The Architectural History of Harrow Church Derived from a Study of the Building

Harrow, England: Wilbee, J. C., 1895. First Edition . Full-Leather. Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Contemporary full morocco binding of a dark brown color, and with hubbed spine in six panels. Boards with gilt rules and small gilt decorative motifs, and with small diaper design in blind to the fields. Spine states, in fairly crisp, gilt-stamped letters, "Harrow Church, Gardner." Spine with elaborate and crisp gilt-stamped design. Generally unbumped spine head and tail and with slightly bumped lower corners, The leather binding is exceptionally clean and almost entirely free of scratches, and with minor rubbing along the gutters. The spine is lightly and evenly sunned to a medium brown color. The text block is firmly bound in. 9.25 x 6 inches. With handsome marbled paper pastedowns and FEPs. T.E.G. With xii and 95 numbered pages, including an introduction, the main text, a glossary of technical terms employed, and a postscript. With XL full-page B&W plates plus Plate XLI, a pristine pull-out architectural ground plan of the church, The Church of S. Mary Harrow on the Hill. Also with 15 additional B&W illustrations. We can find no foxing or other blemishes, save for an instance of off-setting. The book is astonishingly clean overall. Front pastedown with the stunning late 19th century armorial bookplate of Harrow School, including the motto "stet fortvna domvs." Near the top of the bookplate is written in a neat ink hand, "E. W. Swan, Term prize for Drawing, 1900' given May 31st, 1900." Hence a presentation copy. Off-setting between p. 72 and the opposite plate, likely due to insertion of a newspaper clipping or similar. Neatly pasted on to a blank rear FEP is a newspaper clipping, "Harrow Church 850 Years Old." Above the clipping in a neat ink hand is, "Times, Jan. 17th 1944." Neatly pasted on to the opposite blank rear FEP is a B&W photo of Harrow Church, doubtless from the same newspaper article. Finally, neatly pasted on to the rear pastedown is a very small -- and somewhat bizarre -- news magazine clipping, "A Railway Victim." The clipping pertains to an interesting gravestone in Harrow-on-the-Hill churchyard regarding a hapless man who was run over and killed by a railway train in 1833, shortly after rail was introduced to Harrow and vicinity. Else a very clean copy. A Very Good copy. Scarce in any condition. An altogether engaging and handsome volume and a pleasure to hold in hand.