Vellum books

Vellum books have long been popular with interior designers as well as connoisseurs of antiques as they are such attractive accessories for any room. What sets the antique vellum books apart is the beautiful smooth texture and their gorgeous appearance which gives them their decorative antiques quality.

The term Vellum comes for the Latin word vitulinum which defines anything that is made from calf skin. Vellum is a fine parchment that is essentially made from the skin of calves or pigs. The smoothness of these vellum books, dependly on the quality of the skin that is utilized for the manufacture. These were first created and used in the 15th century primarily to bind books. Apart from binding this fine quality parchment was also used for many other things because of its durability compared to normal paper. These processed parchments were often used for important documents like diplomas and scrolls. The modern versions of these vellum papers are more synthetic in nature and are used for blueprints or technical drawings.

At Brownrigg we have a fine collection of 17th and 18th century vellum books. There is a wide variety in terms of origin. We currently stock Italian, Latin and French vellum books, Florentine vellum books and Belgian vellum books. All are fine quality books in good condition and will look good as decorative antiques.