Percy Bysshe Shelley's Poetry in Bloom Journal

The design reproduced on the cover of this beautifully made journal is from an antique book cover for The Sensitive Plant and Early Poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. The binding was originally crafted in 1910 in London, by Riviere and Son, bookbinders to the Royal Family. The centerpiece is a sensitive plant (mimosa pudica) surrounded by chambers containing snowdrops and other richly hued and contrasting flowers, foliage, and butterflies.

No detail has been overlooked in the design and production of this elegant journal. The journal features an elegant metal clasp closure and book edge printing pattern that complement the design. The cover is accented with gold imprinting. There is a memento pocket inside the back cover and a dark orange ribbon marker.

The original book was in the personal library of A. W. Spencer, a wealthy man with a passion for fine books, who bequeathed his massive collection to the New York Public Library after seeing its new, yet-unfinished magnificent central building.  Following Spencer’s death aboard the Titanic, the library received his book collection and a sizable donation for establishing the Spencer Collection, which is dedicated to preserving the material history of the illustrated word and book binding.

On the original book, the bookbinders used green morocco leather and gilt to create a naturalistic representation of flowers, leaves, and butterflies. The sensitive plant, named after its reflex to fold its leaves when touched or shaken, is the focal point of the design’s composition, just as it is in Shelley’s poem.

 5" x 7", 144 lined pages; printed on acid-free sustainable paper; metallic closure; memento pocket; ribbon marker; Smyth-sewn binding.