he Bodleian is rich in a few fine
specimens only, and most of these are exhibited. My illustrations are
made from photographs from the books themselves in all instances; to
show them properly, however, all should be in colour, and it should not
be forgotten that an embroidered book represented only by a half-tint
print, however good, inevitably loses its greatest charm. However, if
the half-tint is unworthy, the colour prints are distinctly flattering.
I think that almost any old book well reproduced in colour gains in
appearance, and in two of my colour plates I have actually restored some
parts. In the beautiful fourteenth century psalter, supposed to have
been worked by Anne de Felbrigge, I have made the colours purposely much
clearer than they are at present. If it were possible to clean this
volume, the colours would show very nearly as they do on my plate; but,
actually, they are all much darker and more indistinct, being in fact
overlaid with the accumulated dirt of centuries. The other instance
where I have added more than at present exists on the original is the
green velvet book which belonged to Queen Elizabeth, and forms my
frontispiece. Here I have put in the missing pearls, each of which has
left its little impression on the velvet, so nothing is added for which
there is not the fullest authority. Moreover, some of the gold cord is
gone on each of the three volumes of this work, but I have put it in its
proper place for the purpose of illustration. The other plates are not
in any way materially altered, but it may be allowed that the colour
plates show their originals at their best.

The books illustrated are selected out of a large number, and I think it
may fairly be considered that the most favourable typical specimens now
left in England are shown. It may well be that a few finer instances
than I have been able to find may still be discovered hidden away in
private collections, but it is now so rarely that a really fine ancient
embroidered book comes into the sale-room, that we may safely conclude
the best of them are already safely housed in one or other of our great
national collections. Where not otherwise stated, the specimens
described are in the British Museum.

In the following detailed descriptions I have used the words 'sides' and
'boards' to mean the same thing, and the measurements refer to the size
of the boards themselves, not including the back. These measurements
must be taken as approx