Jubilee of Uniform Penny Post 1840-1890 | Illustrated Postal History Book 1891
 
Features
 
Official Jubilee publication of the Uniform Inland Penny Post
Printed for the Jubilee Celebration Committee, General Post Office
Illustrated throughout, including frontispiece portrait of Rowland Hill
Documents celebrations at Guildhall, South Kensington, and nationwide
Original red cloth binding with gilt and black decoration
Scarce late-Victorian postal history publication
One facsimile illustration missing (facing page 14), priced accordingly
 
Bibliographic Details
 
Title: Account of the Celebration of the Jubilee of Uniform Inland Penny Postage, 1840–1890
Publisher: Printed for the Jubilee Celebration Committee, General Post-Office, London
Printer: Richard Clay & Sons, Limited, London and Bungay
Date: 1891
Illustrations: Portraits and sketches throughout; frontispiece of Rowland Hill
Pagination: x + 331 pages
Binding: Original red cloth, gilt and black decoration
Size: approx. 22.2 × 15.3 × 3 cm
Weight: approx. 753 g
 
Exterior Condition
 
Bound in the publisher’s original red cloth over boards and spine, with gilt lettering and black borders to the front board and spine, and gilt and black decorative elements to the front.
 
The cover is intact, robust, and presentable for its age. Wear includes:
Soft bumping to corners
Light rubbing at edges and rear board
Several marks, stains, and light surface wear to the cloth
Small dents to the spine
 
Overall a solid and attractive Victorian cloth binding.
 
Interior Condition
 
Black pastedown and endpaper at the front; green pastedown and endpaper at the rear
Pages lightly tanned, consistent with age
Light foxing to endpapers and some preliminary pages
Pages otherwise neat, clean, and predominantly uncreased
Occasional light marks and very small creases only
Very small edge rips to page 33 and overleaf, not affecting text
One light gutter crack between pages 144 and 145
No pen or pencil inscriptions present
 
All pages are secure.
 
⚠️ Illustrations: All illustrations present except one missing facsimile facing page 14, which is noted clearly and reflected in pricing.
 
About the Book
 
This official commemorative volume records the 50th anniversary of the Uniform Inland Penny Post, one of the most transformative reforms in British social and communications history.
 
Introduced in 1840 under the influence of Sir Rowland Hill, the Penny Post revolutionised access to correspondence, reshaping literacy, commerce, and daily life across Britain. This book documents the nationwide celebrations held in 1890, including events at the Guildhall, South Kensington’s Museum of Science and Art, and numerous towns and villages throughout the United Kingdom.
 
Richly illustrated and institutionally produced, it offers a contemporary Victorian perspective on the legacy of postal reform.
 
About Rowland Hill
 
Sir Rowland Hill (1795–1879) was a British reformer who introduced the Penny Post and the postage stamp.
 
Rarity & Market Context
 
This is a specialist institutional publication, produced for a specific Jubilee committee rather than the general book trade. As such, it appears infrequently on the open market, particularly in original cloth with illustrations intact.
 
It is sought after by:
Postal history collectors
Victorian social history collectors
Institutional and communications historians
 
Copies are scarcer than general Victorian illustrated books, especially complete examples.
 
Collector Notes
 
Official General Post Office Jubilee publication
Important document in British communications history
Missing one facsimile only; all text and remaining illustrations present
Strong candidate for postal history or institutional collections
Priced to reflect condition and noted illustration loss