{"product_id":"manuscript-commonplace-book-and-friendship-album-original-manuscript","title":"Manuscript Commonplace Book and Friendship Album — Original Manuscript","description":"\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"4\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"4\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003ePublication:\u003c\/b\u003e n.p., n.d. [c. 1840–1860]\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"5\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"5\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eFormatting:\u003c\/b\u003e 12mo, pp. [approx. 100 unnumbered leaves of multi-coloured manuscript and blank paper].\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"6\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"6\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eCondition Report:\u003c\/b\u003e Good. Bound in elaborately blind-embossed black leather with a central starburst motif enclosed by trailing grapevines, the spine lettered in gilt. The binding exhibits moderate rubbing and wear to the extremities, with notable chipping and slight loss to the head and foot of the spine. The corners are bumped and rubbed, exposing the underlying boards slightly, and the joints show some friction, though the boards remain securely attached and the hinges are sound. Internally, the text block is relatively tight, albeit with a little play characteristic of mid-century albums. The multi-coloured pastel paper stock shows minor age-toning, localised fading at the page edges, and scattered light foxing, but remains largely clean and supple. The manuscript entries, executed in various legible nineteenth-century hands, remain dark and distinct, presenting an attractive, unsophisticated example overall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"7\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"7\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eCatalogue Note:\u003c\/b\u003e This charming mid-nineteenth-century manuscript commonplace book or friendship album is characteristic of the period's sentimental literary culture. The album opens with an engaging, thematic prefatory poem comparing the \"Album's motley leaves\" to \"Young Joseph's many-colour'd coat\" and \"the wreath of fragrant flowers.\" Such albums were an essential social accessory for young Victorian men and women, serving as private repositories for transcribed verse, moral quotes, and original compositions contributed by friends and family.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"8\"\u003eThe binding is a notable example of the deeply embossed, plaque-stamped leather popular from the 1830s to the 1850s, designed specifically to capture the romantic aesthetics of the era. The use of multi-coloured paper stock, featuring pale pinks, blues, greens, and creams, was a luxury feature intended to highlight individual contributions and add visual variety to the manuscript leaves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"9\"\u003eDue to their highly personal nature, each manuscript album is entirely unique. While blank albums of the period frequently appear on the market, examples filled with neat, evocative contemporary manuscript entries hold a distinct appeal for collectors of social history and Victorian ephemera.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"10\"\u003eA beautifully preserved mid-Victorian manuscript album housed in a striking blind-embossed leather binding. Filled with handwritten poetry and prose across multicoloured pastel pages, this unique volume offers a fascinating and intimate glimpse into nineteenth-century social networks and sentimental culture.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Broadhursts Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54220934644051,"sku":"4299","price":78.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/1469\/6787\/files\/20260611_151125.jpg?v=1783409821","url":"https:\/\/broadhurstsbooks.com\/products\/manuscript-commonplace-book-and-friendship-album-original-manuscript","provider":"Broadhursts Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}