Arthur W. Currie signed fine binding. Presentation copy to U.S.S.R. Union, on their 1954 visit. 1952, Recording Scotland by James R. Salmond

A beautiful signed binding by the well-regarded bookbinder Arthur W. Currie graces this 1952 Recording Scotland, a presentation gift to the U.S.S.R. Cultural Workers' Trade Union on their visit to Edinburgh in 1954. Currie's signed work is scarce in the market, and exceptionally attractive.

The National Library of Scotland holds an example of Currie's work in their Rare Books department, a 1930 To Circumjack Cencrastus. Bookbinder Derek Hood tells us that Currie was teaching bookbinding in Edinburgh, for the City Guilds, at Napier College in the 1980s, and that he executed design bindings for Hamilton and Duval in the 1970s.

The work, recording Scotland's great beauty, if filled with color and blank-and-white full page watercolors, paintings, etc..

Physical Attributes -

Measures approx. 25 x 18.5 x 2 cm. Crushed turquoise morocco leather binding. Spine with five raised bands; title and year in gilt in two compartments. Binding decorated as gilt hinges, extending from the raised cords, and terminating on the boards in five Celtic knots. All edges gilt (AEG). Turn-ins with corner celtic knots, and a gilt dot-roll surrounding a calligraphic doublure (at front, rear blank doublure). "A.W. Currie" in gilt on rear turn-in. Illustrated. 168 pages.

Pages - (1), 149 (but 145/n1 missing), (1).

Condition -

See pictures. Beautiful book, the leather is soft and subtle. If you reflect the light off it just right you might see a few light shelf rubs and one tiny (almost pin-head) size indention on the rear board, but mostly it's just extremely attractive. Inside the turn-ins have ghosted the endpapers. Pencil bookseller notes on free front endpaper. Light thumbing to title page. A little toning. The cardboard box it's kept in has some wear, with the corners cracked and someone wrote a Russian inscription in ink on the the top cover.