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Dent, Major Herbert C.
Wine, Spirit & Sauce Labels of the 18th & 19th Centuries. Norwich H.W. Hunt: 1933. Edition limited to 250 signed, numbered copies. The very first book on the subject of wine labels, and because of its rarity and the important place of its author in the history of label colleting, still a much sought-after volume. The text covers the evolution and nomenclature of the wine label, 'Bronte' labels, 'Calcavella' labels, 'Methuen' labels, home-made cordial and wine labels, condiment labels, Madeira labels, and labels decorated with crests. The color plate illustrates a blue Bristol spirit bottle and two sauce bottles, ca.1780, featuring engraved designs imitating silver labels. Black & white plate I illustrates representative 18th century wine labels, Plate II shows labels made between 1800 and 1837, Plate III shows labels of the 18th and early 19th century featuring crests, Plate IV illustrates labels with uncommon titles, Plate V shows sauce & condiment labels and labels in the form of leaves, Plate VI illustrates ivory, mother-of-pearl, Sheffield plate, and boar's tusk labels. Major Herbert Dent, MBE, started collecting labels around 1910. A veteran of service in India, by the early decades of the 20th century he had retired and could devote much time to his new hobby, which included the sale and gifting of hundreds of duplicate labels, and a steady correspondence with fellow collectors. Several years after he published this limited edition he sold his entire label collection to fellow collector Herbert W. Hollebone, in order to help finance his granddaughters' educations. Hardcover. 8.5"x11.5", 15 pages plus a color frontispiece and 6 black & white plates. Publisher's dark blue cloth with gilt titles. Light cover wear, endpapers browned, else clean and fine. |
