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Fore-edge painting, or foredge painting, is a hidden art in more ways than one - a little known technique that reached the height of its popularity in Victorian times and has since virtually disappeared.
The pages of a book are fanned and then held in position while the painting or design is applied. With the book closed as normal, the fore-edge is then coated, very often with gilt, so that the picture becomes a hidden secret. If the pages are fanned once more the picture reappears.
It’s quite a magical effect - but it's also a technique that can be used to 'rescue' a book whose fore-edges have become discoloured.
A collector friend suggested that this might be an interesting area to explore with regard to illustrated copies of my own books, and so it has turned out to be.
Two examples are shown here. For The Various I used silver, and for Celandine gold, in order to match the hot-foiling on the covers. The final book in the trilogy, Winter Wood will be foiled in red, and so I'm sourcing 'red leaf' from the States, for the metallic finish on the fore-edge. (These are not just inks, by the way.)
Any collector interested in acquiring such editions will find that they are available through most of the independent booksellers in the 'Buy my Books' section.
Book thumbnails - click to see bigger image
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