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Gorgeous finely bound early specimen of the Book of Common Prayer printed by the legendary John Baskerville. Baskerville (1706-1775) was born at Wolverley, near Kidderminster to a small farming and landowning family. He moved to Birmingham in 1726, working as a writing-master, a letter cutter and a japanner (working in varnished goods to imitate Japanese lacquer). About 1750 he began to plan an additional career as a printer and type founder, being particularly concerned to perfect a beautiful typeface, more aligned to the work of writing masters using the new calligraphic styles of Europe tha... |
