Diamond 128mo. 688 printed pages. Thinnest India paper supplied by Henry Frowde. All edges gilt. Title page slightly creased and nibbled around the edges. Several leaves with edges creased. Last two leaves loose. All edges gilt. Original cream and green decorative floral endpapers. No inscriptions. 46 x 57 mm. Original full parchment binding. Spine with three gilt flower motifs tooled within horizontal gilt borders and gilt blocked titling. Contemporary embroidered upper cover in gold thread and cornflower blue silk: symbolising the five-fold cross -the five wounds of Christ and the four evangelists or quarters of the world. Parchment is age-toned and one edge of the upper cover is worn. This is almost certainly a Royal School of Art Needlework binding, manufactured at Exhibition Road, South Kensington - founded in 1872 to revive ornamental needlework under the influence of the Arts and Crafts movement, and provide employment for women; it still continues to this day. Henry Frowde was the London manager for Oxford University Press (OUP) from 1874 to 1913. He was instrumental in popularizing miniature or "Thumb" prayer books, often printed on thin "India paper" to make thick, comprehensive volumes highly portable. Hand-embroidered covers often featured religious designs and were produced individually to be sold for special gifts on occasions like weddings or confirmations. They were produced by skilled craftswomen in a specialised bindery.