[Binding Fine- Rowfant Binding, Leon Maillard Exhibition on Kelmscott Hand and Soul, Near Perfection] Hand and Soul

Hammersmith: Kelmscott Press, 1895. First Edition. First Edition. 12mo, 4 x 5 1/2 inches. Exquisitely bound by the Rowfant Bindery (signed in gilt on front lower doublure with their wonderful bindery "woodchuck" emblem inlaid into the lower doublure), and finished by the master finisher Leon Malliard, with his gilt signature on the rear lower doublure: "LEON MAILLARD FINISHER. The Willis Vickery Copy, appearing in the final sale (Anderson Galleries, Willis Vickery Library, 1933, Lot 472). As head of Rowfant Bindery, Vickery always boasted that he got the best bindings from Rowfant. This is one of the finest of any bindings by Maillard, and in extremely fine condition with no signs of wear anywhere, housed in the superb original Rowfant Bindery slipcase composed of decorative board and folders with gilt lettered levant spine, marbled paper which covers the book and then inserts into the slipcase. Book is bound in full green crushed levant morocco, borders with a dark green inlay, richly gilt tooled panel enclosing an inlaid fleur de lis of dark brown morocco on each cover, full rich doublures of green morocco, gilt tooled dentelles, end-papers of green watered silk, gilt double fillet ruled side-edges. Printed in black and red with the Golden type designed by Morris, on fine handmade Batchelor paper. Head-title and shoulder-notes in red, woodcut title, borders initials designed by William Morris for his press, engraved by William Harcourt Hooper. A truly remarkable binding by Maillard, widely regarded as the greatest binding finisher of his time.