A scarce early deck to begin with--but for me the specialness of these cards is all the personalization and clear active use
(I think of Man Ray's Indestructible Object
with light scratches and scuffs all over and one straight vertical hairline crack in one piece of inlay (as pictured)
with their square corners
crisp feeling palette of whites and red/pink and pale blue stripes and plaid running though
1840 British Commonplace Book with Beautiful Lettering and Watercolor Maps + 1890s Additions primitive game board A scarce early deck toThe binding here on this 1840 British commonplace book is in rough shape, but the contents are beautiful, with some gorgeous boldly watercolored maps (Oxford, Gloucester, Leicester, as well as Ispahan and Italy), a charming rendering of Mt. Vesuvius, and some very beautiful lettering delivering such good phrases as "Instruction is inimitable" and "Of all moral virtues, patience in best." Photos tell pretty much the whole story! The beautiful pages