The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 45, July to December 1883

1000+ pages, profusely illustrated, a remarkable sourcebook of Victorian architecture

Author

Publisher

Printing Details

First edition. Hardback, rebound in half leather, with contrasting title label to spine. 32 × 21.5cm, viii + 1048pp

The Building News and Engineering Journal was established in 1854 and became one of the principal sources of architecture, building, and restoration of the Victorian age. Illustrated throughout with double page drawings, full single page drawings, architectural plans, and smaller drawings within the text, this journal documented and recorded buildings throughout Great Britain, as well as occasionally overseas. The eight page index at the start gives a good idea of the number of illustrations and topics.

Among the impressive illustrations are: a building on Wigmore Street (double spread), St John's Schools, Chester (single), Artizans Dwellings, Notte St, Plymouth (single), architectural street fronts in Nottingham (new municipal offices) (double), Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museum (single), New Hotel, Bush Hill Park (Enfield), useful furniture by Sheraton, sculptured figure work by Viollet le Duc (both singles), staircase decorations by Jeffrey & Co (double), and this is a fraction of the illustrations.

The text includes articles, building news, notices and adverts, projects, questions, the text to each page printed in triple columns.

This copy has the ownership stamp to the ffep of William Puttick, Architect & Surveyor of Prince Albert Chambers, Brighton.

Condition

The leather binding and boards are fairly heavily rubbed and worn, with some lifting to the cloth of the upper board at the fore-edge. The title page is foxed, and light scattered foxing throughout but remaining in strong readable condition. The inner binding is secure. One thing to note on the plates: although they are bound in the correct groupings, they are not always in order, so you may see offsetting to a plate which isn't opposing, but having checked, where this has happened the plate that has left the offsetting is present within a few pages either side. This would have happened when the rebinding was done.

A very heavy book at nearly 4kg. Further images are available on request.