Tag Archives: Book collecting

Veiled in Gold: The Mysterious History of Disappearing Fore-Edge Decoration

The anatomy of a book includes the fore-edge, or the vertical outer edge of a closed volume. The American Heritage Center’s Toppan Rare Books Library holds fourteen specimens of disappearing fore-edge paintings. Eight of these were collected by Charles Chacey … Continue reading

Posted in Art History, Book arts, Historical Crafts, Library Collections, rare books, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Asters All A-blow”: Women’s Gardening Aesthetic in Industrial America and Eliza Toppan’s Gardening Manuals

The Toppan Rare Book Library is inextricably linked to the legacies of members of the Toppan family: Frederick, Clara, and Eliza. Fred, a geologist, met Clara Raab when he and Eliza moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in 1941. As a … Continue reading

Posted in American history, Book history, Gardening, Uncategorized, women's history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment