A Binding by James Taylor; Edinburgh c. 1783

This late eighteenth-century binding is the work of a Scottish binder who has stamped his name on the title page. James Taylor, a respected binder from the period, is the likely binder.

Physical Description
The Psalms of David in Metre. London: printed for A. Grant, 1774.

Size: 150 x 92 x 24 mm. Material: Green morocco Spine structure: Tight back Endbands: None Board edge: Gilt decorative roll

Turn-ins: Gilt decorative roll, matching board edge Edges of textblock: Gilt Endpapers: Spot marbled Provenance: Inscription on recto of title page: "Elizabeth Baird"

Covers are tooled with two gilt decorative rolls and twelve gilt stamps, including a gilt urn design on a central crimson morocco inlay. Smooth spine is divided into six panels; tooling includes three gilt decorative rolls and two gilt stamps.

Binder's stamp on recto of title page, bottom center. Black lettering, 40 mm.: "Bound By Taylor".

The style of tooling on this volume suggests Scottish work, most likely from Edinburgh. Comparison with a binding rubbing made by Hannah D. French at the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh--William Robertson, Medical Dissertation, 1783, B.S.A.26 (Binding Archives, BMC)--supports this identification. Ramsden lists a James Taylor active between 1784-1836, UK, pp. 219-220; Burmester, no. 51