September 2025
Found within the Special Collections Department’s non-circulating book stacks is a special holding. It is entitled, “The Book of common prayer, and administration of the sacraments, and other rites and ceremonies of the church, according to the use of the Church of England: together with the Psalter or Psalms of David, pointed as they are to be sung or said in churches,” by the Church of England. This 688-page, 263-year-old tome contains a hidden jewel – a fore-edge painting. A fore-edge painting is a painted decoration on the fore-edges of the leaves of a book. The painting is barely visible and has been covered in gold, gilded edging. Once the book is fanned or tilted at an edge, the arresting illustration is evident to the eye. The illustration seen here shows a landscape setting with a cathedral, village and numerous people. Hand-written inside the book is, “Lichfield Cathedral.” Upon farther research, the cathedral depicted in the fore-edge painting is strikingly similar to the Lichfield Cathedral, a Church of England cathedral in the city of Lichfield, England.
A note that came with the book upon purchase states that the book is bound with tooled calf. It was printed in Cambridge, England, by John Baskerville in 1762. It stipulates that “The binding could be Edward of Halifax which also makes this an extremely early and important example of the last part of the 18th century English fore-edge.” This fore-edge painting is a visual example of how individuals liked to adorn and customize their books by commissioning bookbinders to decorate almost the entire book, edges included. Some edge decorations consisted of coats of arms, family mottos, or crests. In our modern times, we have seen a resurgence of decorated edges in genres of romance, fantasy, romantasy, and YA. Many have brightly sprayed edges in solid colors or even elaborate designs depicting scenes or characters from the books. These special editions are collectible and often sell out quickly. This goes to show that for hundreds of years, readers have been drawn to books with ornate details that can be seen as an extra "accessory,” as evidence of self-expression and a love of literature.
Rarely explored, yet remarkable objects, such as the aforementioned book of common prayer, can be found within the stacks and collections preserved and housed in the Special Collection Department. All one has to do is visit the archives at McWherter Library! Schedule an appointment online: https://libcal.memphis.edu/spaces?lid=21932&gid=45932.
The Item of the Month is a specially selected item (book, photograph, ephemera, artifact, etc.) that members of the University Libraries' Special Collections Department would like to highlight each month to show the breadth and variety of their collections.
Text from this post is by Grace Neeley, Archivist/Librarian, Assistant Professor, Special Collections. She can be reached at: gneeley@memphis.edu
