OWEN, Rev. T.M.N. The Church Bells of Huntingdonshire Jarrold & Sons, 1899.
Large 8vo. Original maroon cloth, gilt stamped to upper cover with title and a bell motif, and to the spine; pp. [x], 154l; a very good copy with some mild foxing to endpapers and a little fading to the rear cover.
One of two hundred copies, this being no. 42. An incredibly thorough and intimately researched labour of love about the crafting and traditional use of church bells in the county of Huntingdonshire. The book was delayed six years in the making whilst the author sourced accurate woodblocks from bellfounders, museums and churches. Perhaps the most interesting chapter from a layman's perspective is Local Uses which details the various practices, of such arcane devices as the Pancake Bell, or the Gleaning Bell. This book was produced in small numbers, and thus appears for sale infrequently.
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