Notes on Bookbinding for Libraries

CHAPTER XVIII
List of Technical Terms, Leathers and Other Binding Materials, Tools, Styles of Ornament Used in Binding

The quotations are from the report of committee on leather of the Society of Arts, England, 1901.

Aldine or Italian Style. Ornaments of solid face without any shading whatever, such as used by Aldus and other early Italian printers. The ornaments are of Arabic character. A style appropriate for early printed literature.

All-along. When a volume is sewed, and the thread passes from kettlestitch to kettlestitch, or from end to end in each sheet, it is said to be sewed all-along.

American Russia. See Cowhide.

Antique. See Blind-tooled.

Arabesque Style. A fanciful mixture of animals, birds, insects, and of plants, fruits and foliage, involved and twisted.

Arming press. See Blocking press.

Art canvas. A book cloth, made in several colors by the Holliston Mills, 67 Fifth Ave., New York; Jos. Bancroft & Sons, Wilmington, Del. (A. D. Smith, 35 Thomas St., New York, agent); the Interlaken Mills, 111 Duane St., New York, and others.

It is known both as art canvas and buckram. The Newark library, in experimenting to find a substitute for leather, tried in succession the green, red, brown and blue. The green proved the poorest, the blue made by Holliston Mills the best in wearing quality. One reason for the poor results with all the colors tried, with the exception of the blue, is that the cloth of these colors is made with a colored thread running one way and a gray or white thread the other; the colored thread soon wears off on the edges and corners and the gray thread gives the book a very dingy appearance. Dark blue has given us the best results. Art canvas costs 22 cents a square yard by the roll of 40 yards.

Art vellum. A book cloth made in several colors and styles of finish by the firms which make art canvas. It is not suitable for full binding on books subject to much wear. It costs about 16 cents per square yard. Most publishers’ bindings are in cloth of the art vellum grade.

Our own experience with art canvas and art vellum for full bindings on books much used seems to have been that of many other libraries. Popular books in these materials from about a dozen public libraries all seem to have worn poorly. The joints soon become soft and loose; the corners fray out and look ragged; the gold of the titles does not stand out well when first put on and rapidly grows dim.

Azure’ tools. Used in binding, where the heavy and wide marks, instead of being a solid mass, are made with horizontal lines.

Azured style. Ornamentations outlined in gold and crossed with horizontal lines in the manner of indicating azure in heraldry.

Back, tight and loose. Binding is said to be tight back when the leather, cloth or other material of the back is pasted or glued to the back of the book. This style of binding is commonly used in fine work. Most books, often quite large ones, were formerly bound in this way.

Binding is said to be loose back when the leather, cloth or other material of the back is fastened to the book only along the joints. To the question, which is the better binding for library books, no definite answer can be given.

Backing. Bending over the folds at the back of a book to form a ridge or projection called a joint.

Backing boards. Used for backing or forming the joint. They are made of very hard wood or faced with iron, and are thicker on the edge intended to form the groove than upon the edge that goes toward the fore-edge of the book, so that when placed one each side of the book and all are placed in the laying press, the whole power of the press is directed toward the back.

Backing hammer. The hammer used for backing and rounding. It has a broad, flat face similar to a shoemaker’s hammer.

Backing machine. A machine for backing books. If not carefully handled it is apt to injure books by crushing and breaking the paper at the folds. Used on publishers’ binding.

Backing press. A press having two, vertically mounted, steel plates brought together by a screw. A book is held in this press with the back slightly projecting above the plates, and then backed with a hammer.

Band-driver. A tool used in forwarding to correct irregularities in the bands of flexible backs.

Band nippers. Pinchers with flat jaws used for straightening bands by nipping up the leather after it is in place. They should be nickeled to prevent the iron staining the leather.

Bands. The strings, cord or twine on which a book is sewed. They are usually made of hemp, are loosely twisted, are 2, 3, 4-ply according to the size of the book, and cost about 35 cents per pound. This twine is loosely twisted that it may be flexible and less likely to break when glued and dried, and that it may be easily frayed out at the ends for pasting down on the inside of the covers.

When the book is sewed flexible the bands appear upon the back. When the back is so sewn as to let in the twine, the appearance of raised bands is produced, if at all, by gluing narrow strips of leather across the back before the volume is covered. A hard, closely twisted cord is also sometimes used in fine binding.

Bastard title. See Half-title.

Bead. A little roll formed by the knots of the headband.

Beating hammer. The heavy, short-handled hammer used in beating, weighing generally about 10 lbs. Books are beaten to make the leaves lie close to one another.

Beating stone. The bed of stone or iron on which books are beaten.

Beveled boards. Very heavy boards for sides, chamfered along the edges.

Binder. A temporary cover for periodicals and pamphlets, usually so arranged that it may be taken off and attached to successive numbers of a publication.

Bindery. A book-binding establishment.

Blank books. Applied to a large variety of books which are bound with blank leaves, or leaves having ruled lines and little or no printing: account books, memorandum books, ledgers, etc. The binding of such books is a special trade.

Bleed. When a book on being trimmed is so cut that some of the print is taken off it is said to bleed.

Blind-tooled. When tools are impressed upon the leather, without gold, they are said to be blind or blank, and the book is blind-tooled. This tooling is sometimes called antique.

Blocking press. Another and more general term for the stamping or arming press; one of the chief implements used in cloth work. Used for finishing or decorating the sides and back of a cover by a mechanical process.

Board papers. Those parts of the end papers which are pasted onto the boards.

Board shears. Heavy shears, usually fitted to a table, and with a gauge for cutting boards.

Boards. Are of several kinds, such as pressing, backing, cutting, burnishing, gilding, etc. The paste-boards used for side covers are termed boards. The boards used for cutting books “out of boards” are called steamboat-boards. Tinned boards are used for finished work, while brass or iron-bound boards are used for pressing cloth-work. See also In boards.

Bock morocco. The name given to a leather made of Persian sheepskin usually finished in imitation of morocco. It does not wear well and soon decays.

Bodkin or stabbing-awl. A strong point of iron or steel fixed in a wooden handle to form the holes in boards through which to lace bands. Used also for tracing lines for cutting fore-edges.

Bolt. Folded edge of sheets in an unopened book.

Books, sizes of. See folio, quarto, octavo, sixteenmo, thirty-twomo, etc.

Bosses. Brass or other metal ornaments fastened upon the boards of books.

Brass-bound boards. See Boards.

Broken up. When plates are folded over a short distance from the back edge before they are placed in the book, that they may be turned easily, they are said to be broken up. The same process is sometimes applied to an entire book.

Buckram. Properly a coarse linen cloth, stiffened with glue or gum. Most buckram, so-called, is made of cotton. See also Linen-finish buckram and Art canvas.

Buffing. The name given to the thin sheet of cowhide taken off in the operation of buffing or splitting. It is usually of very inferior quality.

Buffingette. See Keratol.

Burnished. The effect produced by the application of a burnisher to edges.

Burnishers. Pieces of agate or bloodstone affixed to handles. With them a gloss is produced on the edges of a book.

Calf or calfskin. Leather made of calves’ skins. It has a smooth and uniform surface. It was formerly much used in binding, and is very beautiful; but that made in recent years lasts only a short time, soon growing hard and brittle and even falling into dust. Even when new the surface is easily broken and torn.

“During the latter part of the eighteenth century it became customary to pare down calf until it was as thin as paper. Since about 1830 little sound calf seems to have been made, as, whether thick or thin, it appears generally to have perished, turning red and crumbling into dust.”

“Sprinkled or marbled calf is in a specially bad state.”

See also Divinity, Kip, Marbled, Sprinkled and Tree calf.

Calf-lined. When the inside of a limp cover is lined with calfskin, this taking the place of that half of the end paper which is usually on the inside of the cover. This calf lining is thin and soft and is usually glued to the leather cover only at the latter’s outer edges, thus leaving the cover pliable.

Cancels. Leaves containing errors which are to be cut out and replaced with corrected pages.

Canvas. See Duck.

Caps. Paper coverings used to protect the edges while the book is being covered and finished. Also the leather coverings of headbands. See Head cap.

Case bindings. The ordinary cloth binding of commerce. Books in these bindings are folded and sewn, rounded and backed by machinery. A machine also makes the cases, covering the two pieces of cardboard which form the sides with cloth as needed. These cases are separately printed before being put on the books. The book is then glued and put into its case by machinery.

Catchword. A word placed under the last line on each page of some old-time books, the word being the same as the first word on the next page; a direction word.

Center tools. Tools cut for ornamentation of center of panels and sides of book covers.

Circuit edges. Bibles and prayer-books are sometimes bound with projecting covers turned over to protect the leaves; these are called circuit or divinity edges.

Clasp. A hook or catch for fastening the covers of a book together, usually at the fore edge.

Clearing out. Removing the waste paper and paring away superfluous leather upon the inside, preparatory to pasting down the lining-paper.

Cloth boards. Stiff boards covered with cloth.

Cobden-Sanderson style. An arrangement of graceful curves or stems, flowers, buds and leaves, treated conventionally; the background being often powdered with nebulae of gold stars or dots. The lettering of title, etc., on back and sides is treated fancifully and often made an integral part of the design.

Collating. Examining the signatures, or sheets, after a volume is gathered, to ascertain if they be correct and follow in numerical order. Also, examining a book page by page to see if it is complete.

Combs. Instruments with wire teeth used in marbling. The colors being upon the surface of water, the comb is drawn across a portion in such a way that a new form is developed.

Corners. Leather pieces pasted on the corners of a half-bound or three-quarter-bound book.

Cowhide. The thick, coarse leather made from the skin of a cow. By binders it is commonly known as “American Russia,” or “imitation Russia.” It is much used for binding popular books of fiction. It has a slight grain or corrugation on the surface, is tough and strong, takes gilding well, wears well and if of best quality and handled much is usually quite durable; that is, will last five or six years on popular fiction.

Creaser. The tool used in marking each side of the bands, generally made of steel.

Cropped. When a book has been cut down too much it is said to be cropped.

Crushed. Leather which has been pressed between sheets of metal to smooth or give a finish to its coarse grain is said to be crushed. The process is usually applied to morocco or its imitations. See Crushed levant.

Crushed levant. Levant morocco with the grain crushed down until the surface is smooth and highly polished. In fine binding this is done by hand after the leather is on the book. Most crushed levant morocco, however, is surfaced by a machine before it is applied to the book.

Cut edges. See Edges cut.

Cut flush. Means that the cloth cover, which is usually limp (without boards), is drawn on the book and the whole cut at once, cover and all, the edge of the cover being cut flush with the edge of the book. It is a suitable way of binding only when strength and elegance are not required.

Cutter, or Cutting machine. The machine on which the edges of the leaves of books are cut or trimmed. Running such a machine is now a special branch of the binder’s trade. Sometimes called a guillotine.

Cutting boards. Wedged-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 with a plough after the boards are laced on.

Cutting press. When a lying press is turned so that the side with the runners is uppermost it is called a cutting press.

Dandy. A roller affixed to paper-making machines. The wet web of paper carried on the endless wire of the machine passes under this roller and is pressed by it. It gives the laid or wove appearance to the sheet, and when letters, figures, or other devices are worked in fine wire on its surface it produces the effect known as water-marking.

Deckle-edge. The rough untrimmed edge of hand-made paper. Deckle-edges are poorly imitated by cutting and tearing machine-made paper, sometimes with the aid of a jet of water.

Dentelle border. A tooled pointed border with finely dotted or Gascon ornaments in imitation of lace.

Derome style. This style has ornaments of a leafy character, with a more solid face, though lightly shaded by the graver. The ornaments are often styled Renaissance, being an entire change from the Gascon. The Derome is best exemplified in borders, Vandyke in design; it is simple in construction but rich in effect, and is appropriate for art publications. Time, eighteenth century.

Diaper. A term applied to a small repeating all-over pattern. From woven material decorated in this way.

Divinity calf. A dark brown calf bookbinding decorated with blind stamping, and without gilding; so called because formerly used in binding theological books.

Divinity edges. See Circuit edges.

Double. See Doublure.

Doublure. The inside face of the boards, especially applied to them when lined with leather and decorated. When thus lined a cover is said to be “double.”

Duck, sometimes called Canvas. This is made by many firms in a wide range of colors and qualities. It is in fact a heavy cotton cloth. Slate-colored duck 28 in. wide, 10 oz. to the yard, costs about 20 cents per yard. This is a firmly woven, smooth material. We have used a light green. It takes printers’ ink for lettering fairly well, though it soon soils if handled. It is a very desirable binding for heavy books not much used. All such books should be stiffened by pasting or gluing cloth on the backs, if loose back, and should be reinforced at head and tail.

Dutch metal. An imitation of gold leaf, sometimes used on cheap bindings. It soon grows dark or tarnishes.

Edges cut. A book or pamphlet cut down sufficiently to make all the edges quite smooth.

Edges gilt. Book edges cut and gilded.

Edges opened. A book or pamphlet opened, the folds of the leaves being cut by hand with a paper knife.

Edges red. Book edges cut and colored red.

Edges rolled. When the edges of the covers are marked with a roll, either in gold or blind.

Edges rounded. Corners rounded to prevent their becoming dog’s-eared.

Edges trimmed. A book or pamphlet with the edges cut enough to make them tidy, but not enough to cut the folds of the leaves.

Edges untouched. A book or pamphlet with edges uncut and unopened.

Edition de luxe. Applied to large paper editions of books, and to special editions which are in fact, or are claimed to be, unusually well and expensively made.

Embossed. When a plate is so stamped upon a sheet or cover as to produce a raised figure or design.

End leaves or Lining papers. Are the sheets which are pasted to the inside of the covers, and are either plain white or colored, according to the style of binding. Marbled papers are largely used on fine leather work. Sometimes in fine bindings the end leaves are made of silk or leather.

End papers. The papers placed at each end of the volume and pasted down upon the boards. Also, the paper placed at each end of the volume, a portion of which is usually removed when the lining-paper is pasted down upon the boards.

English linen or Low buckram. A linen cloth, highly polished, well colored, strong, durable, made in England, and costing in this country about 70 cents per square yard. In De Jonge’s list (De Jonge, dealer in leather, book cloths, etc., 69–73 Duane St., New York) it is called Low buckram. We have used it for the backs of books, light and heavy. It promises to stand indefinitely if not much handled. Under handling it grows soft and flabby like other book cloths, though not rapidly, and without losing its strength. We have discarded it for the books on which we first tried it, periodicals subject to much use. It is not easy to letter in gold by hand, and does not hold gold well under wear.

Eve style. A framework of various geometrical-shaped compartments linked together by interlaced circles; the centers of the compartments are filled with small floral ornaments and the irregular spaces surrounding them with circular scrolls and branches of laurel and palm. An elaborate style of the end of the sixteenth and beginning of the seventeenth century.

Extra binding. A trade term for the best work.

Fanfare style. When the compartments on a decorated corner formed by fillets or curves, or both, are filled with little branches, vines, etc., the style of decoration is said to be fanfare—from its first having been used on a book of which this word formed the principal part of the title.

Fillet. A cylindrical tool upon which a line, lines, or figures are engraved. Used in finishing.

Finishing. The department which receives books after they are put in leather, and ornaments them as required. It includes lettering, tooling, polishing, etc. Also, the ornaments placed on a book. One who works at this branch is termed a finisher.

Finishing press. A small press with which a book is held firmly with its back upward and exposed for work.

Finishing stove. A small gas heater, similar to a “hot plate,” for heating finishing tools.

Flexible binding. When a book is sewn on raised bands or cords and the thread is passed entirely round each band, and the whole binding is such as to permit the book to be opened readily.

Flexible glue. This is usually made by adding about two tablespoonfuls of glycerine to half a pound of the glue in a dry state.

This glue used on the backs of books makes the binding somewhat more flexible. It cannot be recommended for all books in all cases as the glycerine tends to weaken the glue, at the same time that it prevents it from becoming very hard.

Flexible sewing. When the cord rests on instead of being sunk into the back and the thread is carried around it; a book thus sewn usually opens freely.

Flush cut. See Cut flush.

Fly leaves. The blank leaves at the beginning and end of a book, between the end papers and the book proper.

Folder. A flat piece of bone or ivory used in folding the sheets and in many other manipulations. Also applied to the person engaged in folding sheets.

Folio. A sheet folded once, consisting of two leaves, or four pages; the size of the sheet being usually understood as about 19×24 inches, giving a leaf 19×12 inches. Also, the consecutive page numbers of a book, pamphlet, etc.

Fore-edge. The front edge of the leaves.

Forwarding. All processes through which a book passes after sewing, other than those of ornamentation by means of tools or rolls. Also that department which takes books after they are sewed and advances them until they are put in leather ready for the finisher. One who works at this branch is termed a forwarder.

French guard. Made by turning over half an inch or more of the back edge of a printed sheet or illustration and then folding it around the next signature.

French joint. A joint in which the board is not brought close up to the back, thus giving more play in opening.

French morocco. An inferior quality of levant morocco, having usually a smaller and less prominent grain.

Full-bound. When the sides and back of a book are entirely covered with one piece of the same material it is said to be full-bound.

Gascon, Le, style. The distinguishing feature of this style is the dotted face of the ornaments instead of the continuous or solid line. Wherever these dotted ornaments are used the style is called Le Gascon. Time, the first half of the seventeenth century, immediately following that of Nicholas and Clovis Eve.

Gathering. The process of collecting the several sheets which make a book and arranging them according to the signatures.

Gaufre edges. Impressions made with the finisher’s tools on the edges of the book after gilding.

Gauge. The tool used in forwarding to take the correct size of the volume and to mark it upon the boards for squaring.

Gilding press. A press made of two square blocks brought together by screws, to hold books for gilding.

Gilt. Applied to ornamental work on covers and also to edges of a book; in the latter case, chiefly used for the top.

Gilt edges. See Edges gilt.

Gilt tops. Books with the top edges cut and gilded. This prevents their being soiled by the dust that may collect on them.

Glair. The white of eggs beaten up and used in finishing and gilding the edges of the leaves.

Goffered edges. See Gaufre edges.

Gold cushion. A cushion of leather on which the finisher cuts gold leaf into pieces.

Gold knife. The knife for cutting the gold leaf; long and quite straight.

Gold leaf. Gold beaten into very thin leaves, occasionally used for printing purposes, but more particularly for the decoration of book covers.

Gouge. A gilding tool cut to impress a curved line or segment of a circle upon the leather.

Grain. The term applied to the outer side of a piece of leather, from which the hair was removed. This word is also used in describing the different kinds of surface given to leather in the making, often with a qualifying adjective, as, seal-grain, like the grain on sealskin; coarse grain; pebble-grained, that is, grained in an irregular manner, as though numerous small pebbles of different sizes had been pressed upon its surface; water grain; smooth grain; brass board grain, usually put into cowskin, etc.

Graining. The process of giving to leather surfaces of different kinds.

Grater. An iron instrument used by the forwarder for rubbing backs after they are paste-washed.

Grolier style. An interlaced framework of geometrical figures—circles, squares, and diamonds—with scrollwork running through it, the ornaments of which are of moresque character, generally azured in whole or in part, sometimes in outline only. Parts of the design are often studded with gold dots. Time, first half of the sixteenth century.

Groove. That part of the sections which is turned over in backing to receive the board. Also called the Joint.

Guards. Strips of paper inserted in the backs of books to which plates or pictures or any extra leaves are to be attached. These strips must always be cut with the grain. They make the back as thick as the book will be when the plates have been attached to them. Also, the strips of paper or cloth pasted along the folds of leaves to strengthen them. Also, the strips pasted to the edges of single leaves, whether plates or not, folded about the next signature and sewn through with it.

Books with thick, heavy leaves are sometimes guarded or hinged throughout that they may open freely. A narrow strip is cut from the back of each leaf. This strip is then again attached to the leaf from which it was cut by a strip of thin paper or muslin which acts as a hinge. The leaves are then bound together through and by the strips cut from them.

Guides. The grooves in which the plough moves upon the face of an old-style cutting-press.

Guillotine. A machine with a heavy knife having a perpendicular action, used for cutting paper. Usually called a Cutter, or Cutting machine.

Half-bound. When the back of a book is covered with leather and the sides with paper or cloth. Some binders call a book half-bound when it has leather on the back and small pieces on the corners. Three-quarters bound means wide leather back and large leather corners.

Half-title. The brief title which precedes the main title page, usually a single line in plain type; the bastard title.

Hand letters. Letters fixed in handles; used singly for lettering.

Head and tail. The top and bottom of the back of a book.

Headband. The silk or cotton ornament worked at the head and tail of a book to give it a finished look, to strengthen it and to make the back even with the squares or boards which form the sides. On cheap binding the headband is cut from a strip of machine-made material and pasted in merely for ornament.

Heel-ball. A preparation of wax used by shoemakers, in the form of a ball, in burnishing the heels of shoes.

Head cap. The fold of leather over the headband.

Imitation Russia. See Cowhide.

Imperial morocco cloth. A grain-finished linen-thread cloth manufactured by the Winterbottom Book Cloth Company of England. It is made in different colors; of these the library has tried but one, the green. On books which have some, but not constant use, it is a very good substitute for leather. It takes lettering well, and wears better than any of the cloths the library has tried. The price is 48 cents per square yard by the roll, fast color, duty paid. (De Jonge & Co., 69–73 Duane St., New York.)

In boards. When a book is cut after the boards are affixed to form the sides, it is said to be cut in boards. The term is also applied to a style of binding in which the boards are covered with paper only.

Inset. When one sheet is placed inside of another, both being folded.

Inside margins. The border made by the turn in of the leather on the inside of boards.

Inside tins. Sheets of tin; so called from being placed inside the boards when a book is put in the standing-press.

Jansen style. Without line or ornament either in blank or gold. It permits decoration on the inside cover, but demands absolute plainness on the outside, with the exception of lettering. It is only appropriate for crushed levant, it being dependent for its beauty on the polished surface of the leather.

Javelle water. To one pound of chloride of lime add four and a half pints of water, and put in a jar with tight cover. Dissolve 20 oz. of ordinary washing soda in four and a half pints of boiling water, in a separate vessel, and immediately pour into the first mixture. When cold add enough water to make eleven pints in all. Strain through muslin, settle, and pour off the clear solution. This will remove many stains; but care must be taken to rinse thoroughly the paper with water after using it, as it tends to rot paper.

Joints. The projections formed in backing to admit the boards. Also the leather or cloth, with its lining, where it passes from the book proper to the boards when the volume is covered; that is, the part of the binding that bends when the boards are opened. See also French joint.

Justification. The process of making the pages of a book lie opposite one another to insure a straight and equal margin throughout.

Keratol, the B B B grade, or Buffingette manufactured by the Keratol Company, cor. Clifford and Van Buren Sts., Newark, N. J., at 35 cents per yard. A waterproof cloth made in imitation of leather. It is excellent for the sides of books which receive much wear, as it does not show either finger or water marks, and outlasts the ordinary book cloth. It cannot be recommended for full binding as it is difficult to letter and wears away quickly at the joints. At first it has a disagreeable odor, but this wears off. An objectionable feature is that labels cannot easily be pasted upon it. To overcome this difficulty, put a thin coat of shellac on the place where the label is to go. The objectionable point mentioned is overbalanced by the material’s good qualities.

Kettlestitch. As the sewer draws the thread out through the hole near the end of a signature she passes it between the two preceding signatures and around the thread which connects them, before she passes it into the hole in the signature she next lays on. This is called the kettle-stitch, a word said to be a corruption of either catch-up stitch or chain stitch.

Keys. Little metal instruments used to secure the bands to the sewing bench.

Kip calf. Made from the skin of a heifer; much stronger than ordinary calf.

Knocking-down iron. A heavy iron plate on which are placed the sides of a laced-in book when the lacings of string, tape or vellum, are pounded down with a hammer so they will not show when the book is covered.

Laced in. When the boards are affixed to the volume by passing the bands, strings, or tapes on which it is sewn through holes made in the boards, they are said to be laced in.

Laid paper. Having lines water-marked in it, running through it at equal distances apart, the lines being thin places made by the pressure of projections on the dandy-roll.

Laying press. See Lying press.

Law sheep. Law books are usually bound in sheep left wholly uncolored, hence the term. Many law books are now bound in buckram, canvas or duck.

Leatherette. Cloth or paper made to look like leather. There are many kinds used in binding, some of which look very well and wear about as long as poorer kinds of cloth.

Lettering block. A piece of wood of about the size and shape of a large book. Leather labels which are to be lettered in gold are laid on the rounded edge of this block that the pallet may be pressed on them more readily.

Lettering box. The iron box in which type are screwed up preparatory to lettering. To the box is attached a handle, the whole forming a pallet.

Lettering pallet. See Pallet.

Levant morocco. Originally made in the Levant from the skins of Angora goats. A superior quality of morocco, having a large and prominent grain. French levant morocco has long held its place as the best of all leathers for bookbinding.

Limp binding. Binding with a thin and yielding cover. A perfectly limp leather book can be rolled up easily.

Linen. See English linen.

Linen-finish buckram. Polished buckram and satin-finish book cloth. Manufactured by Jos. Bancroft & Sons Co., Rockford, near Wilmington, Del. (New York agent, Albert D. Smith, 35–37 Thomas St., New York.) The special features of these cloths, in which it is claimed they are superior, are uniformity of color, finish and fabric, wearing qualities, tensile strength, and easy application of decoration, ink or metal.

Lining papers. The colored or marbled paper at each end of a book. Called also End papers, which see.

Loose back. See Back, tight and loose.

Low buckram. See English linen.

Lying press. The term applied to the under side of the cutting press when used for backing. Usually called laying press.

Maioli style. A style prior to and contemporary with the early (Italian) examples of the Grolier. Generally composed of a framework of shields or medallions, with a design of scrollwork flowing through it. Portions of the design are usually studded with gold dots. Ornaments are of moresque character.

Marbled calf. Calf so treated with acid that it bears some resemblance to marble.

Marbler. A workman who marbles the edges of the leaves.

Marbling. A process of decorating sheets of paper and edges of books with variegated colors in irregular patterns.

Millboard. The boards that are attached to the book to form the covers. Several kinds are in use now; the best is made of old naval cordage.

Millboard machine. See Board cutter.

Mitred. When the lines in finishing intersect each other at right angles and are continued without overrunning each other, they are said to be mitred.

Morocco. Leather made from goatskins, tanned with sumac, originally made in the Barbary states, but afterwards very largely in the Levant, and now produced in Europe and America from skins imported from Asia and Africa. The peculiar qualities of true morocco are great firmness of texture, with flexibility, and a grained surface, of which there are many varieties. This surface is produced by a process which consists largely in rolling and folding, called graining. True morocco is of extreme hardness, and makes the most durable book bindings; it is used also for upholstering seats and for similar purposes, and to a certain extent in shoemaking.

“Early specimens of red morocco, from the sixteenth to the end of the eighteenth century, were found in good condition, and of all leathers noticed this seems to be the least affected. In the opinion of the committee, most of this leather has been tanned with sumac or some closely allied tanning material. Morocco bindings earlier than 1860 were generally found to be in fairly good condition; but morocco after that date seems to be much less reliable, and in many cases has become utterly rotten.”—Report ’01.

Leather called morocco, sometimes with a qualifying adjective, is now made in Europe and America. Much of this is very good, even when made, as it often is, from other skins than those of goats. Even the experts seem often unable to distinguish the good from the best. None of it is to be condemned or approved because it is or is not made in the Levant, or from goatskins.

Morocco. The name given to any imitation, often made of sheepskin, of the genuine morocco.

Morocco. For Bock, French, Levant, Persian, Turkey morocco, see the several words.

Morocco cloth. See Imperial morocco cloth.

Mosaic binding. A binding of leather decorated with designs made in whole or in part by inlaying pieces of leather or other material of different colors. The designs are usually outlined with gold.

Mottled calf. A light brown calf bookbinding, made to look mottled by treatment with acid.

Niger goatskin. Brought from Africa by the Royal Niger Company. A native production. It has a very beautiful color and texture, with no grain. It has stood all the tests given it without serious deterioration. It does not keep clean under handling as well as a good coarse-grained morocco. Especially recommended by the committee appointed to investigate leather by the Society of Arts, of England.

Octavo. A sheet of paper folded into eight leaves, being, when folded, about 8½ × 5½ inches; usually written 8vo.

Off-set. The impression made by print against the opposite page, when a book has been rolled or beaten before the ink is dried; also called Set-off.

Opened edges. See Edges opened.

Out of boards. When a volume is cut before the boards are affixed it is done “out of boards.” Nearly all work is now done out of boards.

Overcasting. Sewing the leaves or signatures of a book together over and over. Usually done only when the book consists of single leaves or plates; but is quite commonly employed now in rebinding books, especially on the last two or three signatures front and back. Also called whip-stitching. Probably 90 per cent. of the books published today will stand wear better if they are properly overcast than if they are sewed in the ordinary way.

Pallet. Name given to the tool used in gilding upon the bands; sometimes applied to the steel box, with a handle, in which letters are fastened when they are pressed upon the back.

Panel. The space between bands; also applied to beveled and sunk sides.

Paneling. The sides of books are sometimes ornamented with sunken panels. Paneled covers are usually made of wood and covered with leather, though sometimes a paneled effect is produced on cardboards by heavy pressure.