Bindings which have previously had metal clasps, &c., often have projecting fragments of the old nails. These should be sought for and carefully removed or driven in, as they may seriously damage any bindings with which they come in contact.
To protect valuable old bindings, cases may be made and lettered on the back with the title of the book.
Loose covers that necessitate the bending back of the boards for their removal are not recommended.
RE-BACKING
Bindings that have broken joints may be re-backed. Any of the leather of the back that remains should be carefully removed and preserved. It is impossible to get some leathers off tight backs without destroying them, but with care and by the use of a thin folder, many backs can be saved. The leather on the boards is cut a little back from the joint with a slanting cut, that will leave a thin edge, and is then lifted up with a folder. New leather, of the same colour is pasted on the back, and tucked in under the old leather on the board. The leather from the old back should have its edges pared and any lumps of glue or paper removed and be pasted on to the new leather and bound tightly with tape to make sure that it sticks.
When the leather at the corners of the board needs repairing, the corner is glued and tapped with a hammer to make it hard and square, and when it is dry a little piece of new leather is slipped under the old and the corner covered.
When the sewing cords or thread of a book have perished it should be rebound, but if there are any remains of the original binding they should be preserved and utilised. If the old boards have quite perished, new boards of the same nature and thickness should be got out and the old cover pasted over them. Such places as the old leather will not cover, must first be covered with new of the same colour. Generally speaking, it is desirable that the characteristics of an old book should be preserved, and that the new work should be as little in evidence as possible. It is far more pleasant to see an old book in a patched contemporary binding, than smug and tidy in the most immaculate modern cover.
Part of the interest of any old book is its individual history, which can be gathered from the binding, book-plates, marginal notes, names of former owners, &c., and anything that tends to obliterate these signs is to be deplored.
SPECIFICATIONS
SPECIFICATIONS FOR BOOKBINDING
These specifications will require modification in special cases, and are only intended to be a general guide.
GLOSSARY
Arming press, a small blocking press used for striking arms-blocks on the sides of books.
Backing boards, wedge-shaped bevelled boards used in backing (see Fig. 40).
Backing machine, used for backing cheap work in large quantities; it often crushes and damages the backs of the sections.
Bands, (1) the cords on which a book is sewn. (2) The ridges on the back caused by the bands showing through the leather.
Band nippers, pincers with flat jaws, used for straightening the bands (see Fig. 61). For nipping up the leather after covering, they should be nickelled to prevent the iron staining the leather.
Beating stone, the “stone” on which books were formerly beaten; now generally superseded by the rolling machine and standing press.
Blind tooling, the impression of finishing tools without gold.
Blocking press, a press used for impressing blocks such as those used in decorating cloth cases.
Board papers, the part of the end papers pasted on to the boards.
Bodkin, an awl used for making the holes in the boards for the slips.
Bolt, folded edge of the sheets in an unopened book.
Cancels, leaves containing errors, which have to be discarded and replaced by corrected sheets. Such leaves are marked by the printer with a star.
Catch-word, a word printed at the foot of one page indicating the first word of the page following, as a guide in collating.
Cutting boards, wedge-shaped boards somewhat like backing boards, but with the top edge square; used in cutting the edge of a book and in edge-gilding.
Cutting in boards, cutting the edges of a book after the boards are laced on.
Cutting press, when the lying press is turned, so that the side with the runners is uppermost, it is called a cutting press (see Fig. 46).
Diaper, a term applied to a small repeating all-over pattern. From woven material decorated in this way.
Doublure, the inside face of the boards, especially applied to them when lined with leather and decorated.
End papers, papers added at the beginning and end of a book by the binder.
Extra binding, a trade term for the best work.
Finishing, comprises lettering, tooling, and polishing, &c.
Finishing press, a small press used for holding books when they are being tooled (see Fig. 84).
Finishing stove, used for heating finishing tools.
Folder, a flat piece of ivory or bone, like a paper knife, used in folding sheets and in various other operations.
Foredge (fore edge), the front edge of the leaves. Pronounced “forrege.”
Forwarding, comprises all the operations between sewing and finishing, excepting headbanding.
Gathering, collecting one sheet from each pile in a printer’s warehouse to make up a volume.
Glaire, white of eggs beaten up, and used in finishing and edge gilding.
Half binding, when the leather covers the back and only part of the sides, a book is said to be half bound.
Head band, a fillet of silk or thread, worked at the head and tail of the back.
Head cap, the fold of leather over the head band (see Fig. 67).
Head and tail, the top and bottom of a book.
Imperfections, sheets rejected by the binder and returned to the printer to be replaced.
India proofs, strictly first proofs only of an illustration pulled on “India paper,” but used indiscriminately for all illustrations printed on India paper.
Inset, the portion of a sheet cut off and inserted in folding certain sizes, such as duodecimo, &c. (see Fig. 4).
Inside margins, the border made by the turn in of the leather on the inside face of the boards (see Fig. 116).
Joints, (1) the groove formed in backing to receive the ends of the mill-boards. (2) The part of the binding that bends when the boards are opened. (3) Strips of leather or cloth used to strengthen the end papers.
“Kettle stitch,” catch stitch formed in sewing at the head and tail.
Lacing in, lacing the slips through holes in the boards to attach them.
Lying press, the term applied to the under side of the cutting press used for backing, usually ungrammatically called “laying press.”
Marbling, colouring the edges and end papers in various patterns, obtained by floating colours on a gum solution.
Millboard machine, machine used for squaring boards; should only be used for cheap work, as an edge cut by it will not be as square as if cut by the plough.
Mitring, (1) lines meeting at a right angle without overrunning are said to be mitred. (2) A join at 45° as in the leather on the inside of the boards.
Overcasting, over-sewing the back edges of single leaves or weak sections.
Peel, a thin board on a handle used for hanging up sheets for drying.
Plate, an illustration printed from a plate. Term often incorrectly applied to illustrations printed from woodcuts. Any full-page illustration printed on different paper to the book is usually called a “plate.”
Pressing plates, plates of metal japanned or nickelled, used for giving finish to the leather on a book.
Press pin, an iron bar used for turning the screws of presses.
Proof, edges left uncut as “proof” that the book has not been unduly cut down.
Register, (i.) when the print on one side of a leaf falls exactly over that on the other it is said to register. (ii.) Ribbon placed in a book as a marker.
Rolling machine, a machine in which the sheets of a book are subject to heavy pressure by being passed between rollers.
Sawing in, when grooves are made in the back with a saw to receive the bands.
Section, the folded sheet.
Semée or Semis, an heraldic term signifying sprinkled.
Set off, print is said to “set off” when part of the ink from a page comes off on an opposite page. This will happen if a book is pressed too soon after printing.
Sheet, the full size of the paper as printed, forming a section when folded.
Signature, the letter or figure placed on the first page of each sheet.
Slips, the ends of the sewing cord or tape that are attached to the boards.
Squares, the portion of the boards projecting beyond the edges of the book.
Start, when, after cutting, one or more sections of the book come forward, making the fore edge irregular, they are said to have started.
Straight edge, a flat ruler.
Tacky, sticky.
T. E. G., top-edge gilt.
Trimmed. The edges of a book are said to be trimmed when the edges of the larger (or projecting) leaves only have been cut.
Tub, the stand which supports the lying press. Originally an actual tub to catch the shavings.
Uncut, a book is said to be uncut when the edges of the paper have not been cut with the plough or guillotine.
Unopened, the book is said to be unopened if the bolts of the sheets have not been cut.
Waterproof sheets, sheets of celluloid, such as are used by photographers.
Whole binding, when the leather covers the back and sides of a volume.
Wire staples are used by certain machines in the place of thread for securing the sections.
Groove, that part of the sections which is turned over in backing to receive the board.
REPRODUCTIONS OF BINDINGS
I., II., AND III.
Fifteenth Century Blind-Tooled Bindings
IV.
Sixteenth Century Binding with Simple Gold-Tooling
V., VI., VII., AND VIII.
Modern Bindings Designed by the Author
I.—German Fifteenth Century. Pigskin. Actual size, 8¾″ × 6¼″.
II.—German Fifteenth Century. Calf. Actual size 12½″ × 8½″.
III.—Italian Fifteenth Century. Sheepskin, with coloured roundels. Actual size, 11½″ × 8¼″.
IV.—Italian Sixteenth Century. Actual size, 12½″ × 8½″. Goatskin.
V.—Half Niger morocco, with sides of English oak. Actual size, 17″ × 11½″.
VI.—Niger morocco, inlaid green leaves. Actual size, 8¼″ × 5½″.
VII.—Green levant, inlaid with lighter green panel and red dots. Actual size, 6¾″ × 4½″.
VIII.—Niger morocco, executed by a student of the Central School of Arts and Crafts. Actual size, 11¾″ × 9¼″.
INDEX
- Arming press, 229, 313
- Arms blocks, 228
- Art paper, 48, 282
- Autograph letters, 179
- Backing, 117
- Backing hammer, 123
- Back, lining up, 152
- Band nippers, 160, 163
- Bands, 313
- Bandstick, 160
- Beating, 90
- Beating stone, 90, 313
- Benzine, 207, 209
- Binding, decoration of, 21, 30, 188, 233
- Binding, collotype reproductions of, 321-336
- Binding, embroidered, 186
- Binding early printed books, 31, 46, 113
- Binding, extra, 308
- Binding, jewelled, 263
- Binding, library, 27, 173, 308
- Binding, manuscripts, 31, 108, 113, 125, 135, 223
- Binding, metal-covered, 263
- Binding, vellum, 180
- Binding very thin books, 177
- Blind tooling, 188, 222
- Blocking press, 229, 313
- Blocks, striking, 229
- Boards, 124
- Boards, attaching, 132
- Boards, cutting, 125
- Boards, filling in, 170
- Boards, lining, 129
- Boards, pressing, 193, 210
- Boards, split, 28, 175, 311
- Bodkin, 114
- Bookbinding as a profession, 32
- Books in sheets, 34
- Bookworms, 297
- Borders, designing, 240
- Borders, inside, 253
- Calf, 27, 277
- Cancelled sheets, 43
- Cased books, 19, 49
- Castor oil, 303
- Catch stitch, 99
- Catch words, 314
- Celluloid, sheets of, 161
- Centres, designing, 241
- Chrome leather, 276
- Clasps and ties, 183, 259
- Cleaning off back, 137
- Cloth casing, 19, 49
- Cloth joints, 86, 257
- Cobden-Sanderson, T. J., xii., 22
- Cockroaches, 300
- Cocoanut oil, 200
- Collating, 43
- Colouring edges, 144
- Combining tools to form patterns, 232
- Compasses, 131
- Cord sewing, 111
- Corners, mitring, 165, 168
- Cousin, Jules, 74, 299
- Covering, 23, 159, 176, 310
- Crushing the grain of leather, 192
- Cutting in boards, 139
- Cutting mill-boards, 124
- Cutting press, 128
- Damp, effect of, on bindings, 294
- Decoration of bindings, 21, 30, 188, 233
- Designing tools, 230
- Diaper patterns, 236
- Dividers, 51
- Dots, striking, 205
- Doubluves, 253, 314
- Dressing for old bindings, 302
- Dust and dusting, 296
- Early printed books, binding, 31, 46, 113
- Edge colouring, 144
- Edge gauffering, 144
- Edge gilding, 95, 144
- Edge sizing, 95, 146
- Edges, painted, 146
- Embroidered bindings, 186
- End papers, 80, 254
- End, painted, 83
- End, vellum, 84
- Ends, silk, 84
- Entering, 33
- Evelyn’s Diary (quotation), 282
- “Extra” binding, 308, 314
- False bands, 26
- Fillet, 190, 206
- Fillet, small, 206, 246
- Filling in boards, 170
- Finishing, 191
- Finishing press, 194
- Finishing tools, 188
- Finishing stove, 195
- Flattening vellum, 65
- Folder, 164
- Folding, 36
- Fraying out slips, 114
- French joint, 176
- French paring knife, 156
- French standing press, 91
- Gas fumes, effect of, 291
- Gathering, 35
- Gauffering edges, 144
- Gelatine, 70
- Gilding edges, 95, 144
- Gilt top, 92
- Glaire, 97, 198
- Glass, tinted, for libraries, 292
- Glossary, 313
- Glue, 289
- Glueing up, 115
- Goatskin, 277
- Gold cushion, 200
- Gold leaf, 199
- Gold knife, 200
- Gold, net for, 96
- Gold, pad for, 201
- Gold tooling, 188, 191
- Gouges, 189, 205, 247
- Groove (see Joint)
- Guarding, 42, 53
- Guarding plates, 50, 56, 316
- Hammer, backing, 123
- Hand-made paper, 280
- Headbanding, 108, 147, 176
- Headcaps, 156, 166
- Heat, effect of, on bindings, 295
- Heraldry on bindings, 227
- Hinging plates, 57
- Hollow backs, 25, 185
- Imperfections, 35
- India proofs, soaking off, 62
- India proofs, mounting, 63
- Indiarubber for gold, 207
- Inlaying leather, 213, 232, 243
- Inlaying leaves or plates, 64
- Inset, 40, 315
- Inside margins, 253
- Jaconet, 60, 64
- Japanese paper, 282
- Japanese vellum, 282
- Jewelled bindings, 263
- Joint, 165, 169
- Joint, cloth, 86, 257
- Joint, French, 176
- Joint, knocking out, 53
- Joint, leather, 86, 171
- Kettle stitch, 49, 99, 105
- Keys, sewing, 101
- Knife, mountcutters’, 54
- Knife, French paring, 156
- Knife, gold, 200
- Knife, plough, 129, 139
- Knocking down iron, 53, 134
- Knocking out joints, 53
- Knot, 100, 106
- Lacing in slips, 132
- Lay cords, 100
- Laying press (see Lying press)
- Leather, 27, 263
- Leather, chrome, 276
- Leather, crushing grain of, 192
- Leather, inlaying, 213, 232, 243
- Leather joints, 86, 171
- Leather, paring, 154
- Leather, polishing, 191
- Leather, sprinkling and marbling, 27, 279
- Leather, stretching, 23, 161
- Leather, testing, 274
- Leather work, 226
- Leaves, inlaying, 64
- Lettering, 28, 215, 246
- Letters, autograph, 179
- Library binding, 27, 173, 308
- Light, effect of, on leather, 292
- Lining up back, 152
- Lithographic stone, 157, 160
- Loose covers, 304
- Lying press, 128
- Manuscripts, binding of, 31, 108, 113, 125, 135, 223
- Manuscripts, collating, 46
- Maps, throwing out, 60
- Marbled paper, 83
- Margins, inside, 253
- Marking up, 98
- Materials for sewing, 111
- Mending, 76
- Mending tooling, 208
- Mending vellum, 79
- Metal on bindings, 262
- Millboards, 124
- Millboard machine, 127, 315
- Millboard shears, 126
- Mitring corners, 165, 168
- Morocco, 277
- Morocco, “Persian,” 271
- Mount-cutters’ knife, 54
- Mounting India-proofs, 63
- Mounting very thin paper, 63
- Net for gilding edges, 96
- Niger morocco, 278
- Nipping press, 211
- Nippers, band, 160, 163
- Oil, cocoanut, 200
- Opening newly-bound books, 257
- Overcasting, 51
- “Overs,” 35
- Oxalic acid, use of, 173
- Pad for gold, 201
- Paging, 44
- Painted edges, 146
- Painted end papers, 83
- Pallets, 189
- Paper, 280
- Paper, art, 48, 283
- Paper, hand-made, 280
- Paper, Japanese, 282
- Paper, marbled, 83
- Paper, sizes of, 36, 283
- Paper, sizing, 67
- Paper, splitting, 63
- Paper, washing, 71
- Paraffin wax, 303
- Paring leather, 154
- Paring paper, 61
- Paring stone, 157, 160
- Pastes, 286
- Paste water, 198
- Pasting down end papers, 254
- Patterns, 232
- “Peel,” 316
- Permanent binding, 19
- “Persian” morocco, 271
- Pigskin, 278
- Plates, detaching, 48
- Plates, guarding, 56
- Plates, hinging, 57
- Plates, inlaying, 64
- Plates, trimming, 40
- Plough, 128
- Plough knife, 129, 139
- Polishing, 191
- Preserving old bindings, 302
- Press, arming, 229, 313
- Press, blocking, 229, 313
- Press, cutting, 128
- Press, finishing, 194
- Press, lying, 128
- Press, nipping, 211
- Press pin, 316
- Press, sewing (see Sewing frame)
- Press, standing, 88
- Pressing boards, 193, 210
- Pressing in boards, 138
- Pressing plates, 192, 316
- Pressing sections, 87
- “Proof,” 316
- Publishers’ binding, 20
- Pulling to pieces, 46
- Quarter sections, 42
- Quires, books in, 34
- Rats and mice, 299
- Re-backing, 305
- Re-binding, 18, 306
- Refolding, 51
- Register of printing, 52, 316
- Representations of bindings, 321-336
- Roll, 190
- Rounding, 117
- Sawing in, 20, 25, 100, 108
- Scrap books, 178
- Sealskin, 278
- Sections, pressing, 87
- Sewing, 100
- Sewing cord, 111
- Sewing frame, 100
- Sewing keys, 101
- Sewing on tapes, 26, 111, 174
- Sewing on vellum slips, 111, 181
- Sewing silk, 112
- Sewing, tape for, 112
- Sewing thread, 112
- Sheepskin, 277-308
- Sheets, books in, 34
- Sheets, waterproof, 161
- Signatures, 34, 43
- Silk ends, 84
- Silk sewing, 112
- Sizes of paper, 36, 283
- Sizing, 67
- Sizing edges, 95-146
- Sizing leather, 198
- Sizing paper, 67
- Slips, 317
- Slips, fraying out, 114
- Slips, lacing in, 132
- Soaking off India proofs, 62
- Society of Arts, Report of Committee on Leather for Bookbinding, 22, 264
- Society of Arts, Report of Committee on Paper, 284
- Specifications, 308
- Split boards, 28, 175, 311
- Splitting paper, 63
- Sprinkling leather, 27, 279
- Squares, 131, 153, 317
- Standing press, 88
- Standing press, French, 89, 91
- Staples, wire, 49
- “Starred” sheets, 43
- Stove, finishing, 195
- Stone, lithographic, 157, 160
- Striking dots, 205
- Striking tools, 204
- Tape, sewing on, 26, 112, 174
- Temporary binding, 20
- Testing leather, 274
- Thin books, binding, 177
- Thin paper, mounting, 63
- Thread, sewing, 112
- Throwing out maps, 60
- Ties and clasps, 183, 259
- Tobacco smoke, effect of, on binding, 294
- Tooling, blind, 188, 222
- Tooling, gold, 24, 188, 191
- Tooling on vellum, 212
- Tools, designing, 188, 230
- Tools, finishing, 188, 230
- Training for bookbinding, 32
- Trimming before sewing, 93
- Trimming machine, 94
- Trimming plates, 40
- Tub, 317
- Tying up, 167
- Varnish, 209
- Vellum binders, 26
- Vellum bindings, 180
- Vellum ends, 84
- Vellum, flattening, 65
- Vellum, Japanese, 282
- Vellum, mending, 79
- Vellum slips, sewing on, 111, 183
- Vellum tooling on, 212
- Walker, Emery, 216
- Washing, 71
- Waterproof sheets, 161
- Weaver’s knot, 106
- Wooden boards, 32, 135, 223, 330
- Worm holes, 78, 297