Dust Wrapper Joy
I know that I can get over excited by small things which many would find inconsequential, however, I will share this small detail with you nonetheless...
Today I finally discovered what the original paper dust wrappers looked like for the Recording Britain series of books (commissioned by Sir Kenneth Clarke during the Second World War). Just when I was starting to doubt that a dust jacket ever existed I found this set for sale complete with DJ's! Whoo hoo!
Lovely though this set is, I will stick with my own 'jacket-less', dusky red copies which get dipped into on a regular basis. The original collection of over 1500 watercolours and drawings from the series were donated to the Victoria & Albert Museum in 1949 by The Pilgrim trust. If you'd like to take a closer look at them they are held in the V&A's Prints and Drawings Study Room and can be seen on request.
Here's a little more on the context of the books from the Victoria & Albert Museum website: Recording Britain @ VAM
Comments
I really don't know why 90% of sets / singles turn up without their covers. Usually dustwrappers go missing with such high frequency when they are so beautiful people put them on the wall or otherwise preserve & admire them - or because they are dull covers over beautiful bindings. Neither case applies here.
A possible explanation arises looking at my own set ... low quality rationed paper - covered in foxing:( But the set in your photo look like wrappings to be treasured