ART NOUVEAU GIFT TREASURE

Brown, Anna Robertson (1860–1948)

What Is Worth While [Gift Book Design, Gilded Cloth, Merrymount Press Typography Influence]

New York: Thomas Y. Crowell and Company, 1897.

A refined late 19th-century American gift book combining philosophical reflection with elevated book design, produced during a period when publishers such as Crowell embraced the influence of fine press aesthetics. The work presents Brown’s contemplative essay on purpose, effort, and the value of a life well lived, originally delivered before the Association of Collegiate Alumnae.

What distinguishes this example is its strong decorative program. The binding features a luminous green cloth with vertically striated woven patterning that shifts in tone as the book is moved, creating a subtle shimmering effect. The upper board is framed with an Art Nouveau-style floral gilt design enclosing the title. Internally, the typography and ornament reflect the influence of contemporary fine printing, with a title page design and note indicating production using designs associated with D. B. Updike of the Merrymount Press, placing the book within the broader movement toward typographic refinement in American publishing at the turn of the century.

Issued as a presentation volume, the book retains its silk page marker and top edge gilt, reinforcing its intended role as a gift or keepsake rather than a purely utilitarian text.

Physical Description: Octavo; approximately 8 inches tall. Original decorative green cloth stamped in gilt with floral Art Nouveau frame. Vertically patterned cloth with alternating matte and smooth woven elements producing a light-reflective effect. Top edge gilt; other edges uncut. Silk page ribbon present. Decorative endpapers with repeating organic motif. Housed in original publisher’s patterned paper-covered box with fitted lid.

Condition: Bindings are tight and square. Text is clean; light, even age-toning. Minimal shelf handling wear to the book. A fine example. Box shows moderate wear with edge breaks and splitting along lid margins; structurally present but worn.

Historical Significance —
This volume sits at the intersection of late Victorian moral philosophy and the American fine printing revival. The association with Merrymount Press design principles, even in a commercial edition, reflects the growing influence of Updike and his contemporaries in elevating standards of typography and bookmaking. As such, it appeals across collecting categories: decorative bindings, women’s intellectual history, and the history of American printing and design.

Scarcity Note: Gift-format Crowell productions with original box and intact decorative cloth are increasingly uncommon in the trade, particularly in this condition. Examples retaining the publisher’s box are notably less frequently encountered.

Subjects: life philosophy, self-culture, collegiate education, Merrymount Press influence, American book design, Art Nouveau binding, philosophical essays, gift books, decorative arts, women’s writing.

Item #21871

Price: $85.00