Welsh Journals

The National Library of Wales. Annual Report for 1960-61. Sir George Warner, Descriptive catalogue of illustrated manuscripts in the library of C. W. Dyson Perrins, etc. (Oxford, 1920). H. M. Nixon, 'Early English gold-tooled bookbindings', Studi di bibliografia e di storia in onore di Tammaro de Mannis, iii (1964), 283-308. Aberystwyth The earliest English gilt leather binding is believed to be MS Bodley 523, a manuscript volume of Epigrams presented by the author Thomas Whittington to Cardinal Wolsey before 1519. Gold-tooling was not, however, immediately fashionable and Howard Nixon noted fewer that 30 examples before 1540. It is strange to think that one of those examples, viz. our book of Hours, may have been executed in Wales, but there is a lack of finesse in the panel-engraving that would accord with such a theory and, moreover, the roll surrounding the panel does not appear in J. B. Oldham's English Blind- stamped bindings (Cambridge, 1952). The National Library of Wales purchased the volume in the Sotheby sale of Dyson Perrins's library on 29 November 1960. It was previously sold at Sotheby's on 10 May 1907 at the sale of the library of W. Bromley Davenport of Capesthorne, Chelford, Chester. Eiluned Rees