Binding by Thomas James Cobden-Sanderson

KARL MARX. Le Capital. Traduction de M. J. Roy, entiérement revisée par l'auteur. Paris: Maurice Lachatre et Cie., [1872–1875].

Bound in 1884 by Thomas James Cobden-Sanderson for William Morris in straight-grained turquoise goatskin, the covers tooled in gilt with a border of leaves and a triple crescent tool on a background of dots and stars, lettered in a wreath on the front cover KARL MARX LE CAPITAL 1867 and on the lower, WILLIAM MORRIS AND FRIENDS 1884; the spine in six panels, lettered in the second; comb-marbled endleaves; yellow edges

This, the first edition in French of Book One of Das Kapital, is only the second binding completed in Cobden-Sanderson's workshop in Maiden Lane. Cobden-Sanderson met Morris through his wife, Annie, daughter of the reformer Richard Cobden, and a longtime friend of the Morris family. Cobden-Sanderson began his career with a highly experienced trade binder, Roger de Coverly, in 1883. This binding was actually forwarded at De Coverly's in typical trade style, without any of the forwarding peculiarities that later became Cobden-Sanderson's trademarks. When sold in the auction of Morris's library in December 1898, the volume was purchased by the bookseller Thomas Bain, who presented it to Annie Cobden-Sanderson.