Poetry in Bloom • NEW ROMANTICS
The design reproduced on this cover centers around a plant surrounded by other richly hued flowers, foliage, and butterflies. The binding was used for The Sensitive Plant and Early Poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley and is a celebration of the creative spirit.
This beautiful design is a reproduction of the 1910 cover of The Sensitive Plant and Early Poems, a collection of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Written in the wake of his child's death, Shelley's title poem describes a flower garden going through seasonal changes. First, the garden embodies the joy and bliss of spring and summer, and later it becomes consumed by the decay and lethargy of fall and winter. With this poem, Shelley invites the reader to contemplate how the only connection to reality that we have is through fleeting sensations.
This Poetry in Bloom design recreates the original's front "doublure," the inside face of the cover board. Protected from wear, this part provides bookbinders with additional room for unleashing their creative skills. Here, the binders of Riviere and Son, a London-based binding house, used leather and gilt to create a naturalistic representation of flowers, leaves, and butterflies. The sensitive plant, named after its reflex to fold its leaves when touched or shaken, is the focal point of the design's composition, just as it is in Shelley's poem.
The book that inspired this Poetry in Bloom series came from the personal library of W.A. Spencer. A wealthy man with a passion for fine books, he bequeathed his massive collection to the New York Public Library after seeing its new, yet-unfinished magnificent central building. Following Spencer's tragic death as one of the Titanic passengers, the Library received his book collection and a sizable donation for establishing the Spencer Collection.
The cover is very tactile and embellished with prismatic accents.
Product Information:
FORMAT: Ultra
SIZE: Width: 180mm (7"); Height: 230mm (9"); Depth: 22mm (¾")
INTERIOR: Lined
PAGE COUNT: 144 Pages
CLOSURE: Clasp
COLOR: Green
GSM (PAPERWEIGHT): 120
COVER: Hardcover
EDGE PRINTED: Yes
MORE FEATURES:
• Smyth sewn
• Satin ribbon marker
• Memento pouch
• Custom-designed laid paper
• 100% recycled binder boards
• Decorative printed cover paper
• Acid-free sustainable forest paper, FSC-certified
• Threaded stitching and glue, as needed
Ebon et Noir is an Official Retailer of Hartley & Marks