Manuscript calligraphic title "Inventory and Valuation of household furniture and effects", index, pagination and sub-headings

ex lot 143

FINE BINDING. - Edith C. GOODWIN (calligrapher and designer).

A prototype of an album designed to act as an "Inventory and Valuation of household furniture and effects", blank, except for the manuscript calligraphic title, and with various other calligraphic entries (all in blue ink): sub-headings & page numbers, and final entry, at the foot of the final page: "Designed and written by Edith C. Goodwin". [England: c. 1920s]. Octavo (9 x 5 5/8in; 228 x 143mm), on fine 'W. King / Alton Mill' wove paper. Pp. [i-v; 1-]7-136[-141] with pages 7-136 with manuscript calligraphic pagination in the middle at the top of each page, p.7 has a full-page index of where the 10 sub-sections start: ie: 'Furniture' p.11; 'Pictures' p.25; 'Plate' p.33; 'Glass' p.41; 'China' p.53; 'Cutlery' p.67; 'Linen' p.79; 'Books' p.93; 'Property and Land' p.107. There is one further section'Personal' which starts on p.119 and is not included in the index. There is a pencilled not on p. [ii] - see below. Blue morocco, tooled in gilt and blind [see images], turn-ins ruled in blind, patterned endpapers, top edges gilt (some light discoloration)

Edith C. Goodwin was the calligrapher responsible for the text in James Guthrie's "The Wild Garden, Verses for Children" - published by Guthrie at his Pear Tree Press in 1924.

The present work has the look of a protoype for a Pear Tree Press book, but, other than Goodwin, there is no other link that I have been able to track down.

It seems that this idea never got beyond this prototype, but it certainly offers a beautful alternative to a ring-binder full of receipts or (nowadays) a computer print out! The pencilled note reads: '1. Edith C. Goodwin / 165 Great Charles Street / Birmingham 3 / 2. Inventory & Valuation / Leather binding, tooled gold. / 3. Writing & Illumination'. The binding is unsigned - it has a George Fisher feel to it, but this is just wishful-thinking!