I Often Make Posts About Books,

and here is another about a very rare book,

or I should say several of them, 

on both covers a continuous edge inscription: 'In grateful acknowledgment to dear honor on the 5th of autumn month 1757. On the occasion of the joyful meal, about the blyde birth of Willem Zelandus van Borssele, who wants to have the gentleman upholster the noble chair of his father , for the benefit of the country and the church, wish with reverence, AL Callenfels, S. Mandelgreen and L. Taillefert.D.Z '. Signed at the bottom of the front cover 'S. Mandelgreen fecit ',

the fact that the binding features the signature of the binder is a special feature. No other Dutch luxury books from the eighteenth century has the name of the maker, except for two other books from Mandelgreen,

edge lettering on the covers is also rare, only a few Dutch volumes, including a series of ten volumes by Mandelgreen, have such an extensive text on the covers, the miniature books very appropriately contain texts such as the Bible, a national history and other works important for education, Mandelgreen worked in Middelburg between 1736 and 1758, He is mentioned as printer in the municipal accounts in 1756 and 1757 and was also an auctioneer. Only a few editions of him are known. In 1758 he entered into a collaboration with the printers Callenfels and Taillefert for the publication of the Middelburgsche Courant, in the eighteenth century it was unusual in the Netherlands for bookbinders to sign their work. An exception to this rule is the binder Suenonius Mandelgreen, who works in Middelburg, apparently his signature appears four times on mostly extraordinary pieces, but Mandelgreen is not Dutch, what an amazingly rare set of books indeed, 

above another bookbinding from 1755 by master craftsman Suenonius Mandelgreen, Zeeuws Archief, illustration Archief familie Van Borssele van der Hooge inv.nr 145A. for a closer look at the above book, and the story behind it, have a look here.