"Maria Kralovna Nebeska: Modlitební Knížka pro Katolické Křesťany" [1893]

"Maria Kralovna Nebeska: Modlitební Knížka pro Katolické Křesťany" [A.J. Cellerina a Syna, Praha Vinohrady, 1893]. 319pp. Small 16mo. Bound in glossy black celluloid over boards with a decorative metal clasp, inset with five green glass jewels and a floral pattern. Gilt edges. Chromolithograph frontispiece and lithographic title page. Light age toning to paper, minor wear to endpapers, but binding tight and all pages present. Very Good.

A richly ornamented Czech-language Catholic prayer book, issued in Prague near the end of the 19th century. The elaborate celluloid binding and jeweled clasp mark this as a personal devotional object, likely gifted or purchased for a special occasion. Text entirely in Czech, with no illustrations beyond the title and frontis. A finely preserved example of Central European devotional publishing from the late Austro-Hungarian period.