1886 John Ruskin Time and Tide Full Crimson Morocco Leather Gilt Binding AEG For Sale

JOHN RUSKIN
Time and Tide by Weare and Tyne: Twenty-Five Letters to a Working Man of Sunderland on the Laws of Work

Orpington, Kent: George Allen, Sunnyside, 1886

FULL CRIMSON MOROCCO LEATHER | ALL EDGES GILT | VICTORIAN SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC THOUGHT

A handsome late-Victorian edition of John Ruskin’s Time and Tide, attractively bound in full crimson crushed morocco leather with gilt borders, fleur-de-lis corner ornaments, gilt spine decoration, and all edges gilt.

Originally composed as a series of letters to Thomas Dixon, a working man and cork-cutter of Sunderland, Time and Tide is among Ruskin’s most direct and substantial works of social criticism. Across twenty-five letters, Ruskin examines labor, wages, wealth, industrial society, education, political economy, social responsibility, and the moral dignity of work.

This 1886 edition was published by George Allen at Sunnyside, Orpington. Allen was closely associated with Ruskin and became the principal publisher of his later works. The text is presented here in an elegant full-morocco binding well suited to a serious Ruskin or Victorian literature collection.

BINDING

Bound in full deep crimson crushed morocco leather.

The covers are framed with triple gilt fillets, small fleur-de-lis ornaments at the corners, and an additional decorative inner gilt roll. The spine is divided into compartments and decorated in gilt, with the title lettered directly in gilt. All edges are gilt.

The binding is unsigned but is a refined example of late nineteenth-century English decorative leatherwork, restrained in design and highly attractive on the shelf.

Features include:

Full crimson crushed morocco leather
Triple gilt cover borders
Fleur-de-lis corner ornaments
Decorative inner gilt roll
Gilt-lettered and decorated spine
All edges gilt
Sound, elegant Victorian presentation binding

THE WORK

Although John Ruskin is best known for his writings on art, architecture, Venice, Turner, and the Gothic Revival, he devoted an increasingly large portion of his later career to the social and moral consequences of industrial capitalism.

Time and Tide was written in 1867 during a period of intense debate over political reform and the condition of the working classes. Addressed to a working man rather than to an academic or political audience, the letters offer one of Ruskin’s clearest statements on the relationship between labor, wealth, justice, education, and social order.

The work belongs alongside Unto This Last and Munera Pulveris as a central expression of Ruskin’s economic and social philosophy. His critique of materialism and unrestrained competition would later influence reformers, Arts and Crafts thinkers, Christian socialists, and figures including William Morris and Mahatma Gandhi.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS

Author: John Ruskin
Title: Time and Tide by Weare and Tyne
Subtitle: Twenty-Five Letters to a Working Man of Sunderland on the Laws of Work
Place: Orpington, Kent
Publisher: George Allen, Sunnyside
Date: 1886
Printer: Hazell, Watson & Viney, Limited
Binding: Full crimson crushed morocco leather
Edges: All edges gilt
Language: English

CONDITION

Very good overall.

The binding is sound and attractive, with the boards firmly attached. The morocco remains supple and retains a crisp crushed grain. Light rubbing and minor wear are present at the spine ends, joints, corners, and extremities, consistent with age and careful use. The gilt decoration remains bright and clearly defined.

All edges gilt, still bright and reflective.

The interior is clean and fresh overall, with no significant foxing observed. A small vintage bookseller’s pencil notation appears on the front flyleaf.

Please examine the photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the condition description.

A handsome full-morocco copy of one of Ruskin’s most important works of social and economic criticism, with appeal for collectors of John Ruskin, Victorian literature, political economy, labor history, social reform, and decorative leather bindings.

Keywords: John Ruskin, Time and Tide, Weare and Tyne, George Allen, 1886, Thomas Dixon, working man of Sunderland, laws of work, Victorian social criticism, political economy, labor history, industrial society, social reform, full morocco leather, crimson morocco, gilt binding, all edges gilt, AEG, fine binding, antiquarian book.