Bibliophemera

Here's an ad cover from 1890 for a Lancster, Pennsylvnia bookseller who used a little creativity with the advertising on the envelope. Most ad covers, or postal covers, contain a standard return address in the upper left corner that includes the essential business information of name and address ( example ). Some add a logo or cameo ( example ) to catch attention. Some add to these things information about their business or inventory ( example ). And some have stretched their creativity to include illustration of the cover's front, back, or both ( example ). S.H. Zahm combined some of the above with a twist that is an effective eye-catching design. He chose to use a triangular shape in the lower-left portion of the cover to disseminate business information down to the point of the lower-left corner. It's finished with a decorative border. Zahm lived from 1840 to 1892, a short 52 years by today's standards. He appears to have been an accomplished bookman and antiquarian ...