English binders of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries have emphasized well crafted bindings, true to the materials used, with restrained ornamentation. Panel or cover decoration often consists of simple borders that frame an open, central space. The natural grain and color of the leather serves as the primary ornament. Significant embellishments are placed on the spine of the book, the only visible portion of the volume when it sits on a shelf. Two firms who were practitioners of this style were Rivière and Son and Zaehnsdorf.

Year: 1848
Reference: William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863). Vanity Fair. A Novel Without a Hero. London: Bradbury & Evans, 1848. 624 p. 21.5 x 14 cm.
Description: Bound in dark blue niger goat with single gilt fillet border on covers. Raised spine bands. Gilt ornaments, fillets and title on spine. Gilt decorative roll on turn-in. All edges gilt. Signed binding. Tooled in gilt: Bayntun. Binder. Bath. Eng.
Binder: Bayntun
Catalog Record: http://129.171.32.28/search/o?SEARCH=3174108|

Year: 1743
Reference: Robert Blair (1699-1746). The Grave, A Poem. London: Printed for M. Cooper, at the Globe in Pater-Noster-Row, 1743. 39 p. 26 x 21 cm.
Description: Bound in green morocco with triple or French gilt fillet border on covers. Raised spine bands. Gilt title and ornaments on spine. Gilt decorative roll on turn-in. All edges gilt.
Signed binding. Tooled in gilt: F. Bedford.
Binder: Bedford, Francis
Catalog Record: http://129.171.32.28/search/o?SEARCH=+23198812

Year: 1658
Reference: Sir John Suckling (1609-1642). Fragmenta Aurea: A Collection of all the Incomparable Pieces Written by Sir John Suckling. London: Printed for Humphrey Moseley, 1658. Unpaged. 18 cm.
Description: Bound in green morocco with single gilt fillet frame within decorative roll border on covers. Raised spine bands. Gilt title and ornaments on spine. Gilt decorative roll on turn-ins. Top edge gilt.
Signed binding. Tooled in gilt: Bound by Bayntun-Riviere Bath England.
Binder: Bayntun-Rivière
Gift: William T. Reich
Catalog Record: http://129.171.32.28/search/o?SEARCH=23731860|

Year: 1861
Reference: William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863). The Four Georges: Sketches of Manners, Moral, Court and Town Life. London: Smith, Elder and Co., 1861. 226 p. 19.5 x 13.5 cm.
Description: Bound in brown morocco with triple or French gilt fillet border on covers. Raised spine bands. Gilt title, fillets and ornaments on spine. Gilt decorative roll on turn-ins. Top edge gilt.
Signed binding. Tooled in gilt: Bound by Riviere & Son.
Binder: Rivière and Son
Catalog Record: http://ibisweb.miami.edu/search/o?SEARCH=893428

Year: 1845
Reference: Richard Ford (1796-1858). [Hand book for Travellers in Spain] [London? 1845?]. 768 p. 19.5 x 13.5 cm.
Description: The suppressed edition of which only twenty copies are known to survive.
Bound in blue morocco with triple or French gilt fillet border on covers. Raised spine bands. Gilt title and ornaments on spine. Gilt decorative roll on turn-ins.
Signed binding. Tooled in gilt: Bound by Rivière & Son.
Binder: Rivière and Son
Gift: Charles Deering
Catalog Record: http://129.171.32.28/search/o?SEARCH=+37861388|

Year: 1849
Reference: Samuel Bevan. Sand and Canvas; A Narrative of Adventures in Egypt, with a Sojourn Among the Artists in Rome. London: Charles Gilpin, 1849. 370 p. 23 x 15 cm.
Description: Bound in brown morocco with triple or French gilt fillet on covers. Raised spine bands. Gilt decorations and title on spine. Gilt decorative roll on turn-ins. Top edge gilt.
Signed binding. Tooled in gilt: Bound by Rivière & Son.
Binder: Rivière and Son
Catalog Record: http://129.171.32.28/search/o?SEARCH=1815976|