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"May blessings be upon the head of Cadmus, the Phoenicians, or whoever it was that invented books." -Thomas Carlyle

Welcome to my virtual book collection. Since collecting actual books is somewhat cost-prohibitive, I've begun to amass all of the books I would love to have if I had the means. Some are new, lots are old, all are unique or beautiful or unusual or in some other way have captured my fancy. Enjoy browsing!

Special Collections: Fine Bindings ~ Fairies and Fairy Tales ~ Terror and Madness ~ Poetry ~ Food, Drink and Apothecary ~ Science Fiction ~ Illuminations, Lettering and Hand-Coloring ~ Magic ~ Supernatural and Occult ~ Alchemy ~ Science and Technical ~ Maritime ~ Costumes ~ Humor ~ Children's books ~ Legend of King Arthur ~ Americana ~ 18th Century ~ 19th Century

Authors and illustrators: Edgar Allan Poe ~ Jules Verne ~ Edmund Dulac ~ Kay Nielsen ~ Arthur Rackham ~ Edward Gorey ~ Charles Dickens ~ H.P. Lovecraft ~ William Hope Hodgson ~ Mark Twain ~ Lewis Carroll ~ Salvador Dali ~ George Cruikshank ~ Emily Dickinson ~ Geoffrey Chaucer ~ H.G. Wells

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Bookbinding by Suenonius Mandelgreen. Middelburg, 1757. - 1793

Brown-carmine morocco, gold-tooled. The covers are filled with decorations of interlacing ribbons with foliage and flowers in the resulting compartments, made by many small tools. On both covers is a circumscription: ‘A grateful reminder of the honour bestowed on the 5th of the autumn month 1757. On the occasion of the joyful dinner, on the happy birth of Willem Zelandus van Borssele, whom the Lord will appoint to the noble seat of his father, for the benefit of country and church, is the respectful wish of A.L. Callenfels, S. Mandelgreen and L. Taillefert. D.Z’. Signed at the bottom of the front cover ‘S. Mandelgreen fecit’.