Antique Tom Hood Pen and Pencil Pictures First Edition 1857

Tom Hood was only 22 when he wrote this, and the binding it's wearing now is finer than anything his publisher put on it. The green pebbled boards with their gilt cartouche medallion and the brown calf spine with raised bands read as a confident Victorian rebind, the kind of treatment a well-loved book received from a private owner who wanted it to sit well on a proper shelf. Combined with the manuscript inscription dated 1898, there's a small chain of custody here: a book given as a gift, 41 years after it was published, dressed up for the occasion.

[d]Author | Tom Hood (Thomas Hood the Younger, 1835–1874)
[d]Title | Pen and Pencil Pictures
[d]Publisher | Hurst and Blackett, London
[d]Date | 1857
[d]Edition | First edition
[d]Binding | Half calf and green pebbled leather; brown calf spine with five raised bands, gilt fillet ruling in compartments, title lettered in gilt; green pebbled leather boards with double gilt fillet border and central gilt cartouche medallion; gilt board edges; gilt page edges
[d]Illustrations | Wood-engraved illustrations integrated throughout the text
[d]Dimensions | 7.75 in H x 5 in W x 1 in D
[d]Inscription | Manuscript gift inscription to front endpaper, dated May 31, 1898, partially legible; from a mother to her child
[d]Language | English
[d]Origin | United Kingdom

[condition]
The binding is in good condition with honest wear appropriate to its age. The spine shows rubbing and some fading to the calf, with minor scuffing at the head and tail. The green leather boards retain good color overall, with light surface wear at the corners and edges. The gilt cartouche medallion and border fillets remain largely legible. Page edges are gilt and show light toning consistent with age. The text block is sound and the pages appear clean and cream-toned with no significant foxing visible in the images. The manuscript inscription to the front endpaper is in pencil or ink, partially legible, and presents no damage to the leaf itself. A sound, presentable copy in a binding well above the original cloth issue.