Papering up. Covering the leaves of a volume to protect them while the volume is being finished. This is often done in fine binding, especially after edges have been gilded.

Paring. Reducing the edges of the leather by cutting them down to form a gradual slope. In large binderies now done by a machine.

Paring knife. The knife used for paring.

Pastewash. A thin dilution of paste in water.

Payne, Roger, style. The ornaments of this style are easily identified, being free and flowing in stem and flower; whereas before Payne’s time they had been stiff and formal. The honeysuckle is a customary ornament. The impressions of the tools are usually studded round with gold dots, whether used in borders, corners, or centerpieces. The style is well suited for early nineteenth century literature, especially poetry.

Pebble grained. See Grain.

Persian morocco. A kind of morocco leather much used in bookbinding. It may be finished by graining in several styles. It is mostly made in Germany, from the skins of hairy sheep called Persian goats, whence its name is derived.

“East Indian or ‘Persian’ tanned sheep and goatskins, called ‘Persian morocco’ or ‘Persian sheep,’ now used largely for cheap bookbinding purposes, are extremely bad. Books bound in these materials have been found to show decay in less than 12 months and probably no book bound in these leathers, exposed on a shelf to sunlight or gas fumes, can be expected to last more than five or six years.”—Report ’01.

Petits Fers. Small hand tools used in finishing, as distinguished from the stamps or blocks worked in a press.

Pieced. When the space between bands, where lettering or title is placed, has fastened to it a piece of leather different from the back, it is said to be pieced or titled.

Pigskin. Leather made of pigskin. It is very tough and if constantly handled wears well.

“Modern pigskin, if genuine, seems to last very well in some colors and in an undyed condition; but some colored pigskin bindings have utterly perished. Pigskin is naturally hard and rather stiff leather and is suitable for large books rather than small, and for books which are much handled.” “If submitted to severe softening processes in manufacture its durability is very small.”—Report ’01.

Chivers has used a soft, thin pigskin with great success, here and in England.

Plate. An illustration printed from a plate. Term often incorrectly applied to illustrations printed from wood-cuts. Also, any full page illustration printed on paper different from that of the rest of the book is usually called a “plate.”

Plough. An instrument used in cutting the edges of books and boards.

Pointille style. The dotted style of ornament of Le Gascon.

Points. Small holes made in the sheets by the printer which serve as guides in registering and folding.

Polisher. A steel instrument for giving a gloss to leather after finishing.

Powder. See Seme.

Press. There are several kinds of presses, viz.: plough and press, for cutting, and standing, stamping, embossing, gilding, and finishing presses.

Press pin. An iron bar used for turning the screws of presses.

Pressing boards. Boards put between books when they are pressed. They are usually made of carefully seasoned wood, and have a heavy strip of brass about their edges, which projects a little above the board’s surface. Books are laid on the boards with their backs projecting over this band enough to bring the latter exactly into the groove of the joint. Another board is laid on these books in the same position as the first, and so on. All are then pressed.

Pressing plates. Thin plates of metal, japanned or nickeled, used to give a finish or polish to the leather on a book by placing them next to the leather and then subjecting book and plates to heavy pressure.

Publishers’ bindings. See Case bindings.

Quarto. When a sheet is folded into four leaves, the size of the folded piece being about 11 × 8½ inches; usually written, 4to.

Quire. Twenty-four sheets. When the sheets of a pamphlet are folded and set into each other in one section, they are quired.

Recto. The right page; verso is the left page.

Red edges. See Edges red.

Register. When the print on one side of a leaf falls exactly over that on the other it is said to register. Also, a ribbon placed in a book as a marker.

Renaissance ornaments. See Derome style.

Roan. Leather made of sheepskin and not split. See Sheepskin.

Rolled edges. See Edges rolled.

Rolling machine. A machine introduced to save the labor of beating. By it the sheets are passed between two revolving cylinders. Used in publishers’ binding.

Rolls. Wheels of brass, cut to any pattern, for impressing gold leaf on leather.

Roulette border. A border design produced by a wheel on the circumference of which is engraved a pattern that reproduces itself as the wheel is revolved.

Rounded edges. See Edges rounded.

Rounding. The process by which the back of a book is made round.

Rounding hammer. A heavy, round-faced hammer used in rounding books.

Roundlet. A small circle in gold.

Roxburgh binding. A binding with a rather narrow leather back, without bands, simply lettered, paper sides and no leather corners.

Rubbing or rub-off. The name usually given to the copy of the lettering on the back of the book, made by holding thin paper tightly over the back and rubbing the paper with a heel-ball or a piece of plumbago.

Run up. When a back has a fillet run from top to bottom without being mitred at each band, it is said to be run up.

Russia leather. A fine leather prepared in Russia, and imitated elsewhere, by very careful willowbark tanning, dyeing with sandalwood, and soaking in birch oil. It is of a brownish red color, and has a peculiar and characteristic odor. The genuine is not often used in binding; it is not as strong as cowhide.

“In nearly all samples of Russia leather a very violent form of red decay was noticed. In many cases the leather was found to be absolutely rotten in all parts exposed to light and air, so that on the very slightest rubbing with a blunt instrument the leather fell into fine dust.”—Report ’01.

Saddle-stitched. A pamphlet or book of one signature only sewed with thread or fastened with wire staples along the back is said to be saddle-stitched.

Sawing in. Making grooves in the back of a book with a saw to receive strings or bands.

Seal grain. See Grain.

Section. A folded sheet. See Signature.

Seme, or Semis, or Powder. Ornamentation in which a device is repeated at regular intervals.

Set-off. See Off-set.

Setting the head. Covering the headband neatly with the leather to form over it a kind of cap.

Sewer. The person who sews together on a sewing bench the sheets, called when folded sections or signatures, to form a book.

Sewing bench. A board from one side of which rise two sticks across which is a bar, which can be moved up and down and fixed in any desired position. Strings, bands, or tapes are stretched vertically between the edge of the board and the cross bar; against these the signatures of a book are successively placed and to them sewed.

Sheepskin. The commonest leather used for binding. When unsplit it is called Roan. When split in two, the upper half is called Skiver, the under or fleshy half a Flesher. This leather is easy to work, takes gold lettering easily, and looks fairly well on a book. But it is not strong, and most kinds dry out and break within three to five years, even if much handled. The leather made from the skin of the sheep is not all alike. The remark already made, that a given piece of leather is not to be condemned for its name, applies to all the other leathers in this list. The skin from some mountain-bred sheep, for example, if well tanned, makes a good leather.

“Sheepskin bindings of the early part of the century are many of them still in good condition. Sheepskin, in a fairly natural state, seems to keep its flexibility, but it is very easily damaged by friction. Since about 1860 sheepskin as sheepskin is hardly to be found. We have instead sheepskins grained in imitation of various other leathers, and these imitation grained leathers are, generally speaking, in a worse condition than any others, excepting, perhaps, some of the very thin calf bindings.”—Report ’01.

Shelf-back. The back of the book, showing the title, bands, decorations, etc.

Signature. The letter or figure under the foot-line of the first page of each sheet or signature to indicate the order of its arrangement in the book; often applied to the sheet itself.

Sixteenmo. A sheet folded into sixteen leaves, about 4×6 inches when folded. Usually written 16mo.

Size. A preparation of pastewash used in finishing and gilding.

Sizes of books. See folio, quarto, octavo, etc.

Skiver. The outer hair or grain side of sheepskin which has been split. It is commonly the thinner of the two parts, as when the inner is prepared for chamois. It usually looks well, and is easily worked, but is not strong. Much used for bindings. See Sheepskin.

Slips. The ends of the band, twine or tape on which the book is sewn that project beyond the back after it is sewed.

Smooth calf. Plain or undecorated calf.

Split leather. Leather split by machine. Two or more pieces or splits are thus obtained either of which may be used. The inner layer is usually of inferior quality. Sometimes leather is split simply to secure uniformity of thickness in the outer parts.

Sprinkled calf. Calf so treated with acid that it looks as if it had been sprinkled with a dye.

Sprinkled edges. Cut edges of books sprinkled with color, that the marks made by handling may be less evident.

Squares. The portion of the boards that project beyond the edge of the leaves of the book.

Stabbed. A pamphlet or book of one or more signatures held together by thread or wire staples driven vertically through near the back edge is said to be stabbed.

Stabbing. The operation of piercing the boards with a bodkin for the slips to pass through. Also the piercing of pamphlets for stitching. Also the process of fastening pamphlets together with staples of fine wire, done on a machine.

Stamping press. See Blocking press.

Stamps. The brass tools used in finishing to impress figures upon the leather; they are distinguished as hand stamps and stamps for the press.

Standing press. A large press with screw for pressing many books at once.

Start. When, after cutting, one or more sections of the book come forward, making the fore edge irregular, they are said to have started.

Steamboating. Cutting books out of boards, a number being cut at the same time.

Straight edge. A flat ruler.

Super. A thin, loosely woven cotton cloth, glued onto the backs of books to help to hold the signatures together and, by extending over to the inside of the cover, to hold book and cover together. In publishers’ binding this is usually all that holds a book in its case. It is thin and loosely woven that it may be easily glued down and starched that it may be easily handled. Its place is taken in good binding by fine muslin or jaconet.

T. E. G. Top-edge gilt.

Tacky. Sticky; spoken often of glue after it has set, but before it is quite dry.

Tail. See Head and tail.

Tape. Cotton tape on which many books are best sewn. It should be stout but flexible.

Thread. The thread with which books are sewn is usually made of linen, unbleached. It comes in several sizes. If of good quality, say Hayes’s Standard linen, it costs about $1.25 per pound for No. 18 2-cord.

Silk thread is sometimes used in extra binding and on very thick books.

In machine sewing cotton thread is used and wears well.

Thirty-twomo. A sheet of paper folded into thirty-two leaves; usually written 32mo.

Three-quarters bound. See Half-bound.

Tight back. See Back, tight and loose.

Title. The space between the bands upon which the title is lettered.

Titled. See Pieced.

Tools. Brass stamps used for impressing gold leaf on leather. Applied particularly to the hand stamps and tools used in finishing.

Top cover. The upper or front cover of a book in binding.

Top edges. The head or top of a book, in contradistinction to fore-edge or tail.

Top gilt. Used in speaking of a book of which the top edge only is gilded.

Top side. The front side of the cover of a book in binding.

Tree calf. A bright brown calf stained by acids in conventional imitation of the trunk and branches of a tree.

Trimmed. The edges of a book are said to be trimmed when the edges of the larger or projecting leaves only have been cut.

Trindle. A strip of thin wood or iron used to take the round out of a book when it is cut.

Tub. The stand which supports the lying press. Originally an actual tub to catch the shavings.

Turkey morocco. Made of goatskins from Turkey. It is very strong, durable leather; expensive, but worth the money.

Turning up. The process of taking the round out of a book when the edge is cut. All books that are cut in boards have a pair of trindles thrust between the boards and across the back to assist in this operation.

Tying up. Tying a volume with heavy twine after the leather cover has been drawn on to make the leather adhere to the sides of the bands; also to help in setting the head.

Uncut. A book is said to be uncut when the edges of the paper have not been cut with the cutting machine.

Unopened. A book is said to be unopened if the bolts of the sheets have not been cut.

Vellum. See Art vellum.

Verso. The left page.

Waste, or Waste leaves. Part of the end papers and the blank leaves between the colored end papers and the book proper; should be part of the same lot of paper with which the book is printed. One of the waste leaves is often pasted to the loose half of the lining paper or end sheet, thus forming a doubled fly-leaf.

Waste papers. See End papers.

Waterproof sheets. Sheets of celluloid or waterproof cardboard sometimes laid in or between books when pressing.

Whatman paper. A high grade quality of English hand-made paper, both laid and wove, chiefly used for drawing.

Whipping. Same as whipstitching or overcasting.

Whipstitching. See Overcasting.

White edges. Simply cut, without being gilded or colored.

Whole binding. When the leather covers the back and sides of a volume.

Wire staples. Fine wire staples used by certain book-sewing machines in the place of thread for holding the sections to a piece of muslin. Also the staples used in place of thread in saddle-stitching a pamphlet of one signature on a machine. Used also in holding a book of several signatures together, the staple being driven through all the signatures close to their back edges.

Witness. When a book has been trimmed, leaving some of the leaves still rough, the latter are a witness as to the original size of the sheet and prove that it has not been cut down.

Wove paper. That which does not show water-marked lines running across it; distinguished from laid paper.