Books and Manuscripts

[Private Press] [Ashendene Press, The]

The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach Commonly Called Ecclesiasticus
(London: Ashendene Press, 1932.) First and limited edition, one of 328 copies printed on paper. 4to. 182, (3) pp. Text printed in red and in black, with initials hand-colored in blue and in green. Publisher's orange vellum, spine lettered in gilt and lightly faded; all edges untrimmed; original orange silk ties present; in publisher's marbled paper-covered slip case. Hornby 38; Franklin, The Private Presses, p. 60; Franklin, The Ashendene Press, p. 242

St. John Hornby (1867-1946), the famed printer of the Ashendene Press, said regarding this work, "…in my humble judgment it is one of the most satisfactory of the books of the Press." (A Descriptive Bibliography of the Books Printed at the Ashendene Press...1935) Colin Franklin in The Private Presses, says "Booksellers continually declare the Ashendene Ecclesiasticus to be the finest book from the private presses. These are the people who handle the books and know them better than anyone else, and there is good ground for this opinion..." (p. 60)

A near-fine example of this beautiful production.