By Emma Laws, Cathedral Librarian
These dainty sets comprising Hymns Ancient and Modern and The Book of Common Prayer were printed in their thousands in the Edwardian era. I have a set at home, a keepsake given to me when I was a child. The books were printed on very thin paper, and with very small type. They aren’t terribly practical – it’s rather tricky to read the text without a magnifying-glass – and I wonder how often they were actually used.
The books were usually bound in leather with a little decoration, including gilt edges and gilt lettering, and issued together in a matching leather slipcase, small enough to tuck into a pocket or carry using the silk strap. Most of the examples I’ve seen bear inscriptions to women or young girls – our copy is inscribed to ‘Alice’ in 1914. We can imagine Alice did at least carry the books to church when she went because the strap is missing and the slipcase a little worn.
Printers varied; William Clowes & Sons Limited and Henry Frowde at the Oxford University Press dominated the market. The Book of Common Prayer pictured here, a recent gift to the Cathedral Library, was printed for Boots Limited, today a high street pharmacy and retail chain but earlier in its history a bookseller and library too.