{"product_id":"warnes-bijou-dictionary-of-the-english-language-samuel-johnson","title":"Warne's Bijou Dictionary of the English Language — 1890 Edition","description":"\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"1\"\u003e\u003ci data-path-to-node=\"1\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eWarne's Bijou Dictionary of the English Language\u003c\/i\u003e, Edited by Alex. Charles Ewald — 1890 Edition\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"2\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublication\u003c\/strong\u003e: London and New York, Frederick Warne and Co., 1890\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"3\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormatting\u003c\/strong\u003e: 48mo, pp. [iv], 640.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"4\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition Report\u003c\/strong\u003e: Very Good. The binding remains remarkably tight and structurally sound for a miniature volume of this era, resisting the hinge-cracking and text-block separation typical of the format. The original full red roan leather is nicely preserved, with the gilt double-fillet borders and five faux raised bands on the spine retaining their unoxidised brightness. The book displays a pronounced, irregular ink-like stain to the centre of the front board, alongside minor shelf-wear rubbing to the spine head, tail, and extreme corners. The all-edges-gilt text block is brilliant, showing only superficial, faint scratching. Internally, the pages are crisp, highly legible, and largely clean, presenting only negligible, scattered foxing that is almost entirely confined to the preliminary leaves and endpapers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"5\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCatalogue Note\u003c\/strong\u003e: This 1890 printing of Warne's popular miniature dictionary features a finely detailed wood-engraved frontispiece portrait of the great lexicographer Samuel Johnson. Bound in a handsome, publisher's full red leather gift binding, it exemplifies the late 19th-century commercial vogue for novelty 'bijou' books.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"6\"\u003eThe volume bears a neat, contemporary ownership inscription in ink to the front free endpaper: \"Edward Bibby \/ 1892.\" While miniature dictionaries of this period were produced in robust numbers to satisfy Victorian middle-class demand, surviving examples that retain tight hinges, crisp pages, and complete spines are becoming increasingly uncommon on the open market, as their pocket-sized nature made them highly susceptible to loss and heavy handling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"7\"\u003eA delightful late-Victorian miniature that distills the monumental lexicographical achievements of Samuel Johnson, Noah Webster, and their contemporaries into a volume small enough to slip neatly into a waistcoat pocket. Edited by the antiquary Alexander Charles Ewald, this dictionary was designed to offer both elegant portability and practical, everyday reference. It stands today as a charming artefact of 19th-century publishing, demonstrating the era's fascination with novelty formats without sacrificing the comprehensive utility of the English language.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Broadhursts Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53531740766547,"sku":"3423-EV-22","price":60.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/1469\/6787\/files\/IMG_7014.heic?v=1784275945","url":"https:\/\/broadhurstsbooks.com\/products\/warnes-bijou-dictionary-of-the-english-language-samuel-johnson","provider":"Broadhursts Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}