Binding

The second edition copy of The Mysteries of Udolpho in the Tisch Special Collections is a four volume set of octavos bound in half-leather. While volumes two through four most likely still have their original bindings, volume one was rebound at some point, possibly in 1971. The spine of volume one is obviously newer than the others, but the rebinding was done to match the other works. On the inside back cover of volume one there is a small stamp of an elephant with the year 1971 underneath it. Many works in Special Collections feature a stamp like this, though they have different years all from around the same period. This stamp most likely came from a bookbinder that refurbished books in the collection around the early 1970s. (Barbour) No information could be found on the bookbinder, nor is there a record of any of the works being sent out for repair. Near the end of volume three there is a page with a fold that was created when the book was bound. The crease in the page cannot be undone because it is held in place by the binding. This error was most likely part of the original binding and while it does not make any of the text unreadable, it is an obvious fault.