The Useful Arts and Manufactures of Great Britain. First Series, Textile Fabrics — 1st Series

Publication: London, Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, c. 1860

Formatting: 12mo, multiple pagings.

Condition Report: Very Good. Bound in handsome full calf, the boards remain structurally sound and well-preserved, exhibiting only minor rubbing and a few superficial scratches to the front and rear panels. The gilt-stamped crest of the Oxford Diocesan Board of Education is notably bright and unoxidised. The spine features raised bands and intricate gilt tooling which retains its sharpness, though the morocco title label is chipped with some loss. The hinges and joints are tight and secure, showing minimal shelf-wear at the extremities. Internally, the marbled endpapers and page edges retain a vibrant, unfaded pattern. The textblock is remarkably clean and bright with only very occasional, faint spotting to the preliminary leaves. Overall, a very pleasing and robust copy.

Catalogue Note: A fascinating compilation of Charles Tomlinson's treatises on the mid-nineteenth-century textile industry, initially published in separate forms and updated with contemporary statistics for this collected work. It meticulously covers the production of cotton, linen, woollen, and worsted yarns, alongside the intricate chemical and mechanical processes of bleaching, calendering, and dyeing.

This particular copy holds a distinct provenance. It was originally awarded as a prize or held as an institutional copy, denoted by the gilt armorial stamp of the Oxford Diocesan Board of Education on the front board. It was later owned by George Pryce Abel of Bwlchgwyn, near Wrexham, who inscribed his name and address on the front endpaper in 1917. Interestingly, he added the Welsh translation of his name, "Sior abel", in ink directly onto the top left corner of the front leather board.

Copies bound in full calf with such unique, layered institutional and personal history are uncommon and present an excellent addition to collections focusing on the Industrial Revolution or Welsh provenance.

Charles Tomlinson's The Useful Arts and Manufactures of Great Britain provides a comprehensive and vividly detailed snapshot of the mid-nineteenth-century British textile industry. Delving deeply into the manufacturing processes of cotton, linen, and wool—as well as the advanced chemical and mechanical techniques required for bleaching and dyeing—this work stands as a testament to the era's booming industrial prowess. It remains an essential contemporary source for anyone interested in the fabrics, factories, and innovations that clothed the Victorian world.