The Blithedale Romance
Title
The Blithedale Romance
Creator
Nathaniel Hawthorne, book's author
Publisher
Philadelphia: Henry Altemus
Date
1897
Contributor
Megan Lepak researched and wrote the event description in 2018.
Description
For a description of the book, please click on the image of the event label/description or scroll to the bottom of the page for the section entitled "Text" for a transcription of the attached document.
Subject
Literature
Identifier
SPECIAL PS1855 .A1 1897
Language
English, book's contents
English, event description
English, event description
Relation
This book has another record in the "Beautiful Books" Lobby Display Collection.
To see this book on November 15, 2018 in the "Event Photographs" Collection, please go here [Photograph of Books] 05451, here [Photograph of Books] 05457, and here [Photograph of Books] IMG_0602.
To see this book on November 15, 2018 in the "Event Photographs" Collection, please go here [Photograph of Books] 05451, here [Photograph of Books] 05457, and here [Photograph of Books] IMG_0602.
Text
Transcript of event description:
THE BLITHEDALE ROMANCE | NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE | PHILADELPHIA: HENRY ALTEMUS | 1987
The first thing that stands out about this book is its generally quaint appearance. Between the size, color scheme, and dainty design, it is easy to picture this volume resting on a lady’s vanity or nightstand. The covers are made of green varnished cloth that feels like leather, but closer inspection renders the cloth’s grain visible to the naked eye. The back cover is plain, but the front cover features a floral cloverleaf design in dark green, blue, and gold. The same design elements is seen on the spine, but arranged into panels through the use of dotted gold borders. This harkens back to the days of raised bands. Unfortunately, this volume has been subjected to food and water damage and been touched by dirty fingers causing discoloration. But the imagination can easily picture the gleam of the gilt work when it was fresh. The frontispiece features what looks like a photoxylograph illustration (photograph turned into an engraving) of the book’s author, and the title page is accented with red floral designs and green text, both printed on glossy paper.
This volume is one of 3,000 volumes donated by Mrs. Marifrances Engelhardt after Hurricane Matthew (2016) flooded her home. About 240 books are in Special Collections. During WWII she served in Spain in the diplomatic corps and married a well-known foreign correspondent, through whom she met Ernest Hemingway and Orson Wells. Sometime after her second marriage she settled in St. Augustine. When shown a book from her collection, despite her advanced years, she remembered who in her family owned it or gave it to her, and whether or not she enjoyed reading it. Mrs. Engelhardt died on April 18, 2017.
THE BLITHEDALE ROMANCE | NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE | PHILADELPHIA: HENRY ALTEMUS | 1987
The first thing that stands out about this book is its generally quaint appearance. Between the size, color scheme, and dainty design, it is easy to picture this volume resting on a lady’s vanity or nightstand. The covers are made of green varnished cloth that feels like leather, but closer inspection renders the cloth’s grain visible to the naked eye. The back cover is plain, but the front cover features a floral cloverleaf design in dark green, blue, and gold. The same design elements is seen on the spine, but arranged into panels through the use of dotted gold borders. This harkens back to the days of raised bands. Unfortunately, this volume has been subjected to food and water damage and been touched by dirty fingers causing discoloration. But the imagination can easily picture the gleam of the gilt work when it was fresh. The frontispiece features what looks like a photoxylograph illustration (photograph turned into an engraving) of the book’s author, and the title page is accented with red floral designs and green text, both printed on glossy paper.
This volume is one of 3,000 volumes donated by Mrs. Marifrances Engelhardt after Hurricane Matthew (2016) flooded her home. About 240 books are in Special Collections. During WWII she served in Spain in the diplomatic corps and married a well-known foreign correspondent, through whom she met Ernest Hemingway and Orson Wells. Sometime after her second marriage she settled in St. Augustine. When shown a book from her collection, despite her advanced years, she remembered who in her family owned it or gave it to her, and whether or not she enjoyed reading it. Mrs. Engelhardt died on April 18, 2017.
Original Format
Book / Unpublished Print Document
Collection
Citation
Nathaniel Hawthorne, book's author, “The Blithedale Romance,” Beautiful Books in Flagler College's Special Collections, accessed May 15, 2024, https://beautifulbooks.omeka.net/items/show/161.