Kokoro / Lafcadio Hearn

Name/Title

Kokoro / Lafcadio Hearn

Entry/Object ID

2017.11.19

Description

Bound for Beauty #49 388 p. Hearn was an international writer, best known for his writings on Japan, especially Japanese legends and folk-tales. Whitman designed many bindings for Hearn titles.

Collection

Kathleen V. Roberts Collection of Decorated Publishers' Bindings

Lexicon

Search Terms

Folklore, Social life and customs, 1890s

Dimensions

Height

19 cm

Book Details

Author

Lafcadio Hearn

Edition

First

Publisher

Houghton, Mifflin & Company

Place Published

City

Boston, New York

State/Province

Massachusetts, New York

Country

United States

Continent

North America

Date Published

1896

Printer

Riverside Press ; Electrotyped and printed by H.O. Houghton & Co.

Place Printed

City

Cambridge

State/Province

Massachusetts

Country

United States

Continent

North America

Binding

Binding Type

Publisher's Binding- Japonisme

Binding Designer

Sarah Wyman Whitman

Binding Notes

Bound in olive green twill weave ungrained cloth with distinctive characteristics of Whitman's design elements: gilt vertical line stamping to spine which is extended to front and rear covers; gilt square corner pieces, also placed on rear cover; the title and decoration placed to the center right of the front cover; and her unique lettering style. This design was also used on "Out of the East," another Hearn title. Attributed to Sarah Wyman Whitman. Top edge gilt. Notable is the spine darkening, sometimes referred to as cloth discoloration. This is a condition frequently found on Whitman bindings, leading one to speculate whether the dyes she required for certain cloth colors were particularly susceptible to fading, sunning, or darkening.

Relationships

Related Places

Place

Country

Japan

Exhibition

Bound for Beauty: Highlights from the Roberts Collection