{"product_id":"chateau-of-flowers-the-romantic-story-of-lily-of-the-valley-by-margaret-rome-gilt-stamped-green-harlequin-hardcover-1971","title":"Chateau of Flowers: The Romantic Story of Lily of the Valley by Margaret Rome, Gilt-Stamped Green Harlequin Hardcover, 1971","description":"\u003ch3\u003eThe Piece\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eA slim hardcover bound in deep bottle green, the front board stamped in gilt with a single spray of lily of the valley — bells, buds, and two broad leaves — drawn as an open outline rather than a filled silhouette. The spray runs nearly the full height of the board and is the only ornament on it. There is no dust jacket.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe spine carries the same gilt work, set in three registers: the title and the line THE ROMANTIC STORY OF in small capitals, then \u003cem\u003eLily of the Valley\u003c\/em\u003e in a flowing script, then ROME, and at the tail the Harlequin diamond colophon above the publisher's name.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInside, the endpapers are pale sage. An engraved Ex Libris bookplate — an oval frame ruled for three lines, flanked at the base by winged classical heads and a swag of flowers, printed in green on cream — has been pasted to the front free endpaper and left blank. The text block is clean and bright, the paper cream and supple, the printing sharp.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eHistory \u0026amp; Provenance\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe copyright page settles the date without argument: CHATEAU OF FLOWERS, Copyright © MCMLXXI by Margaret Rome, Printed in U.S.A. That is 1971.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat makes the object worth keeping is that it is a hardcover at all. Harlequin built its business on mass-market paperbacks, and that is how nearly all of Margaret Rome's titles reached readers. Hardcover issues were produced in far smaller numbers, and this one was given decorative treatment the paperbacks never received: a flower subtitle worked into the title, gilt stamping on both board and spine, and a binding colour chosen to sit under the flower rather than compete with it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLily of the valley carries a long association with May and with spring weddings, and the binding leans on that association rather than on the novel — the flower is the cover, and the story is subtitled to match it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere is no library stamp, card pocket, accession number, or ownership inscription anywhere in the book. The bookplate was pasted in by a previous owner and never filled out.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eProduct Details\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ctable border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"8\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"width:100%; border-collapse:collapse;\"\u003e\n\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth align=\"left\" style=\"text-align:left; vertical-align:top;\"\u003eField\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth align=\"left\" style=\"text-align:left; vertical-align:top;\"\u003eDetail\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\u003c\/thead\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eObject\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eHardcover book\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eTitle\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eChateau of Flowers: The Romantic Story of Lily of the Valley\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eAuthor\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eMargaret Rome\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003ePublisher\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eHarlequin Books\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eForm\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eHardcover, no dust jacket. Gilt-stamped front board and spine; pale sage endpapers; blank engraved Ex Libris bookplate pasted to the front free endpaper\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eMaterial\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eFine-grained green covering over boards with gilt stamping; cream text block\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eMarks\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eCopyright page reads “CHATEAU OF FLOWERS Copyright © MCMLXXI by Margaret Rome” and “Printed in U.S.A.”; Harlequin diamond colophon to the spine\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eEra\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003e1971\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eCondition\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eGood. The binding is tight and square and the text block is clean, unmarked, and free of foxing, with no loose or missing pages. The gilt is bright and fully legible. The covering shows rubbing and small losses at the spine ends, corners, and along the joints, where the white board shows through, and there is light scattered scratching and soiling across the boards. No inscriptions, no tears, no odour. Condition Guaranteed.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eAvailability\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eOne of a Kind — 1 Available\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhy It Belongs in Your Home\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eGreen books are the hardest colour to find and the most useful to own. A deep bottle-green spine does work on a shelf that no neutral can do: it anchors a run of tan and cream bindings, picks up a plant or a painting across the room, and reads as considered rather than decorative. This one earns its place twice over, because the gilt flower means it is worth turning face out.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt also works flat. Set it on a coffee table under a small bowl or a pair of reading glasses, stack it with two or three other cloth-bound books, or stand it on a nightstand. The gilt catches lamplight at close range in a way that printed jackets never do.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs a gift it is specific in a way that is hard to buy. Lily of the valley is the flower of May, a traditional wedding flower, and a common birth-month flower, and the book is old enough to feel like a found object rather than a purchase. The blank bookplate is still waiting for a name.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA note on care: keep it out of direct sun, which will fade a green binding faster than any other colour, and shelve it upright rather than leaning. Dust the boards with a dry soft cloth only — no cleaners, no damp cloth, and nothing on the gilt, which sits on the surface and will lift.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viridian Eclection","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48028524576873,"sku":"VE-1424","price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0651\/0093\/9369\/files\/IMG_3682.jpg?v=1788997871","url":"https:\/\/viridianeclection.com\/products\/chateau-of-flowers-the-romantic-story-of-lily-of-the-valley-by-margaret-rome-gilt-stamped-green-harlequin-hardcover-1971","provider":"Viridian Eclection","version":"1.0","type":"link"}