[Because I Love You]. Love poems.

[CHIVERS VELLUCENT BINDING]

Arthur Humphries was general manager at Hatchards from 1881 until 1924. During his tenure he published a fair number of books, most notably the aphorisms of Oscar Wilde 'Oscariana' in 1895. We now also know that he had an intimate friendship with Oscar's wife, Constance, which probably lead to a short-lived affair.

Following a lecture by Cyril Davenport of the British Museum on the 18th century painted vellum bindings of Edwards of Halifax, Cedric Chivers created his own 'Vellucent' bindings using established artists such as Jessie M. King, Alice Shepherd, and H. Granville Fell. In its prime, the company experimented and specialised in highly skilled and beautiful bindings; this example being one of them.

Chivers was born in Bath to a bookbinding family. After working for his father and various other binders, he opened his own business in 1878, in the premises formerly occupied by Robert Rivière in Union Street, Bath. He subsequently moved to a double fronted shop at 39 Gay Street and then, as the business expanded, to a large house at Portway in Combe Park where the company operated until 1990.

First edition; small 8vo, (150 x 120 mm); half-title, additional pictorial title, initials printed red, several tipped-in illustrations and decorations, age-toning only to endpapers, microscopic spotting to fore-edges, pages are otherwise clean and remarkably bright; full vellucent by Cedric Chivers of Bath housed in a slipcase (gilt stamped name to lower cover) with gilt borders, hand-painted panel design to upper board with gilt lettering 'Because I love you', a wreath of swags and roses, gilt title to spine, slight rubbing to edges, small spot to upper panel, some fading to gilt-ruled borders, rubbing to slipcase, otherwise a lovely copy, unusual and scarce, very good condition; 64pp.