Dear Collective Wisdom,
I am cataloguing the book
A critical account of the drawings of Michel Angelo and Raffaello in the university galleries, Oxford, by J.C. Robinson, published in 1870. The copy we already hold is 20cm, while this copy, from the library of John Shearman, is 28cm. The textblock has not been trimmed down, but the text is printed as it would be in a much smaller book.
There is an inscription to "John Murray Sr., with J.C. Robinson's best compliments". Any advice on the following questions would be much appreciated. Is it likely that this was a copy sent at proof stage, at the request of the author, which is why it hasn't been trimmed down? In a note, how would you describe the textblock (to account for the discrepancy in size)?