Prayers of St. Alphonsus Liguori - St. Alphonsus Liguori - Brepols c. 1900

A charming French Catholic prayer book from around 1900, published by Établissements Brepols in the Belgian city of Turnhout.

Prières de S. Alphonse de Liguori contains a collection of prayers and pious exercises based on the spirituality of Saint Alphonsus Liguori. The texts are organized for daily and weekly use, the different months, and the special seasons of the liturgical year.

The book has a dark brown, almost black binding with ornate gold floral motifs and border decorations in Art Nouveau style. The gilt edges are still clearly visible, and the inside of the cover is finished with decorated endpapers in soft shades of green and gold.

A notable feature of this edition is the meticulously crafted two-color printing. The text is printed in black with reddish titles and initials, while the pages are framed with fine blue floral ornaments. The publisher itself notes that this is a deluxe two-color edition.

At the front, there is a religious illustration of Jesus with the Sacred Heart, printed by Brepols in Turnhout.

The book is in moderate antiquarian condition. The binding shows wear but has largely retained its characteristic gold decoration. The binding is significantly weakened, and some pages are partially detached. At the back, there is an old adhesive tape repair that has yellowed heavily and covers part of the text in places. There are also some small tears, creases, and foxing marks present.

Despite these flaws, it remains an attractive historical prayer book, with a particularly refined execution and a characteristic aesthetic from the turn of the twentieth century.

Specifications

• Title: Prières de S. Alphonse de Liguori
• Dutch title: Gebeden van de heilige Alfonsus van Liguori
• Spiritual author: Saint Alphonsus Liguori
• Compilation: Le P. J. M. L.
• Publisher: Établissements Brepols
• Printer: Brepols & Dierckx zoon
• Place of publication: Turnhout, Belgium
• Date: Presumably circa 1900
• Language: French, with some Latin prayers
• Pages: 266 numbered pages
• Format: Bound prayer book with gold decoration
• Binding: Dark brown to black, with floral gold stamping
• Decorative style: Art Nouveau style
• Edges: Gilt
• Endpapers: Decorated with floral patterns
• Printing: Two-color deluxe edition with ornamental page borders
• Dimensions: 12 × 7.5 × 1.3 cm
• Condition: Moderate antiquarian condition
• Damages: Weakened binding, partially loose pages, wear, small tears, and heavily yellowed old adhesive tape repair at the back
• Origin: Belgium