POTW: Decorated Book Covers of a Tragic Author

This Photo of the Week takes a look at the author behind some of our most decorated book covers, Paul Leicestor Ford. Ford was an acclaimed editor, biographer, novelist and historian in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He was also a Brooklynite. He was born in 1865 at 97 Clark Street, later lived at 177 Remsen Street, and eventually left for Manhattan’s 37 East 77th Street with his new bride, Grace Kidder, in 1901.

While Ford’s work is largely forgotten today, he was a widely celebrated author in his time. He was acclaimed for both his historical biographies, such as The Honorable Peter Stirling (1894) and The Many-Sided Franklin (1899), as well as his romance novels, including Wanted--A Chaperone (1902) and Love Finds the Way (1904). Here at the Center for Brooklyn History, we hold a collection of Ford’s works, including his romance novels, many of which are richly decorated both inside and out. These works were published during the “golden age” of decorated cloth book covers, which lasted from about 1880 to 1910. Ford’s historical publications include light touches of gold, but nothing as festive as the designs seen on and in his romances. It seems either he or, more likely, his publisher, Dodd Mead and Company, felt the romantic subject matter lent itself to the decadent decoration of the moment. These designs were created by Margaret Armstrong, one of (if not the) foremost designers of the era. Armstrong, who lived in Manhattan, was trained in stained glass design and had a flair for botanical motifs (she would go on to become an explorer and discoverer of wildflowers). 

Though Ford achieved literary success after literary success, his good fortune was cut suddenly short in May 1902. Just a year into his marriage, with his first child on the way, Ford was murdered in his home by his estranged brother, Malcolm W. Ford, who then turned the gun on himself. As the Brooklyn Eagle put it, “the tragedy…falls with stunning force upon Brooklyn…The death of Paul Leicester Ford is to the world at large the tragic ending of a brilliant literary career.”

Wanted--A Chaperone (1902) was the first book published following his widely-covered death, being released in November of the same year, ahead of the holiday season. A number of other titles were published posthumously, all greeted with acclaim, many of which are available at the Center for Brooklyn History. 

To request access to these books, please schedule an appointment via cbhreference@bklynlibrary.org. Interested in seeing photos from CBH’s collections? Visit our online image gallery, which includes a selection of our images, or the digital collections portal at Brooklyn Public Library. We welcome appointments to research our entire collection of images, archives, maps, and special collections. Our reference staff is available to help with your research! You can reach us at cbhreference@bklynlibrary.org.