Wheel binding, 1773.
Wheel and herringbone bindings are two of the most distinctive Scottish bookbinding styles.
This book has been bound in the wheel style which came into use by the mid-1720s and is based on the fan shape popular on 17th-century European bindings.
The binding encloses a legal thesis by William Adam (1751 to 1839) which was printed in Edinburgh in 1773.
Bookbindings of the 17th and 18th centuries were made with tools to impress gold leaf onto leather. Bookbinders often created strikingly intricate patterns of exquisite quality.
Beautiful, embellished covers and spines are often found on Bibles and Books of Common Prayer presented to brides on their wedding day, or on presentation copies of academic theses.
Donated by John Roland Abbey (1894 to 1969) on 5 January 1966.
[Library reference: Bdg.s.23]
