Cobden-Sanderson, Thomas James

Thomas James Cobden-Sanderson, (born Dec. 2, 1840, Alnwick, Northumberland, Eng.—died Sept. 7, 1922, London), English book designer and binder who contributed much to the success of the Arts and Crafts Movement.

Though initially a barrister, he turned in 1883 to bookbinding, a field in which he rapidly won distinction. He established the Doves Bindery at Hammersmith, London (1893), confining himself thereafter to designing; and in 1900 he founded, with Emery Walker, the Doves Press. The restrained splendour of its books is unsurpassed. The Doves Bible (1903–05) is considered the masterpiece of the press. He and Walker designed an outstanding type, which was based on the roman type of the 15th-century printer Nicolas Jenson. The partnership ended in 1909; and after the press closed in 1916, Cobden-Sanderson, to make certain that no one could use his special type, threw it into the Thames.