Description
This is a unique lot of three early 20th-century maroon leather-bound classics from Collins Clear-Type Press, each with gilt-stamped spines and compact pocket-size design. All three books bear signs of rich provenance, combining institutional history and vintage retail heritage.
Two of the volumes carry an ink stamp reading The Frederick Andrew Convalescent House, The Manor House, West Malling, Kent, directly linking them to a historic English convalescent home for gentlewomen, founded in 1921 in Douce’s Manor, Kent. This home served patients until WWII and speaks to an era of early 20th-century medical philanthropy. These books were part of its in-house library collection, offering a direct and rare historical connection.
One volume also retains an original bookseller’s label from A.W. Gamage Ltd., Holborn, London, priced at 4/- (four shillings). Gamages was a famous London department store known for its wide mail-order and retail trade from the late 1800s to the 1970s. This adds another layer of collectible interest and solidly places the books in the 1920s-1930s period.
Included in this lot:
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The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith – London and Glasgow, Collins Clear-Type Press. Illustrated. Maroon leather binding with gilt title on spine. Clean interior with typical age toning.
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Romola by George Eliot – Collins Clear-Type Press. Matching maroon leather. Wormhole damage present in places but overall sound and legible. Carries the Convalescent House library stamp.
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The Countess de Charny by Alexandre Dumas – Illustrated by Paul Hardy. London and Glasgow, Collins Clear-Type Press. Maroon leather with gilt spine. Richly illustrated, firm binding. Includes the Gamages Holborn price label inside rear board, marking its original London retail sale.
These compact, durable bindings were designed specifically for personal and institutional libraries in the early 20th century. Together, these three books offer not only beautiful classic literature in collectible bindings but a tangible link to both a philanthropic convalescent home and a major London retailer, making them historically valuable and deeply evocative of their era.
Condition Notes:
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General shelf wear and rubbing to leather covers and spines with some scuffs and small cracks consistent with age.
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Romola has wormhole damage affecting several pages but remains fully legible.
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Ink stamps from the Frederick Andrew Convalescent House on endpapers.
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Countess de Charny retains the A.W. Gamage Ltd. Holborn retail label showing 4/- price.
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Illustrations are present and clean in The Vicar of Wakefield and Countess de Charny.
Please view all photos carefully for a full understanding of condition and binding details. This lot represents not just three classic, illustrated Collins Clear-Type Press titles, but a rare chance to own a small piece of British social history, connecting early 20th-century healthcare philanthropy with London’s vintage retail scene.
