London: Hammersmith Publishing Society, 1905. First edition, first printing. This is a very good copy. Paper over vellum boards. Slight bumping to the corners and light handling marks throughout. The vellum spine is a touch spotted and toned. Touch of soiling to the front panel. The binding is tight, and the internals are clean. The author, T. J. Cobden-Sanderson, has inscribed this copy To Herbert Fisher, with the compliments of the writer on the front fly leaf. Overall, this is a very good copy. The précis of the arts and crafts movement, written by one of its forerunners. Printed at the Chiswick Press in the year that the great Doves Press Bible was completed. The recipient of this copy, H. A. L. Fisher, is a fascinating one. He was the MP for Sheffield Hallam between 1916-1918 and later the President of the Board of Education under David Lloyd George. Most fascinating to me, Herbert Fisher was an unknowing contributor to Operation Mincemeat. In 1943, when British Intelligence planned to deceive enemy forces by placing the body of a false Royal Marines officer in the sea, they required some fine clothing to meet the fictional Major Martin s means. Due to rationing, quality underwear was hard to obtain and intelligence officers were unwilling to donate their own, Fisher s was used as substitute and, dressed in Fisher s quality woollen underpants, Major Martin and British Intelligence succeeded in misleading the Germans. The author, Thomas James Cobden-Sanderson turned to bookbinding in 1883, a field in which he rapidly won distinction. He established the Doves Bindery at Hammersmith in 1893, confining himself thereafter to designing books. In 1900, with Emery Walker, he founded the Doves Press. It was here that the aforementioned great Doves Bible was produced and considered the masterpiece of the press.