Misericords; Medieval Life In English Woodcarving (A King Penguin Book)

Penguin Books, Middlesex, England, 1954. First Edition. Hardcover. Good Condition/Poor. Illustrator: Various. The text is illustrated with 48 pages of black-and-white photography at the rear of the book. Illustrated boards, showing a carver at work, with black coloured titles to the front panel and backstrip. Illustrated dustwrapper, same illustration as the underlying board, with black coloured titles to the front panel and backstrip. "Services were long and frequent in the Middle Ages, and monks and canons had to stand upright longer than they liked. So, commiserating with them, the carpenters made small seats on the under-side of the tip-up seats in chancel stores on which one could sit, or against which at least one could lean, while apparently standing. The function and position being what it was, no strict control seems to have been kept over what the carver wished to represent to decorate these miserere or misericord seats." -- from the front fold over panel blurb. The author looks at these carvings and shows what subjects were carved from the every day life, mythology and is ecclesiastical themes. King Penguin Series – Number 72. A little softening to the backstrip edges with rubbing to the book corners and lower book edges. Browning and faint foxing to the textblock edges. Offset tanning, browning in foxing to the endpapers with very light age toning to the pages. Chipping to the dustwrapper corners and to the backstrip edges. A small tear to the top edge of the front panel with major damage to the backstrip region measuring 4 inches. Sunning rubs and a few foxing spots also visible. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. (4), 5-30, (49 – of which 48 pages are black-and-white photographs of Misericords) pages,. Please refer to accompanying picture (s). Illustrator: Various. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 500 grams. Category: Art & Design; Misericords; Britain/UK; Medieval 10th to 15thc; Inventory No: 0115327. .