And painted the backs of our Shakespeare

From George Grossmith’s Diary of a Nobody. This is one of the more delicate absurdities bestowed by the author on Mr. Pooter:

“April 26.—Got some more red enamel paint (red, to my mind, being the best colour), and painted the coal-scuttle, and the backs of our Shakspeare, the binding of which had almost worn out.”