A CHANNEL PASSAGE AND OTHER POEMS

London: Chatto & Windus, 1904. Second Edition. 185 x 123mm. (7 1/4 x 5"). ix, [1], 213, [1] pp., [1] leaf.
A VERY PLEASING VELLUCENT BINDING BY CEDRIC CHIVERS (signed on rear turn-in), front cover and smooth spine painted in an Art Nouveau style featuring twining vines, center panel of front cover with painted gilt-strung lyre at bottom and round mother-of-pearl inlay within a wreath at top, doublures of glazed vellum enclosed by a paper frame, all edges gilt. Printer's device on final leaf. ◆Binding with a touch of soil, spine just a shade darker than the covers, a few very minor spots internally, otherwise a fine, virtually unworn copy.

This is a charming example of Chivers' "vellucent" bindings, a painting-under-vellum technique inspired by Cyril Davenport's lecture on the 18th century painted vellum bindings of Edwards of Halifax, given at the Paris Exhibition of 1878. On returning to England after his life-changing visit to the exposition, Chivers (1853-1929) established binding premises in his native Bath and began producing his own work in the Edwards tradition, calling his new style "vellucent" as its chief component was translucent vellum. After rendering vellum nearly transparent, Chivers placed it over paper on which a design had been painted, thus protecting the surface of the paper and the artwork from soiling and abrasion. Prideaux says that the process achieves the effect of enriched enamel. Chivers often used mother-of-pearl inlays on his vellucent bindings, and here the inlay provides the illusion of a mirror that might reflect the reader of the volume. The title poem here was inspired by another trip to France: in 1855, Swinburne (1837-1909) made his first trip abroad with his uncle. As they were crossing the English Channel, a violent storm thrilled the young poet with its awe-inspiring display of lightning and thunder. It was an unforgettable experience that stuck with Swinburne all his life--the poem recalling that crossing was written 40 years after the event, just five years before his death..