr_large.htm
(The Cordova series is "burnt." there is no known example as yet.)

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