The Book

Gray's Elegy. London: Longman, 1846. First edition.
Thomas Gray's 1751 Elegy became a staple of English poetry. This 1846 publication of that poem has illuminations by famed book artist Owen Jones.
The first secular book illuminated in its entirety by O. Jones it includes 35 chromolithographed pages in color and gold with the text in gothic script, initial letters & borders of leaves & vines blocked in gilt, red & blue. The first also to be issued in this special type of binding which has been chiefly used for illuminated books. Bound in deeply embossed brown leather made to imitate carved wood, executed by Remnant and Edmonds. The front has wide border of holly leaves. The interest of the book lies in its production in chromolithography as an illuminated manuscript page by page by Owen Jones. It is also the first recorded book with a joint American and English imprint. This book and its like-productions of the period are described and illustrated by Ruari McLean in his "Victorian Book Design".

All the borders that ornate the pages of this book have been hand drawn in EPS vector format by Alfredo Malchiodi and are available as a clip art CD collection and for instant download at alfredom.com.