5! Dr. William H. Trueman's ru 
 
 LIBRARY. 
 
 FRANKLIN INSTITUTE LIBRARY 
 
 PHILADELPHIA, PA. 
 
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TECHNOLOGICAL HANDBOOKS. 
 
 ART OF BOOKBINDING. 
 
TECHNOLOGICAL HANDBOOKS. 
 
 GLASS MANUFACTURE. By H. J. Powell, B.A. (Whitefriars Glass 
 Works); with Chapters on Crown and Sheet Glass, by Henry 
 Chance, M.A. (Chance Bros., Birmingham) ; and on Plate Glass, 
 by H. G. Harris, Assoc. Memb. Inst. C.E. 3s. 6d. 
 
 COTTON SPINNING: Its Development, Principles, and Practice. 
 By R. Marsden, Editor of the "Textile Mercury." With an Appendix 
 on Steam Engines and Boilers. 6th edition. 6s. 6d. 
 
 WOOLLEN AND WORSTED CLOTH MANUFACTURE. By Pro- 
 fessor Roberts Beaumont. 3rd edition, revised. 7s. 6d. 
 
 PRINTING. By C. T. Jacobi, Manager of the Chiswick Press. 2nd 
 Edition. 5s. 
 
 BOOKBINDING. By J. W. Zaehnsdorf. 6th Edition. 5s. 
 
 PLUMBING : Its Theory and Practice. By S. Stevens Hellyer. 5th 
 Edition. 5s. 
 
 SILK DYEING. By G. H. Hurst, F.C.S. 7s. 6d. 
 
 SOAP MANUFACTURE. By W. Lawrence Gadd, F.LC, F.C.S. 2nd 
 Edition. 5s. 
 
 COTTON W^EAVING. By R. Marsden. 10s. 6d. 
 
 GAS MANUFACTURE. By J. Hornby, F.I.C, Lecturer under the 
 City and Guilds of London Institute. 3rd Edition. 5s. 
 
 COACHBUILDING : The Art and Craft of. By J. Philipson, 
 M. Inst. M.E. 6s. 
 
 London : GEORGE BELL AND SONS. 
 
FLORENTINE. 
 
 Small fclio 
 
TECHNOLOGICAL HANDBOOKS. 
 
 THE ART 
 
 OF 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 A PRACTICAL TREATISE. 
 
 BY 
 
 JOSEPH W. ZAEHNSDORF. 
 
 With Plates and Diagrams. 
 Sixth Edition, 
 
 LONDON 
 GEOEGE BELL AND SONS 
 1903 
 
C( 
 
 CHISWICK press: CHARLES WH1TTIN(;;H AM AND CO, 
 TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE, LONDON. 
 
DEDICATED TO 
 
 HUGH OWEN, ESQ., F.S.A., 
 
 AS A SLIGHT ACKNOWLEDGMENT OP HIS COUNSEL AND 
 FRIENDSHIP, AND IN ADMIRATION OF HIS 
 KNOWLEDGE OF 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. 
 
 THE first edition of this book was written for the use of 
 amateurs, but I found that amongst the members of 
 the trade my little volume had a large sale, and in a short 
 time the edition became exhausted. Repeated applications 
 for the book have induced me to issue this second edition. 
 I have adhered to the arrangement of the first, but a great 
 deal of fresh matter has been added, which I trust will be 
 found useful. Should any of my fellow- workmen find 
 anything new to them I shall be satisfied, knowing that I 
 have done my duty in spreading such knowledge as may 
 contribute towards the advancement of the beautiful art of 
 bookbinding. 
 
 I have to record my obligations to those gentlemen who 
 have assisted me by courteously describing the various 
 machines of their invention with which the book is illus- 
 trated. The object, however, of illustrating this work with 
 engravings of machines is simply to recognize the fact that 
 books are bound by machinery. To a mechanical worker 
 must be left the task of describing the processes used in 
 this method. 
 
LIST OF PLATES. 
 
 Florentine Frontispiece 
 
 Grolier xiv 
 
 Gascon xvi 
 
 Renaissance 110 
 
 Antique with gold line 112 
 
 Derome . 114 
 
 Grolier e , . 132 
 
 Maioli . • . . . a , . , . 134 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PART I.— FORWARDING. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Chapter I. Folding : Refolding — Machines— Gathering . 3-8 
 
 Chapter II. Beating and Rolling : Machines . . .9-12 
 
 Chapter III. Collating : Interleaving .... 13-19 
 
 Chapter IV. Marking up and Sawing in . . . . 20-23 
 
 Chapter V. Sewing : Flexible — Ordinary . • . . 23-32 
 
 Chapter VI. Forwarding : End Papers— Cobb Paper — 
 Surface Paper — Marbled Paper — Printed and other Fancy 
 
 Paper — Coloured Paste Paper 33-36 
 
 Chapter VII. Pasting up . 36-37 
 
 Chapter VIII. Putting on the End Papers . , . 38-41 
 
 Chapter IX. Trimming 41-44 
 
 Chapter X. Gluing up 45-46 
 
 Chapter XI. Rounding 46-48 
 
 Chapter XII. Backing 48-51 
 
 Chapter XIII. Mill-boards 51-57 
 
 Chapter XIV. Drawing-in and Pressing .... 57-59 
 
 Chapter XV. Cutting 59-66 
 
 Chapter XVI. Colouring the Edges : Sprinkled Edges- 
 Colours for Sprinkling — Plain Colouring — Marbled Edges 
 — Spot Marble — Comb or Nonpareil Marble — Spanish 
 
 Marble — Edges — Sizing 67-77 
 
 Chapter XVII. Gilt Edges : The Gold Cushion— Gold 
 Knife — Burnishers — Glaire Water or Size — Scrapers — 
 The Gold Leaf— Gilt on Red— Tooled Edges— Painted 
 
 Edges 78-83 
 
X 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Chapter XVIII. Head-Banding 83-86 
 
 Chapter XIX. Preparing for Covering : lining up . . 87-90 
 
 Chapter XX. Covering : Russia— Calf— Vellum or Parch- 
 ment — Roan— Cloth — Velvet — Silk and Satin — Half- 
 bound Work 90-97 
 
 Chapter XXI. Pasting Down: Joints— Calf, Russia, etc. 97-100 
 
 Chapter XXII. Calf Colouring : Black— Brown— Yellow 
 
 — Sprinkles — Marbles — Tree-marbles — Dabs . . 100-108 
 
 PAET II.— FINISHING. 
 
 Chapter XXIII. Finishing : Tools and Materials required 
 for Finishing — Polishing Irons — Gold-rag — India-rubber 
 — Gold-cushi on — Gold Leaf — Sponges — Glaire — Cotton 
 Wool — Varnish — Finishing — Morocco — G old Work — 
 Inlaid Work— Porous— Full Gilt Back— Run-up— Mitred 
 Back — Pressing — Graining — Finishing with Dry Prepara- 
 tion—Velvet—Silk—Vellum—Blocking . . . 11M53 
 
 GENERAL INFORMATION. 
 
 Chapter XXIV. Washing and Cleaning : Requisites — 
 Manipulation — Dust — Water Stains — Damp Stains- 
 Mud — Fox -marks — Finger-marks, commonly called 
 Thumb-marks " — Blood Stains — Ink Stains (writing) — 
 Ink Stains (Marking Ink, Silver) — Fat Stains — Ink — 
 Reviving Old Writings — To Restore W^riting effaced by 
 Chlorine — To Restore MSS. faded by time — To Preserve 
 Drawings or Manuscripts — To fix Drawings or Pencil 
 Marks — To render Paper Waterproof — To render Paper 
 Incombustible — Deciphering Burnt Documents — Insects 
 — Glue — Rice Glue or Paste — Paste — Photographs — Albu- 
 men — To Prevent Tools, Machines, etc., from Rusting — 
 To Clean Silver Mountings— To Clean Sponges . 157-172 
 
 Glossary 
 Index . 
 
 173 
 181 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 BOOKBINDING carries us back to the time wlien 
 leaden tablets with inscribed hieroglyphics were 
 fastened together with rings, which formed what to us 
 would be the binding of the volumes. We might go even 
 still further back, when tiles of baked clay with cuneiform 
 characters were incased one within the other, so that if the 
 cover of one were broken or otherwise damaged there still 
 remained another, and yet another covering ; by which care 
 history has been handed down from generation to genera- 
 tion. The binding in the former would consist of the 
 rings which bound the leaden tablets together, and in the 
 latter, the simple covering formed the binding which 
 preserved the contents. 
 
 "We must pass on from these, and make another pause, 
 when vellum strips were attached together in one con- 
 tinuous length with a roller at each end. The reader 
 unrolled the one, and rolled the other as he perused the 
 work. Books, prized either for their rarity, sacred 
 character, or costliness, would be kept in a round box or 
 ease, so that the appearance of a library in Ancient Jeru- 
 salem would seem to us as if it were a collection of 
 canisters. The next step was the fastening of separate 
 leaves together, thus making a back, and covering the 
 whole as a protection in a most simple form ; the only- 
 object being to keep the several leaves in connected 
 sequence. I believe the most ancient form of books 
 
xii 
 
 INTRODUCTIOIf. 
 
 formed of separate leaves, will be found in the sacred 
 books of Ceylon which w^ere formed of palm leaves, written 
 on with a metal style, and the binding was merely a silken 
 string tied through one end so loosely as to admit of each 
 leaf being laid down flat when turned over. When the 
 mode of preserving MS. on animal membrane or vellum in 
 separate leaves came into use, the binding was at first only 
 a simple piece of leather wrapped round the book and tied 
 with a thong. These books were not kept on their edges, 
 but were laid down flat on the shelves, and had small cedar 
 tablets hanging from them upon which their titles were 
 inscribed. 
 
 The ordinary books for general use were only fastened 
 strongly at the back, with wooden boards for the sides, and 
 simply a piece of leather up the back. 
 
 In the sixth century, bookbinding had already taken its 
 place as an " Art," for we have the " Byzantine coatings,'* 
 as they are called. They are of metal, gold, silver or 
 €opper gilt, and sometimes they are enriched with precious 
 stones. The monks, during this century, took advantage 
 of the immense thickness of the wooden boards and fre- 
 quently hollowed them out to secrete their relics in the 
 •cavities. Bookbinding was then confined entirely to the 
 monks who were the literati of the period. Then the art 
 was neglected for some centuries, owing to the plunder and 
 pillage that overran Europe, and books were destroyed to 
 get at the jewels that were supposed to be hidden in the 
 different parts of the covering, so that few now remain to 
 show how bookbinding was then accomplished and to what 
 extent. 
 
 We must now pass on to the middle ages, when samples 
 of binding were brought from the East by the crusaders, 
 and these may well be prized by their owners for their 
 delicacy of finish. The monks, who still held the Art of 
 Bookbinding in their hands, improved upon these Eastern 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 xiii 
 
 specimens. Each one devoted himself to a different branch : 
 one planed the oaken boards to a proper size, another 
 stretched and coloured the leather; and the work was thu^ 
 divided into branches, as it is now. The task was one of 
 great difficulty, seeing how rude were the implements then 
 in use. 
 
 The art of printing gave new life to our trade, and, 
 during the fifteenth century bookbinding made great 
 
 Monastic. 
 
 progress on account of the greater facility and cheapness 
 with which books w^ere produced. The printer was then 
 his own binder ; but as books increased in number, book- 
 binding became a separate art-trade of itself. This was a 
 step decidedly in the right direction. The art improved so 
 much, that in the sixteenth century some of the finest 
 samples of bookbinding were executed. Morocco having 
 been introduced, and fine delicate tools cut, the art was 
 encouraged by great families, who, liking the Venetian 
 patterns, had their books bound in that style. The annexed 
 
xiv 
 
 INTilODUCTION. 
 
 woodcut will give a fair idea of a Venetian tool. During 
 this period the Frencli had bookbinding almost entirely in 
 their hands, and Mons. Grolier, who loved the art, had his 
 books bound under his own supervision in the most costly 
 manner. His designs consisted of bold gold lines arranged 
 geometrically with great accuracy, crossing one another and 
 intermixed with small leaves or sprays. These were in 
 outlines shaded or filled up with closely worked cross lines. 
 
 ISTot, however, satisfied with these simple traceries, he em- 
 bellished them still more by staining or painting them 
 black, green, red, and even with silver, so that they formed 
 bands interlacing each other in a most graceful manner. 
 Opposite is a centre block of Grolier. It will be seen how 
 these lines entwine, and how the small tools are shaded 
 with lines. If the reader has had the good fortune to see 
 one of these specimens, has he not wondered at the taste 
 displayed? To the French must certainly be given the 
 honour of bringing the art to such a perfection. Francis I. 
 and the succeeding monarchs, with the French nobility, 
 
GROLIER 
 Ruyai fbho 
 
INTRODUCTION, 
 
 XV 
 
 placed tlie art on such a high eminence, that even now we 
 are compelled to look to these great masterpieces as models 
 of style. Not only was the exterior elaborate in ornament, 
 but the edges were gilded and tooled ; and even painted. 
 We must wonder at the excellence of the materials and the 
 careful workmanship which has preserved the bindings, 
 even to the colour of the leather, in perfect condition to 
 the present day. 
 
 There is little doubt that the first examples of the style 
 now known as Grolier " were produced in Venice, under 
 the eye of Grolier himself, and according to his own 
 designs ; and that workmen in France, soon rivalled and 
 excelled the early attempts. The work of Maioli may be 
 distinctly traced by the bold simplicity and purity of his 
 designs; and more especially by the broader gold lines 
 which margin the coloured bands of geometric and 
 arabesque ornamentation. 
 
 All books, it must be understood, were not bound in so 
 costly a manner, for we find pigskin, vellum and calf in 
 
xvi 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 use. The latter was especially preferred on account of its 
 peculiar softness, smooth surface, and great aptitude for 
 receiving impressions of dumb or blind tooling. It wag 
 onlj towards the latter part of the sixteenth century that 
 the English binders began to employ delicate or fine 
 tooling. 
 
 During the seventeenth century the names of Du Sueil 
 and Le Gascon were known for the delicacy and extreme 
 minuteness of their jfinishing. Not disdaining the bindings 
 of the Italian school, they took from them new ideas ; for 
 whilst the Grolier bindings were bold, the Du Sueil and 
 Le Gascon more resembled fine lace work of intricate 
 design, with harmonizing flowers and other objects, from 
 which we may obtain a great variety of artistic character. 
 During this period embroidered velvet was much in use. 
 Then a change took place and a style was adopted which 
 by some people would be preferred to the gorgeous bind- 
 ings of the sixteenth century. The sides were finished 
 quite plainly with only a line round the edge of the boards 
 (and in some instances not even that) with a coat of arms 
 or some badge in the centre. 
 
 Towards the end of the seventeenth century bookbinding 
 began to improve, particularly with regard to forwarding. 
 The joints were true and square, and the back was made to 
 open more freely. In the eighteenth century the names of 
 Derome, Roger Payne, and others are prominent as masters 
 of the craft, and the Harleian style was introduced. 
 
 The plate facing may be fairly estimated as a good 
 specimen of Derome. Notice the extreme simplicity and 
 yet the symmetry of the design ; its characteristic feature 
 being the boldness of the corners and the gradual dimi- 
 nishing of the scroll work as it nears the centre of the 
 panel. Morocco and calf were the leathers used for this 
 binding. 
 
 Hand coloured calf was at this period at its height, and 
 
GAS CON. 
 
 r Way. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 XVll 
 
 the Cambridge calf may be named as a pattern of one of 
 the various styles, and one that is approved of by many at 
 the present day — the calf was sprinkled all over, save a 
 square panel left uncoloured in the centre of the boards. 
 
 The Harleian style took its name from Harley, Earl of 
 Oxford. It was red morocco with a broad tooled border 
 and centre panels. We have the names of various masters 
 who pushed the art forward to very great excellence during 
 this century. Baumgarten and Benedict, two Germans of 
 
 Harleian. 
 
 considerable note in London ; Mackinly, from whose house 
 also fine work was sent out, and by whom good workmen 
 were educated whose specimens almost equal the work of 
 their master. There were two other Germans, Kalthoeber 
 and Staggemeier, each having his own peculiar style. 
 Kalthoeber is credited with having first introduced painting 
 on the edges. This I must dispute, as it was done in the 
 sixteenth century. To him, however, must certainly be 
 given the credit of having discovered the secret, if ever 
 lost, and renewing it on his best work. We must now 
 
 b 
 
xviii 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 pass on to Roger Payne, that unfortunate and erring man 
 but clever workman, who lived during the latter part of 
 the eighteenth century. His taste may be seen from the 
 woodcut. He generally used small tools, and by combining 
 them formed a variety of beautiful designs. He cut most 
 of these tools himself, either because he could not find a 
 tool cutter of sufficient skill, or that he found it difficult to 
 
 Roger Payne. 
 
 pay the cost. We are told by anecdote, that he drank 
 much and lived recklessly ; but notwithstanding all his 
 irregular habits, his name ought to be respected for the 
 work he executed. His backs were firm, and his forwarding 
 excellent ; and he introduced a class of finishing that was 
 always in accordance with the character or subject of the 
 book. His only fault was the peculiar coloured paper with 
 which he made his end papers. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 xix 
 
 Coloured or fancy calf has now taken the place of the 
 hand-coloured. Coloured cloth has come so much into use, 
 that this branch of the trade alone monopolizes nearly 
 three-fourths of the workmen and females employed in 
 bookbinding. Many other substitutes for leather have 
 been introduced, and a number of imitations of morocco 
 and calf are in the market ; this, with the use of machinery, 
 has made so great a revolution in the trade, that it is now 
 divided into two distinct branches — cloth work and extra 
 work. 
 
 I have endeavoured in the foregoing remarks to raise 
 the emulation of my fellow craftsmen by naming the most 
 famous artists of past days ; men whose works are most 
 worthy of study and imitation. I have refrained from 
 any notice or criticism of the work of my contemporaries ; 
 but I may venture to assure the lover of good bookbinding 
 that as good and sound work, and as careful finish, may be 
 obtained in a first-rate house in London as in any city in 
 the world. 
 
 In the succeeding chapters, I will endeavour in as plain 
 and simple a way as I can to give instructions to the 
 unskilled workman Jiow to hind a hook. 
 
PART I. 
 
 FORWARDING. 
 
 B 
 
1 
 
THE ART OF BOOKBINDING. 
 
 CHAPTER L 
 Folding. 
 
 We commence with folding. It is generally the first thing 
 the binder has to do with a book. The sheets are either 
 supplied by the publisher or printer (mostly the printer) ; 
 should the amateur wish to have his books in sheets, 
 he may generally get them by asking his bookseller foi 
 them. It is necessary that they be carefully folded, for 
 unless they are perfectly even, it is impossible that the 
 margins (the blank space round the print) can be uniform 
 when the book is cut. Where the margin is small, as in 
 very small prayer books, a very great risk of cutting into 
 the print is incurred ; besides, it is rather annoying to see 
 a book which has the folio or paging on one leaf nearly at 
 the top, and on the next, the print touching the bottom ; 
 to remedy such an evil, the printer having done his 
 duty by placing his margins quite true, it remains with the 
 binder to perfect and bring the sheet into proper form by 
 folding. The best bound book may be spoilt by having 
 the sheets badly folded, and the binder is perfectly justified 
 in rejecting any sheets that may be badly printed, that is, 
 rot in register. 
 
4 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 The sheets are laid upon a table with the signatures 
 (the letters or numbers that are at the foot of the first 
 page of each sheet when folded) facing downwards on the 
 left hand side. A folding- stick is held in the right hand, and 
 the sheet is brought over from right to left, the folios being 
 carefully placed together; if the paper is held up to the 
 light, and is not too thick, it can be easily seen through. 
 Holding the two together and laying them on the table the 
 folder is drawn across the sheet, creasing the centre ; then, 
 holding the sheet down with the folder on the line to be 
 creased, the top part is brought over and downwards till 
 the folios or the bottom of the letterpress or print is again 
 even. The folder is then drawn across, and so by bringing 
 each folio together the sheet is completed. The process is 
 extremely simple. The octavo sheet is generally folded 
 into 4 folds, thus giving 8 leaves or 16 pages ; a quarto, 
 into 2, giving 4 leaves or 8 pages, and the sheets properly 
 folded, will have their signatures outside at the foot of the 
 first page. If the signature is not on the outside, one 
 may be certain that the sheet has been wrongly folded. 
 
 I say generally ; at one time the water or wire mark on 
 the paper and the number of folds gave the size of the 
 book. 
 
 There are numerous other sizes, but it is not necessary 
 to give them all ; the process of folding is in nearly all 
 cases the same; here are however, a few of the sizes given 
 in inches. 
 
 Foolscap 8vo. 6f x 4i 
 
 Demy 12mo. 7f x 4f 
 
 Crown 8vo. 7|- X 5 
 
 PostSvo. 8x5 
 Demy 8vo. 9 X 5|- 
 
 Medium 8vo. 9| x 5f 
 
 Small Royal 8vo. 10 x 6|- 
 Large Eoyal 8vo. 10| x 6f 
 
FOLDINa. 
 
 5 
 
 Imperial 8vo. 
 Demy 4to. 
 
 11 X 7i 
 11 X 9 
 Hi X 9f 
 12| X 10 
 15 X 11 
 15 X 10 
 18 X 11 
 
 Medium 4to. 
 E/oyal 4to. 
 
 Imperial 4to. 
 Crown Folio. 
 Demy Fqifo 
 
 As a final caution, the first and last sheets must be care- 
 fully examined ; very often the sheet has to be cut up or 
 divided, and the leaf or leaves placed in various positions 
 in the book. 
 
 It is also advisable to cut the head of the sheets, using 
 the folding- stick, cutting just beyond the back or middle 
 fold ; this prevents the sheet running into a side crease 
 when pressing or rolling. Should such a crease occur the 
 leaf or sheet must be damped by placing it between wet 
 paper and subjecting it to pressure ; no other method is 
 likely to erase the break. 
 
 Refolding, — With regard to books that have been issued 
 in numbers, they must be ]julled to pieces or divided. The 
 parts being arranged in consecutive order, so that not so 
 much difficulty will be felt in collating the sheets, the 
 outside wrapper is torn away, and each sheet pulled singly 
 from its neighbour, care being taken to see if any thread 
 used in sewing is in the centre of the sheet at the back ; 
 if so, it must be cut with a knife or it will tear the paper. 
 As the sheets are pulled they must be laid on the left hand 
 side, each sheet being placed face downwards ; should they 
 be placed face upwards the first sheet will be the last and the 
 whole will require rearranging. All advertisements may be 
 placed away from the sheets into a pile ; these will be found 
 very handy for lining boards, pasting on, or as waste. 
 The title and contents will generally be found in the last 
 part ; place them in their proper places. The sheets must 
 now be refolded, if improperly folded in the first instance. 
 
6 
 
 BOOKBINDTXG. 
 
 Turn tlie whole pile (or book now) over, and again go 
 through each sheet ; alter by refolding any sheet that may 
 require it. Yery often the sheets are already cut, and in this 
 case the section must be dissected and each leaf refolded 
 and reinserted in proper sequence, and placed carefully 
 head-line to head-line. Great care must be exercised, as 
 the previous creasings render th^paper liable to be torn 
 in the process. 
 
 Books that have been bound and cut would be rendered 
 often worse by refolding, and as a general rule they are left 
 alone. Bound books are pulled to pieces in the same 
 manner, always taking care that the thread is cut or 
 
 Knocking-down Iron screwed into Press. 
 
 loose before tearing the sheet away ; should trouble arise 
 through the glue, etc., not coming away easily, the back 
 may be damped with a sponge lightly charged with water, 
 or perhaps a better method is to place the book or books 
 in a press, screw up tightly, and soak the backs with thin 
 paste, leaving them soaking for an hour or two ; they will 
 want repasting two or three times during the period ; the 
 whole of the paper, glue, and leather can then be easily 
 scraped away with a blunt knife ; a handful of shavings 
 rubbed over the back will make it quite clean, and no diffi- 
 culty will be met with if the sections are taken apart while 
 damp. The sections must, as pulled, be placed evenly one on 
 
FOLDING. 
 
 7 
 
 the other, as the paper at back retains sufficient glue to cause 
 them to stick together if laid across one another ; the whole 
 must then be left to dry. When dry the groove should be 
 knocked down on a flat surface, and for this the knocking- 
 down iron screwed up in the lying press is perhaps the 
 best thing to use. The groove is the projecting part of the 
 
 Martini's Folding Machine. 
 
 book close to the back, caused by the backing, and is the 
 groove for the back edge of the mill-board to work in by 
 a hinge ; this hinge is technically called the " joint." 
 
 Machines. — There are many folding machines made by 
 the various machinists ; the working of them, however, is 
 in nearly all cases identical. The machinn is generally 
 
8 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 fed by a girl, who places the sheet to points, the arm 
 lifting up at given periods to allow placing the sheet. 
 Another arm carrying a long thin blade descends, taking 
 the sheet through a slot in the table, where it is passed 
 between rollers ; another set of rollers at right angles 
 creases it again. The rollers are arranged for two, three, or 
 more creasings or folds. The sheets are delivered at the 
 side into a box, from which they are taken from time to 
 time. The cut is one of Martini's, and is probably the 
 most advanced. 
 
 Gathering. — A gatJiering macliine has been patented which 
 is of a simple but ingenious contrivance for the quick 
 gathering of sheets. The usual way to gather, is by laying 
 piles of sheets upon a long table, and for the gatherer to 
 take from each pile a sheet in succession. By the new 
 method a round table is made to revolve by machinery, 
 and upon it are placed the piles of sheets. As the table 
 revolves the gatherer takes a sheet from each pile as it 
 passes him. It will at once be seen that not only is space 
 saved, but that a number of gatherers may be placed at the 
 table ; and that there is no possibility of the gatherers 
 shirking their work, as the machine is made to register 
 the revolutions. By comparing the number of sheets with 
 the revolutions of the table, the amount of work done can 
 be checked, 
 
9 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Beating and Rolling. 
 
 The object of beating or rolling is to make the book as 
 solid as possible. Tor beating, a stone or iron slab, used 
 as a bed, and a heavy hammer, are necessary. The stone 
 or iron must be perfectly smooth, and should be bedded 
 with great solidity. I have in use an iron bed about two feet 
 square, fitted into a strongly-made box, filled with sand, 
 with a wooden cover to the iron when not in use. The 
 hammer should be somewhat bell- 
 shaped, and weigh about ten 
 pounds, with a short handle, made 
 to fit the hand. The face of the 
 hammer and stone (it is called a 
 beating-stone whether it be stone 
 or iron), must be kept perfectly Beating Hammer, 
 clean, and it is advisable always to have a piece of paper at 
 the top and bottom of the sections when beating, or the 
 repeated concussion will glaze them. 
 
 The book should be divided into lots or sections of about 
 half an inch thick, that will be about fifteen to twenty sheets, 
 according to the thickness of paper. A section is now to 
 be held on the stone between the fingers and thumb 
 of the left hand ; then the hammer, grasped firmly in 
 the right hand, is raised, and brought down with rather 
 more than its own weight on the sheets, which must 
 be continually moved round, turned over and changed 
 about, in order that they may be equally beaten all over. 
 
10 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 Bj passing the section between the finger and thumb, it 
 can be felt at once, if it has been beaten properly and 
 evenly. Great care must be taken that in each blow of 
 the hammer it shall have the face fairly on the body of 
 the section, for if the hammer is so used that the greatest 
 portion of the weight should fall outside the edge of the 
 sheets the concussion will break away the paper as if cut 
 with a knife. It is perhaps better for a beginner to practise 
 on some waste paper before attempting to beat a book ; and 
 he should always rest when the wrist becomes tired. When 
 each section has been beaten, supposing a book has been 
 divided into four sections, the whole four should be beaten 
 again, but together. 
 
 I do not profess a preference to beating over rolling be- 
 cause I have placed it first. The rolling machine is one of 
 the greatest improvements in the trade, but all hoohs should 
 not he rolled, and a bookbinder, I mean a practical book- 
 binder, not one who has been nearly the whole of his life- 
 time upon a cutting machine, or at a blocking press, and 
 who calls himself one, but a competent bookbinder, should 
 know how and when to use the beating hammer and when 
 the rolling machine. 
 
 There are some books, old ones for instance, that should 
 on no account be rolled. The clumsy presses used in 
 printing at an early date gave such an amount of pressure 
 on the type that the paper round their margins has some- 
 times two or three times the thickness of the printed 
 portion. At the present time each sheet after having been 
 printed is pressed, and thus the leaf is made flat or nearly 
 so, and for such work the rolling machine is certainly better 
 than the hammer. 
 
 To roll a book, it is divided into sections as in beating, 
 only not so many sheets are taken — from six upwards, 
 according to the quality of the work to be executed. The 
 sheets are then placed between tins, and the whole passed 
 
BEATING AND ROLLING. 
 
 11 
 
 between the rollers, which are regulated by a screw, ac- 
 cording to the thickness of sections and power required. 
 The workman, technically called Roller," has to be very 
 careful in passing his books through, that his hand be 
 not drawn in as well, for accidents have from time to 
 time occurred through the inattention of the Roller 
 
 Rolling Machine. 
 
 himself, or of the individual who has the pleasure of 
 applying his strength to turning the handle. 
 
 I never pass or hear a rolling machine revolving very 
 rapidly without having vividly brought to my mind a very 
 serious accident that happened to my father. He was 
 feeling for a flaw on one of the rollers, and whilst his hands 
 
12 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 were at the edge of the rollers the man tarned the handle, 
 drawing the whole hand between the heavy cylinders. The 
 accident cost him many months in the hospital, and he 
 never regained complete use of his right hand. 
 
 Great care must be used not to pass too many sheets 
 through the machine at one time ; the same applies to the 
 regulating screw. The amount of damage that can be done 
 to the paper by too heavy a pressure is astonishing, as 
 the paper becomes quite brittle, and may perhaps even be 
 cut as with a knife. 
 
 Another caution respecting new work. Recently printed 
 books, if submitted to heavy pressure, either by the beating 
 hammer or machine, are very likely to " set off," that is, 
 the ink from one side of the page will be imprinted to its 
 opposite neighbour ; indeed, under very heavy pressure, 
 some ink, perhaps many years old, will " set off ; " this is 
 due in a great measure to the ink not being properly 
 prepared. 
 
 MacJiines, — Of the many rolling machines in the market 
 the principle is in all the same. A powerful frame, carry- 
 ing two heavy rollers or cylinders, which are sefc in motion, 
 revolving in the same direction, by means of steam or by 
 hand. In many, extra power is supplied by the use of extra 
 cog-wheels ; the power is, however, gained at an expense 
 of speed. The pressure is regulated by screws at the top. 
 
13 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 Collating. 
 
 To col]ate, is to ensure that each sheet or leaf is in its 
 proper sequence. Putting the sheets together and placing 
 plates or maps requires great attention. The sheets must 
 run in proper order by the signatures : letters are mostly 
 used, but numbers are sometimes substituted. When letters 
 are used, the alphabet is repeated as often as necessary, 
 doubling the letter as often as a new alphabet is used, as 
 B, C, with the first alphabet,^ and AA, BB, CC or Aa, Bb, 
 Cc, with the second repetition, and three letters with the 
 third, generally leaving out J, Y, W. Plates must be 
 trimmed or cut to the proper size before being placed in 
 the book, and maps that are to be folded must be put on 
 guards. By mounting a map on a guard the size of the 
 page, it may be kept open on the table beside the book, 
 which may be opened at any part without concealing the 
 map : by this method the map will remain convenient for 
 constant reference. This is technically called " throwing 
 out " a map. 
 
 To collate a book, it is to be held in the right hand, at 
 the right top corner, then, with a turn of the wrist, the 
 back must be brought to the front. Fan the sections out, 
 then with the left hand the sheets must be brought back 
 to an angle, which will cause them when released to 
 spring forward, so that the letter on the right bottom 
 
 ^ The text of a book ahvays commences with B, the title and pre- 
 liminary matter being reckoned as A, 
 
14 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 corner of each sheet is seen, and then released, and the 
 next brought into view. When a work is completed in 
 more than one volume, the number of the volume is in- 
 dicated at the left hand bottom corner of each sheet. I 
 need hardly mention that the title should come first, then 
 the dedication (if one), preface, contents, then the text, 
 and finally the index. The number on the pages will, 
 however, always direct the binder as to the placing of the 
 sheets. The book should always be beaten or rolled before 
 placing plates or maps, esj}6cially coloured ones. 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 Presuming that we have a book with half a dozen plates, 
 the first thing after ascertaining that the letter-press is 
 perfect, is to see that all the plates are there, by looking 
 to the ''List of Plates," printed generally after the con- 
 tents. The plates should then be squared or cut trnly, 
 using a sharp knife and straight edge. When the plates 
 are printed on paper larger than the book, they must be 
 cut down to the proper size, leaving a somewhat less 
 margin at the back than there will be at the foredge when 
 the book is cut. Some plates have to face to the left, 
 
COLLATING. 
 
 15 
 
 some to the right, the frontispiece for instance ; but as a 
 general rule, plates should be placed on the right hand, so 
 that on opening the book they all face upwards. When 
 plates consist of subjects that are at a right angle with 
 the text, such as views and landscapes, the inscription 
 should always be placed to the right hand, whether the 
 plate face to the right or to the left page. If the plates 
 are on thick paper they should be guarded, either by 
 adding a piece of paper of the same thickness or by cutting 
 a piece from the plate and then joining the two again 
 together with a piece of linen, so that the plate moves on 
 the linen hinge : the space between the guard and plate 
 should be more than equal to the thickness of the paper. 
 If the plate is almost a cardboard, it is better and stronger 
 if linen be placed both back and front. Should the book 
 consist of plates only, sections may be made by placing two 
 plates and two guards together, and sewing through the 
 centre between the guards, leaving of course a space between 
 the two guards, which will form the back. 
 
 With regard to maps that have to be mounted, it is 
 better to mount them on the finest linen, as it takes up 
 the least room in the thickness of the book. The linen 
 should be cut a little larger than the map itself, with a 
 further piece left, on which to mount the extra piece of 
 paper, so that the map may be thrown out as before 
 described. The map should first be trimmed at its back, 
 then pasted with rather thin paste; the linen should then be 
 laid carefully on, and gently rubbed down and turned over, 
 so that the map comes uppermost ; the pasted guard should 
 then be placed a little away from the map, and the whole 
 ivell rubbed doivn^ and finally laid out flat to dry. To do this 
 work, the paste must be clean, free from all lumps, and 
 used very evenly and not too thickly, or when dry every 
 mark of the brush will be visible. When the map is dry 
 it should be trimmed all round and folded to its proper 
 
16 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 size, viz. — a trifle smaller than the book will be when cut. 
 If it is left larger the folds will naturally be cut away, and 
 the only remedy will be a new map, which means a new 
 copy of the work. For all folded maps or plates a cor- 
 responding thickness must be placed in the backs where 
 the maps go, or the foredge will be thicker than the back. 
 Pieces of paper called guards, are folded from |- inch to 
 1 inch in width, according to the size of the book, and 
 placed in the back, and sewn through as a section. Great 
 care must be taken that these guards are not folded too 
 large, so as to overlap the folds of the map, if they do so, 
 the object of their being placed there to make the thick- 
 ness of the back and foredge equal will be defeated. 
 
 Shewing Book with Map thrown out. 
 
 In a great measure, the whole beauty of the inside work 
 rests in properly collating the book, in guarding maps, 
 and in placing the plates. When pasting in any single 
 leaves or plates, a piece of waste paper should always be 
 placed on the leaf or plate the required distance from the 
 edge to be pasted, so that the leaf is pasted straight. It 
 takes no longer to lay the plate down upon the edge of a 
 board with a paper on the plate, than it does to hold the 
 plate in the left hand, and apply the paste with the right 
 hand middle finger ; by the former method a proper amount 
 of paste is deposited evenly on the plate and it is pasted 
 in a straight line ; by the latter method, it is pasted in some 
 
COLLATING. 
 
 17 
 
 places thickly, and in some places none at all. I liave 
 often seen books with the plates fastened to the book 
 nearly half way up to its foredge, and thus spoilt, only 
 through the slovenly way of pasting. After having placed 
 the plates, the collator should go through them again when 
 dry, to see if they adhere properly, and break or fold them 
 over up to the pasting, with a folding stick, so that they 
 will lie flat when the book is open. I must again call 
 attention to coloured plates. They should be looked to 
 during the whole of binding, especially after pressing. 
 The amount of gum that is put on the surface, which is 
 very easily seen by the gloss, causes them to stick to the 
 letter-press : should they so stick, do not try to tear them 
 apart, but warm a polishing iron and pass it over the plate 
 and letter-press, placing a piece of paper between the iron 
 and the book to avoid dirt. The heat and moisture will 
 soften the gum, and the surfaces can then be very easily 
 separated. By rubbing a little poiudered French chalk over 
 the coloured plates before sticking them in, these ill effects 
 ivill he avoided. 
 
 It sometimes happens that the whole of a book is com- 
 posed of single leaves, as the " Art Journal. Such a book 
 should be collated properly, and the plates placed to their 
 respective places, squared and broken over, by placing a 
 straight edge or runner about half an inch from its back 
 edge, and running a folder under the plate, thus lifting it to 
 the edge of the runner. The whole book should then be 
 pressed for a few hours, taken out, and the back glued up ; 
 the back having been previously roughed with the side 
 edge of the saw. To glue such a back, the book is placed 
 in the lying press between boards, with the back projecting 
 about an eighth of an inch, the saw is then drawn over 
 it, with its side edge, so that the paper is as it were rasped. 
 The back is then sawn in properly, as explained in the 
 next chapter, and the whole back is glued. When dry, the 
 
 C 
 
18 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 book is separated into divisions or sections of four, six, or 
 eight leaves, according to the thickness of the paper, and 
 each section is then overcast or over sewn along its whole 
 length, the thread being fastened at the head and tail (or 
 top and bottom) ; thus each section is made independent of 
 its neighbour. The sections should then be gently struck 
 along the back edge with a hammer against a knockino^- 
 down iron, so as to imbed the thread into the paper, or the 
 back will be too thick. The thread should not be struck so 
 hard as to cut the paper, or break the thread, but very 
 gently. Two or three sections may be taken at a time. 
 
 After having placed the plates, the book should be put 
 into the press (standing or otherwise) for a few hours. A 
 standing press is used in all good bookbinding shops. 
 
 The Paris houses have a curious way of pressing their 
 books. The books are placed in the standing press ; the 
 top and bottom boards are very thick, having a groove cut 
 in them in which a strong thin rope is placed. The press 
 is screwed down tightly, when, after some few minutes has 
 elapsed, the cord or rope is drawn together and fastened. 
 The pressure of the screw is released, the whole taken out 
 en hloc, and allowed to remain for some hours, during which 
 time a number of other batches are passed through the 
 same press. 
 
 When taken out of the press the book is ready for 
 ■* marking up " if for flexible sewing, or for being sawn in 
 if for ordinary w^ork. 
 
 Interleaving. — It is sometimes required to place a piece 
 of w^riting paper between each leaf of letter-press, either for 
 notes or for a translation : in such a case, the book must be 
 properly beaten or rolled, and each leaf cut up with a hand- 
 knife, both head and foredge ; the w^riting paper having 
 been chosen, must be folded to the size of the book and 
 pressed. A single leaf of writing paper is now to be 
 fastened in the centre of each section, and a folded leaf 
 
COLLATING. 
 
 19 
 
 placed to every folded letter-press leaf, by inserting tlie one 
 within the other, a folded writing paper being left outside 
 every other section, and all being put level with the head ; 
 the whole book should then be well pressed. 
 
 If by any chance there should be one sheet in duplicate 
 and another missing, by returning the one to the publisher 
 of the book the missing sheet is generally replaced ; this, 
 of course, has reference only to books of a recent date. 
 
 There is a new press of American 
 invention that has come under my 
 notice. It will be seen that it acts 
 on an entirely new principle, having 
 two horizontal screws instead of one 
 perpendicular. The power is first 
 applied by hand and finally by a 
 lever and ratchet-wheel in the cen- 
 tre. A pressure guage is affixed to 
 oach press, so that the actual power 
 exerted may be ascertained as the 
 operation proceeds. The press can 
 be had from Messrs. Ladd and Co., 
 116, Queen Victoria Street, E.G. ; 
 and they claim that it gives a pressure equal to the hy- 
 draulic press, without any of the hydraulic complications. 
 
 Boomer Press, 
 
20 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Marking up and Sav/ing in". 
 
 The books having been in the press a sufficient time, say 
 for a night, they are taken out, and run through again 
 (collated) to make sure that they are all correct. A book 
 is then taken and knocked straight both head and back 
 and put in the lying press between boards, projecting from 
 them about i inch ; some binders prefer cutting boards, I 
 prefer pressing boards, and I should advise the use of 
 them, as the whole can be knocked up together. They 
 should be held between the fingers of each hand, and the 
 back and head knocked alternately on the cheek of the 
 press. The boards are then drawn back the required 
 distance from the back of the book : the book and boards 
 must now be held tightly with the left hand, and the 
 whole carefully lowered into the press ; the right hand 
 regulating the screws, which should then be screwed up 
 tightly. The book is now quite straight, and firmly fixed 
 in the press, and we have to decide if it is to be sewn 
 flexibly or not. If for flexible binding the book is not to 
 he sawn in, but marked ; the difference being, that with 
 the latter the cord is outside the sheets ; with the former 
 the cord is imbedded in the bade, in the cut or groove made 
 by the saw. We will take the flexible first, and suppose 
 that the book before us is an ordinary 8vo. volume, and 
 that it is to be cut all round. 
 
 The back should be divided into six equal portions, 
 leaving the bottom, or tail, half an inch longer than the 
 rest, simply because of a curious optical illusion, by which, 
 
SAWING IN. 
 
 21 
 
 Saw cuts 
 to receive 3 
 cords 
 
 if the spaces were all equal in width, the bottom one would 
 appear to be the smallest, although accurately of the same 
 width as the rest. This curious 
 effect may be tested on any framed 
 or mounted print. A square is now 
 to be laid upon the back exactly to 
 the marks, and marked pretty black 
 with a lead pencil ; the head and 
 tail must now be sawn in to imbed 
 the chain of the kettle stitch, at a 
 distance sufficient to prevent the 
 thread being divided by accident in 
 cutting. In flexible work great 
 accuracy is absolutely necessary 
 throughout the whole of the work, 
 especially in the marking up, as the 
 form of the bands will be visible 
 when covered. It will be easily 
 seen if the book has been knocked 
 up straight by laying the square at 
 the head when the book is in the 
 press, and if it is not straight, it 
 must be taken out and corrected. 
 If the book is very small, as for 
 instance a small prayer book, it is 
 usually marked up for five bands, but only sewed on three ; 
 the other two being fastened on as false bands when the 
 book is ready for covering. There would be no gain in 
 strength by sewing a small book on fine bands. 
 
 When the book is to be ''sawn in," it is marked up as 
 for flexible work, but the back is sawn, both for the bands and 
 kettle stitch, with a tennon saw. In choosing the saw, it 
 should be one with the teeth not spread out too much ; and 
 it is advisable to have two of different widths. Care must 
 be taken that the saw does not enter too deeply, and one 
 
 Saw marks for catch-up 
 stitch. 
 
22 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 must, in all cases, he guided in the depth hj the thicJcness of 
 the cord to he used. The size of the book should determine 
 the thickness of the cord, as the larger the book, the 
 stronger and thicker must be the cord. Suitable cord is 
 to be purchased at all the bookbinder's material shops, 
 and it is known by the size of the book, such as 12mo., 
 8vo., 4to. cord. 
 
 Suwing-in Macbine. 
 
 I think nothing looks worse than a book with great 
 holes in the back, sometimes to be seen when the book is 
 opened, which are due to the inattention of the workmen. 
 Besides, it causes great inconvenience to the forwarder if 
 the cords are loose, and the only thing he can do in such a 
 case is to cram a lot of glue into the grooves to keep the 
 cord in its place. If, on the other hand, the saw cuts are 
 
SEWING. 
 
 23 
 
 not deep enonirli, the cord will stand out from the back, 
 and be distinctly seen when the book is finished, if not 
 remedied by extra strips of leather or paper between the 
 bands when lining up. It is better to use double thin 
 cord instead of one thick one for large books, because the 
 two cords will lie and imbed themselves in the back, 
 whereas one large one will not, unless very deep and wide 
 saw- cuts be made. Large folios should be sawn on six or 
 seven bands, but five for an 8vo. is the right number, from 
 which all other sizes can be regulated. 
 
 Saw benches have been introduced by varions firms. 
 They can be driven either by steam or foot. It will be 
 seen that the saws are circular, and can be shifted on the 
 spindle to suit the various sized books. As the books 
 themselves are slid along the table on the saws, the ad- 
 vantage is very great in a large shop where much work 
 of one size is done at a time. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 Sewing. 
 
 Flexible Worlc. — The sewing press " consists of a hedy 
 tiuo screius, and a heavi or cross bar, round which are fastened 
 five or more cords, called lay cords. Five pieces of cord 
 cut from the ball, in length, about four times the thickness 
 of the book, are fastened to the lay cords by slip knots ; 
 the other ends being fastened to small pieces of metal called 
 Tceys, by twisting the ends round twice and then a half 
 hitch. The keys are then passed through the slot in the 
 bed of the "press," and the beam screwed up rather tightly; 
 but loose enough to allow the lay cords to move freely 
 
24 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 backwards or forwards. Having the book on the bed of 
 the press with the back towards the sewer, a few sheets 
 (better than only one) are laid against the cords, and they 
 are arranged exactly to the marks made on the back of the 
 sections. When quite true and perpendicular, they should 
 be made tight by screwing the beam up. It will be better 
 if the cords are a little to the right of the press, so that 
 the sewer may get her or his left arm to rest better on the 
 press. 
 
 If when the press is tightened one of the cords is loose, 
 
 Sewing Press. 
 
 as will sometimes happen, a pencil, folding-stick or other 
 object slipped under the lay cord on the top of the beam 
 will tighten the band sufficiently. The foreign sewing 
 presses have screws with a hook at the end to hold the 
 bands, the screws running in a slot in the beam : in practice 
 they are very convenient. 
 
 The first and last sections are overcast usually with 
 cotton or very fine thread. The first sheet is now to be 
 laid against the bands, and the needle introduced through 
 the kettle stitch hole on the right of the book, which is the 
 
SEWING. 
 
 25 
 
 head. The left hand being within the centre of the sheet, 
 the needle is taken with it, and thrust out on the left of the 
 mark made for the first band ; the needle being taken with 
 the right hand, is again introduced on the right of the 
 same band, thus making a complete circle round it. This 
 is repeated with each band in succession, and the needle 
 brought out of the kettle stitch hole on the left or tail 
 of the sheet. A new sheet is now placed on the top, and 
 treated in a simihir way, by introducing the needle at the 
 left end or tail ; and when taken out at the right end or top, 
 the thread must be fastened by a knot to the end, hanging 
 from the first sheet, which is left long enough for the pur- 
 pose. A third sheet having been sewn in like manner,^ the 
 needle must be brought out at the kettle stitch, thrust 
 between the two sheets first sewn, and drawn round the 
 thread, thus fastening each sheet to its neighbour by a kind 
 of chain stitch. I believe the term kettle stitch " is 
 only a corruption of catch-up stitch," as it catches each 
 section as sewn in succession. This class of work must be 
 done very neatly and evenly, but it is easily done with a 
 little practice and patience. This is the strongest sewing 
 executed at the present day, but it is very seldom done, as 
 it takes three or four times as long as the ordinary sewing. 
 The thread must be drawn tightly each time it is passed 
 round the band, and at the end properly fastened off at the 
 kettle stitch, or the sections will work loose in course of 
 time. Old books were always sewn in this manner, and 
 when two or double bands were used, the thread was 
 twisted twice round one on sewing one section, and twice 
 round the other on sewing the next, or once round each 
 cord. In some cases even the " head-band " was worked at 
 
 * As each thread is terminated, another must be joined thereto, so 
 that one length of thread is, as it were, nsed for a book. The knots 
 must be made very neatly, and the ends cut otf, or they will bo visible 
 in the sheet by their bulk. 
 
2G 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 Ordinary sewing. 2 sheets on 2 bands. 
 
 
 
 
 -J 1 
 
 
 
 \ 
 
 -J ^ 
 
 ^ ^ 
 
 
 
 I ^ 
 
 -J ^ 
 
 ^ V 
 
 -J T 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Ordinary sewing. 2 sliects on 3 bands. 
 
 — ^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ^ i 
 
 \ 1 
 
 ) f 
 
 \ f 
 
 N 
 
 
 — A f 
 
 \ i' 
 
 =^==' = 
 
 \ f 
 
 \ f 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Ordinary sewing. 2 sheets on 5 bands. 
 The thick lines shewing the direction of the thread. 
 
SEWIXG. 27 
 
 the same time, by fastening other pieces of leather for the 
 head and tail, and making it the catch-up stitch as ^yel]. 
 When the head-band was worked in sewing, the book was, 
 of course, not afterwards cut at the edges. When this was 
 done, wooden boards were used instead of mill boards, and 
 twisted leather instead of cord, and when the book was 
 covered, a groove was made between each double band. 
 This way is still imitated by sticking a second band or 
 cord alongside the one made in sewing, before the book is 
 covered. The cord for flexible work is called a " flexible 
 cord," and is twisted tighter and is stronger than any 
 other. In all kinds of sewing I advise the use of Hayes' 
 lloyal Irish thread, not because there is no other of good 
 
 : 0 ; : 0 ; \ 0 j ( 0 } 
 
 of soyyirw ffn d^ihlt ^(n-d 
 
 (o) (o) (oj \g] (o) 
 
 A^.^httt jD.^ordy Jj,ol:hd .Line. ilvvAduct 
 
 flexible sewing. 
 
 manufacture, but because I have tried several kinds, and 
 Hayes' has proved to be the best. The thickness of the cord 
 must always be in proportion to the size and thickness of 
 the book, and the thickness of the thread must depend on 
 the sheets, whether they be half sheets or whole sheets. If 
 too thick a thread is used, the swelling (the rising caused in 
 the back by the thread) will be too much, and it will be im- 
 possible to make a proper rounding or get a right size 
 
 groove" in backing. If the sections are thick or few, a 
 thick thread must be used to give the thickness necessary 
 to produce a good groove. 
 
 If the book is of moderate thickness, the sections may be 
 knocked down by occasionally tapping them with a piece 
 
28 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 of wood loaded at one end with lead, or a tliick folding- 
 stick may be used as a substitute. I must again call par- 
 ticular attention to the kettle stitch. The thread must not 
 be drawn too tight in making the chain, or the thread will 
 breaJc in baching ; but still a proper tension must be kept or 
 the sheets will wear loose. The last sheet should be fas- 
 tened with a double knot round the kettle stitch two or 
 three sections down, and that section must be sewn all 
 along. The next style of sewing, and most generally used 
 throughout the trade, is the ordinary method. 
 
 Ordinary Sewing is somewhat different, inasmuch as 
 tJie thread is not twisted round the cord, as in flexible work, 
 when the cord is outside the section. In this method the 
 cord fits into the saw cuts. The thread is simply passed 
 •over the cord, not round it, otherwise the principle of sew- 
 ing is the same, that is, the thread is passed right along the 
 section, out of the holes made, and into them again ; tlio 
 kettle stitch being made in the same way. This style of 
 work has one advantage over flexible work, because the 
 back of the book can be better gilt. In flexible work, the 
 leather is attached with paste to the back, and is flexed, and 
 bent, each time the book is opened, and there is great risk 
 •of the gold splitting away or being detached from the 
 leather in wear. Books sewn in the ordinary method 
 are made with a hollow or loose back, and when the 
 book is opened, the crease in the back is independent of 
 the leather covering ; the lining of the back only is creased, 
 and the leather keeps its perfect form, by reason of the lining 
 giving it a spring outwards. Morocco is generally used 
 for flexible work ; calf, being without a grain, is not suit- 
 able, as it would show all the creases in the back made by 
 the opening. This class of sewing is excellent for books 
 that do not require so much strength, such as library bind- 
 ings,^ but for a dictionary or the like, where constant refe- 
 
 ^ This is not to be confounded with public library bindings. 
 
SEWING. 
 
 29 
 
 rence or daily use is required, I should sew a book flexibly. 
 Some binders sew their books in the ordinary way, and 
 paste the leather directly to the back, and thus pass it for 
 flexible work ; but I do not think any respectable house 
 would do so. A hooJc that has heen sewed flexibly loill not 
 have any saiv cut in the hade, so that on examination, by 
 opening it wide, it will at once be seen if it is a real flexible 
 binding or not. 
 
 Intelligence must, however, be used ; a book that has 
 already been cased (or bound and sewn on cords) must of 
 necessity have the saw cuts or holes, and such a book 
 would show the cuts. 
 
 There is another mode called flexible not to shoiu.^^ 
 The book is marked up in the usual way as for flexible, 
 and is also slightly scratched on the band marks with the 
 saw ; but not deep enough to go through the sections. A 
 thin cord is then taken doubled for each band, and the 
 book is sewn the ordinary flexible way ; the cord is knocked 
 into the back in forwarding, and the leather may be stuck 
 on a hollow back with bands, or it may be fastened to the 
 back itself without bands. ^ 
 
 However simple it may appear in description to sew a 
 book, it requires great judgment to keep down the swelling 
 of the book to the proper amount necessary to form a good 
 backing groove and no more. In order to do this, the 
 sheets must from time to time be gently tapped down with 
 a piece of wood or a heavy folding-stick, and great care 
 must be observed to avoid drawing the fastening of the 
 kettle stitch too tight, or the head and tail of the book will 
 be thinner than the middle ; this fault once committed has 
 no remedy. 
 
 If the sections are very thin, or in half sheets, they may, 
 if the book is very thick, be sewn two sheets on^ The 
 needle is passed from the kettle stitch to the first band of 
 * See chapter on Lining up. 
 
30 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 the first sheet and out, then another sheet is placed on the 
 top, and the needle inserted at the first band and brought 
 out at band No. 2, the needle is again inserted in the first 
 sheet and in at the second band and out at No. 3, thus 
 treating the two sections as one ; in this way it is obvious 
 that only half as much thread will be in the back. With 
 regard to books that have had the heads cut, it will be neces- 
 i^ary to open each sheet carefully up to the back before it is 
 placed on the press, otherwise the centre may not be 
 caught, and two or more leaves will be detached after the 
 book is bound. 
 
 The first and last sections of every book should be over- 
 cast for strength. With regard to books that are composed 
 of single leaves, they are treated of in Chapter III. They 
 are to be overcast, and each section treated as a section of 
 an ordinary book, the only difference being, that a strong 
 lining of p ^.per should be given to the back before cover- 
 ing, so that it cannot throw up." 
 
 When a book is sewn, it is taken from the sewing press 
 by slackening the screws which tighten the beam, so that 
 the cord may be easily detached from the keys and lay 
 cords. The cord may be left at its full length until the 
 end papers are about to be put on, when it must be reduced 
 to about three inches. 
 
 Brehmer's patent v^ire book and pamphlet sewing 
 machine is an introduction well adapted to the use of the 
 stationer, where thick and hand-made paper will bear such 
 a method. It will not, in my opinion, ever be found 
 eligible for library or standard books. Its high price will 
 debar it from the trade generally ; but it is to be feared 
 that a sufficient number of really good books may be sewn 
 with it to cause embarrassment to the first-rate binder, 
 who will be baffled in making good work of books which 
 may have been damaged by the invention of sewing books 
 with wire. 
 
SEWING. 
 
 31 
 
 The novelty of this aiacbine is, that the book is sewn 
 with wire instead of thread. The machine is fed with 
 wire from r^pools by small steel rollers, which at each 
 
 Smythe's Sewing Machine. 
 
 revolution supply exactly the length of wire required to 
 form little staples with two legs. Of these staples, the 
 machine makes at every revolution as many as are required 
 
32 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 for eacli sheet of the book that is being sewn — generally 
 t wo or three, or more, as necessary. These wires or staples 
 are forced through the sections from the inside of the 
 folds ; and as the tapes are stretched, and held by clasps 
 exactly opposite to each staple-forming and inserting appa- 
 ratus, the legs of each staple penetrate the tapes, and 
 project through them to a sufficient distance to allow of 
 their being bent inwards towards each other, and pressed 
 firmly against the tapes. With pamphlets, copy-books, 
 catalogues, &c., no tape is used, the staples themselves 
 being sufficient. About two thousand pamphlets or sheets 
 can be sewn in one hour. 
 
 Another machine, and I believe the latest, is the '^Smythe." 
 The sewer sits in front of the machine and places the 
 sheets, one at a time, on radial arms which project from a 
 vertical rod. These arms rotate, rise, and adjust the 
 sheets, so as to bring them in their proper position under 
 the curved needles. As each arm rises, small holes are 
 pierced, by means of punches in the sheets, from the 
 inside, to facilitate the entrance and egress of the needles. 
 The loopers then receive a lateral movement to tighten 
 the stitch, and this movement is made adjustable, in order 
 that books may be sewn tight or loose, as required. About 
 20,000 sheets can be sewn in a day, and no previous sawing 
 is required. Thread is used with this machine. 
 
S3 
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 
 Forwarding. 
 
 End Papers. — The end papers should always be made^ 
 that is, the coloured paper pasted to a white one ; the 
 style of binding must decide what kind of ends are to be 
 used. I give a slight idea of the kinds of papers used and 
 the method of making them. 
 
 Cohh Popper is a paper used generally for half-calf bind- 
 ings, with a sprinkled edge, or as a change, half-calf, gilt 
 top. The paper is stained various shades and colours in 
 the making, and I think derives its name from a binder 
 who first used it. Being liked by the trade, they have 
 distinguished the paper by calling it " Cobb paper,'' which 
 name it has kept. 
 
 Surface Paper. — This is a paper, one side of which is 
 prepared with a layer of colour, laid on with a brush very 
 evenly. Some kinds are left dull and others are glazed. 
 The darker colours of this paper are generally chosen for 
 Bibles or books of a religious character, and the lighter 
 colours for the cloth or case work. There are many other 
 shades which may be put into extra bindings with very good 
 effect, and will exercise the taste of the workman. For 
 example, a good cream, when of fine colour and good 
 quality, will look very well in a morocco book with either 
 cloth or morocco joints. 
 
 Marhled Paper. — This paper has the colour disposed 
 upon it in imitation of marble ; hence its name. It is 
 produced by sprinkling properly prepared colours upon 
 the surface of a size, made either of a vegetable emulsion, 
 
 D 
 
34 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 or of a solution of resinous gum. It is necessary^ in 
 either preparing an original design or in matching an 
 example, to remember that the veins are the first splashes 
 of colour thrown on the size, and assume that form in 
 consequence of being driven back by the successive colours 
 employed. 
 
 We have it on the authority of Mr. Woolnough,^ that the 
 old Dutch paper was wrapped round toys in order to evade 
 the duty imposed upon it. After being carefully smoothed 
 out, it was sold to bookbinders at a very high price, who 
 used it upon their extra bindings, and if the paper was not 
 large enough they were compelled to join it. After a time 
 the manufacture was introduced into England, but either 
 the colours are not prepared the same way, or the paper 
 itself may not be so suitable, the colours are not brought 
 out with such vigour and beauty, nor do they stand so well, 
 as on the old Dutch paper. Some secret of the art has 
 been lost, and it baffles our ablest marblers of the present 
 day to reproduce many of the beautiful examples that may 
 be seen in some of the old books. 
 
 For further remarks on marbled paper and marbling see 
 chapter on colouring edges. 
 
 Printed and other Fancy Paper may be bought at fancy 
 stationers ; the variety is so great that description is im- 
 possible, but good taste and judgment should always be 
 used by studying the style and colour of binding. Of late 
 years a few firms have paid some attention to this branch, 
 and have placed in the market some very pretty patterns 
 in various tints. 
 
 The foreign binders are very fond of papers printed in 
 bronze, and some are certainly of a most elaborate and 
 gorgeous description. Many houses have their own 
 favourite pattern and style. All papers having bronze on 
 
 1 " The Whole Art of Marbling as applied to Paper." C. W. Wool 
 nough. Bell and Sons, 1881 
 
FORWARDING. 
 
 35 
 
 them should be carefully selected and the cheaper kinds 
 eschewed, the bronze in a short time going black. 
 
 Coloured Paste Paper. — This kind the binder can easily 
 make for himself. Some colour should be mixed with paste 
 and a little soap, until it is a little thicker than cream. It 
 should then be spread upon two sheets of paper with a paste 
 brush. The sheets must then be laid together with their 
 coloured surfaces facing each other, and when separated they 
 will have a curious wavy pattern on them. The paper should 
 then be hung up to dry on a string stretched across the room, 
 and when dry glazed with a hot iron. A great deal of it 
 is used in Germany for covering books. Green, reds, and 
 blues have a very good effect. 
 
 There are many other kinds of paper that may be used, 
 but the above five different varieties will give a very good 
 idea and serve as points to work from. The many book- 
 binders' material dealers send out pattern books, and in 
 them some hundreds of patterns are to be found. 
 
 Before leaving the subject of ends, it may be as well to' 
 mention that morocco, calf, ru&sia, silk, etc., are often used 
 on whole bound work ; these must, however, be placed in 
 the book when has been covered. 
 
 After having decided npon what kind of paper is to be 
 ■used, two pieces are cut and folded to the size of the book, 
 leaving them a trifle larger, especially if the book has been 
 already cut. Two pieces of white paper must be prepared 
 in the same way. Having them ready, a white paper is 
 laid down, folded, on a pasting board (any old mill-board 
 kept for this purpose), and pasted with moderately thin 
 paste very evenly ; the two fancy papers are laid on the 
 top quite even with the back or folded edge ; the top fancy 
 paper is now to be pasted, and the other white laid on that : 
 they must now be taken from the board, and after a squeeze 
 in the press between pressing boards, taken out, and hung 
 up separately to dry. This will cause one half of the white 
 
36 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 to adhere to one half of the marble or fancy paper. When 
 they are dry, they should be refolded in the old folds and 
 pressed for about a quarter of an hour. When there are 
 more than one pair of ends to make, they need not be 
 made one pair at a time, but ten or fifteen pairs may be 
 done at once, by commencing with the one white, then two 
 fancy, two white, and so on, until a sufficient number have 
 been made, always pressing them to ensure the surfaces 
 adhering properly ; then hang them up to dry. When dry 
 press again, to make them quite flat. As this is the first 
 time I speak about pasting , a few hints or remarks on the 
 proper way will not be out of place here. Always draw 
 the brush well over the paper and away from the centre, 
 towards the edges of the paper. Do not have too much 
 paste in the brush, but just enough to make it slide well. 
 Be careful that the whole surface is pasted ; remove all 
 hairs or lumps from the paper, or they will mark the book. 
 Finally, never attempt to take up the brush from the paper 
 before it is well drawn over the edge of the paper, or the 
 paper will stick to the brush and turn over, with the risk 
 of the under side being pasted. While the ends are pressing 
 we will proceed with further forwarding our book. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 Pasting Up. 
 
 The first and last sheet of every book must be pasted up or 
 down, — it is called by both terms ; and if the book has too 
 much swelling, it must be tapped down gently with a 
 hammer. Hold the book tightly at the foredge with the 
 left hand, knuckles down ; rest the back on the press, and hit 
 
PASTING UP. 
 
 37 
 
 the back with the hammer to the required thickness. If 
 the book is not held tightly, a portion of the back will slip 
 in and the hollow will always be visible ; so I advise that 
 the back be knocked flat on the " lying press " and placed 
 in it without boards, so that the back projects. Screw the 
 press up tightly, so that the sheets cannot slip. A knocking- 
 down iron should then be placed against the book on its left 
 side, and the back hammered against it; the "slips" or cords 
 must be pulled tight, each one being pulled with the right 
 hand, the left holding the slips tightly against the book so 
 that they cannot be pulled through. Should it happen that 
 a slip is pulled out, nothing remains but to re-sew the book, 
 unless it is a thin one, when it may possibly be re-inserted 
 with a large needle. But this will not do the book any good. 
 
 The slips being pulled tight, the first and last section 
 should be pasted to those next them. To do this, lay the 
 book on the edge of the press and throw the top section 
 back ; lay a piece of waste paper • upon the next section 
 about i or I inch from the back, according to the size of 
 the book, and paste the space between the back and the 
 waste paper, using generally the second finger of the right 
 hand, holding the paper down with the left. When pasted, 
 the waste paper is removed, and the back of the section put 
 evenly with the back of the book, which is now turned over 
 carefully that it may not shift ; the other end is treated in 
 the same manner. A weight should then be put on the top, 
 or if more than a single book, one should lie on the top of 
 the other, back and foredge alternately, each book to be half 
 an inch within the foredge of the book next to it, with a few 
 pressing boards on the top one. When dry the end papers 
 are to be pasted on. 
 
38 
 
 BOOKBIl^^DING. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Putting on the End Papers. 
 
 Two single leaves of white paper, somewhat thicker than the 
 paper used for making the ends, are to be cut, one for each 
 side of the book. The end papers are to be laid down 
 on a board, or on a piece of paper on the press to keep them 
 clean, with the pasted or made side uppermost, the single 
 leaves on the top. They should then be fanned out evenly 
 to a proper width, about a quarter of an inch for an 8vo., a 
 piece of waste paper put on the top, and their edges pasted. 
 The slips or cords thrown back, the white fly is put on the 
 book, a little away from the back, and the made ends on 
 the top even with the back, and again left to dry with the 
 weight of a few boards on the top. 
 
 If, however, the book or books are very heavy or large, 
 they should have joints " of either bookbinders' cloth or 
 of leather of the same colour as the leather with which the 
 book is to be covered. Morocco is mostly used for the 
 leather joints. If the joints are to be of cloth, it may be 
 added either when the ends are being put on, or when the 
 book is ready for pasting down. If the cloth joint is to be 
 put on now, the cloth is cut from 1 to 3 inches, according 
 to the size of book, and folded quite evenly, the side of tho 
 cloth which has to go on the book being left the width in- 
 tended to be glued ; that is, a width of 1 inch should be 
 folded I one side, leaving | the other, the latter to be put 
 on the book. The smallest fold is now glued, the white fly 
 put on, and the fancy paper on the top ; the difference 
 being, that the paper instead of being made double or 
 folded is single, or instead of taking a paper double the 
 
END PAPERS. 
 
 39 
 
 size of the book and folding it, it is cut to the size of the 
 book and pasted all over. It will be better if the marble 
 paper be pasted and the white put on and well rubbed 
 down, and then the whole laid between mill-boards to dry. 
 A piece of waste or brown paper should be slightly fastened 
 at the back over the whole, (turning the cloth down on 
 the book) to keep it clean and prevent it from getting 
 damaged. 
 
 The strongest manner is to overcast the ends and cloth 
 joint to the first and last section of the book, as it is then 
 almost impossible either for the cloth or ends to pull away 
 from the book. 
 
 If, however, the cloth joint is to be put on after the book 
 is covered, the flys and ends are only edged on with paste 
 to the book just sufficient to hold them while it is being 
 bound ; and when the book is to be pasted down, the ends 
 are lifted from the book by placing a thin folding-stick 
 between the ends and book and running it along, when 
 they will come away quite easily. The cloth is -then cut 
 and folded as before and fastened on, and the ends and flys 
 properly pasted in the back. 
 
 Morocco joints are usually put in after the book is 
 covered, but I prefer that if joints of any kind are to go in 
 the book they should be put in at the same time as the 
 ends. Take great care that the ends are quite dry after 
 being made before attaching them, or the dampness will 
 affect the beginning and end of the book and cause the 
 first few leaves to wrinkle. 
 
 When the ends are quite dry the slips should be un- 
 ravelled and scraped, a bodkin being used for the unravell- 
 ing, and the back of a knife for the scraping. The object of 
 this is, that they may with greater ease be passed through 
 the holes in the mill-board, and the bulk of the cord be more 
 evenly distributed and beaten down, so as not to be seen 
 after the book has been covered. 
 
A Cioih/ Jovrvt 
 
 c 
 o 
 
 pp 
 
 n3 
 o 
 
TRIMMING. 
 
 41 
 
 Many houses cut away the slip entirely, in order that the 
 work may look better. This should never be done ; with 
 large and heavy books it is better to allow the bulk of the 
 cord to be seen rather than sacrifice strength. To a certain 
 extent this may be avoided by cutting a small portion of 
 the mill-board away to allow the cord to lodge in. 
 
 There is another way of putting on the end papers, that 
 is, to sew the ends on with the book when sewing. The 
 paper is folded at the back with a small fold, the sheet 
 placed in the fold, and the whole sewn through. It is at 
 once apparent that under no circumstances can there be 
 any strain on the ends, and that there is hardly any pos- 
 sibility of the ends breaking away from the sheets. 
 
 For books subjected to very hard wear (school books, 
 public library books, etc.) this method of placing the ends 
 is by far the best. See opposite page. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 Trimming. 
 
 Is the book to have a gilt top ? marbled or gilt edges ? 
 or is it to be left uncut ? These questions must bo 
 settled before anything further is done. If the book is to 
 be uncut or have a gilt top, the rough edges should be 
 taken away with a very sharp knife or shears : this process 
 is called " trimming." 
 
 The book having been knocked up straight, is laid on a 
 piece of wood planed smooth and kept for this purpose, 
 called a "trimming board." It is then compassed from 
 the back, a straight edge laid to the compass holes, and the 
 foredge cut with a very sharp knife. If the knife is not 
 
42 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 sharp tlie paper will yield to the slight pressure required 
 and will not be cut. It is therefore absolutely necessary that 
 a good edge be given to the blade, and, if possible, to keep a 
 special knife for the purpose. Such knives, called trim- 
 ming knives, are sold, the probable cost being about two 
 shillings. They have a very broad blade. 
 
 The object of trimming is to make the edges true ; the 
 amount taken off must be only the rough and dirty edges, 
 the book being thus left as large as possible. 
 
 The French put their books in the press between boards 
 and rasp the edges, but this method has not only the dis- 
 advantage of showing all the marks of the rasp, but also of 
 
 Cardboard Machine used for trimming. 
 
 leaving a roughness which catches and retains the dust in 
 proportion to the soft or hard qualities of the paper. 
 
 Another method is to put the book into the cutting 
 press, and cut the overplus off with a plough, having a 
 circular knife, called a " round plough." This is used 
 when a number of books are being done together. I prefer 
 to use the straight edge and knife for the foredge and tail, 
 and to cut the top when the book is in boards. 
 
 It is, however, not necessary to go to the expense of a 
 round plough, it is only advisable to have one when 
 
 plough trimming" is of daily occurrence; an ordinary 
 plough knife, ground to a circular edge, will answer in most 
 cases. 
 
 Another excellent plan is to sefc the gauge of the mill- 
 
TRIMMING. 
 
 4a 
 
 board macliine, or a card-cutting onacJiine, and to cut or 
 trim each section, foredge and tail, by the machine knife. 
 In a large number of books this plan is to be recommended ; 
 the whole is cut more even and in less time ; trimming by 
 this method must, however, be done before sewing. This 
 method is also adopted by some French houses. 
 
 Before leaving the subject of trimming, I will insert a 
 few lines from that well-known paper the Athenaeum," as 
 to how a book should be trimmed ; and so much do I agree 
 with its writer, that I have the quotation, in large type, 
 hung up in my shop as a constant caution and instruction 
 to the workmen : — 
 
 (No. 2138, Oct. 17tJi, 1868.) 
 
 **Mr. Editor, — If you think that the 'Athenaeum' is 
 read or seen by any members of that class of ruthless binders, 
 who delight in destroying the appearance of every pamphlet 
 and book that comes into their hands, by trimming or 
 ploughing its edges to the quick (and almost always 
 crookedly), I beg you to insert this appeal to the monsters 
 I have named, to desist from their barbarous practices, to 
 learn to reverence the margin of a book, and never to take 
 from it a hair's breadth more than is absolutely needful. 
 The brutality with which the fair margins of one's loved 
 volumes are treated by these mangling wretches with their 
 awful plough knives is shocking to behold. The curses of 
 book lovers are daily heaped on their backs, but they go on 
 running-a-muck, heedless of remonstrance, remorseless, 
 ever sacrificing fresh victims. Had we a paternal govern- 
 ment, one might hope for due punishment of some of these 
 offenders : one at least might be ploughed up the back, 
 another up the front, as an example and a terror to the 
 trade ; but as this wholesome correction cannot unhappily 
 be administered, will you give expression to the indigna- 
 tion of one amongst a million sufferers for years from these 
 
44 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 trimmers' savageries, and let them know what feelings 
 their reckless cruelty awakens in many breasts ? One of 
 the largest houses in London has just sent me home fifty 
 copies of an essay, intended as a present for a friend. 
 They have been trimmed, and been ruined. Would that 
 I could have the trimming of their trimmer's hair and 
 ears ; also his nose ! I don't think his best friend would 
 know him when I had done with him. 
 
 " But, Sir, we live in a philanthropic age, and are bound 
 to forgive our enemies and try to reform the worst crimi- 
 nals. I therefore propose a practical measure to win theso 
 book trimmers from their enormities ; namely, that fifty at 
 least of your readers, who care for book margins, should 
 subscribe a guinea each for a challenge cup, to be competed 
 for yearly, and held by that firm which, on producing 
 copies of all books and pamphlets trimmed by it during 
 the year, shall be adjudged to have disfigured them least. 
 I ask you. Sir, if you will receive subscriptions for this 
 challenge cup ? If you will, I shall be glad to send you 
 mine. 
 
 "M. A. 
 
 "P.S. — Any one who will cut out this letter, and get it 
 pasted up in any binder's or printer's trimming room, will 
 confer a favour on the writer." 
 
 A very good trimming machine has been invented by 
 Messrs. Richmond and Co., of Kirby Street, Hatton Garden. 
 The bed rises and falls, with the books upon it, instead of 
 the knife descending upon the work, as in the cutting 
 machines ; and the gauges are so arranged, that the foredgo 
 of one pile of books, and the tails of another, can be cut at 
 one operation, and it is guaranteed by the makers that the 
 knife will leave a clean and perfectly trimmed edge. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 Glueing up. 
 
 The book mast now be glued up ; that is, glue must bo 
 applied to the back to hold the sections together, and make 
 the back firm during the rounding and backing. Knock the 
 book perfectly true at its back and head, and put it into 
 the lying press between two pieces of old mill-board; expose 
 the back and let it project from the boards a little, the 
 object being to hold the book firm and to keep the slips 
 close to the sides, so that no glue shall get on them ; 
 then with glue, not too thick, but hot, glue the back, 
 rubbing it in with the brush, and take the overplus off 
 again with the brush. In some shops, a handful of shav- 
 ings is used to rub the glue in, and to take the refuse 
 away, but I consider this to be a bad plan, as a great 
 quantity of glue is wasted. 
 
 The Germans rub the glue into the back with the back 
 of a hammer, and take away the overplus with the brush ; 
 this is certainly better than using shavings. The back 
 must not be allowed to get too dry before it is rounded, or 
 it will have to be damped with a sponge, to give to the 
 glue the elasticity required, but it should not be wet, this 
 being worse than letting it get too dry. The book should 
 be left for about an hour, or till it no longer feels tacky 
 to the touch, but still retains its flexibility. A flexible 
 bound book should first be rounded, a backing board being 
 used to bring the sheets round instead of a hammer, then 
 the back glued, and a piece of tape tied round the book to 
 prevent its going back flat. 
 
46 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 But all books are not glued np in the press ; some work- 
 men knock up a number of books, and, allowing them to 
 project a little over their press, glue the lot up at once ; 
 others again, by holding the book in the left hand and 
 drawing the brush up and down the back. These last 
 methods are, however, only practised in cloth shops, where 
 books are bound or cased at very low prices. The proper 
 way, as I have explained, is to put the book in the lying 
 press. The book is then laid on its side to dry, and if 
 more than one, they should be laid alternately back and 
 foredge, with the back projecting about half an inch, and 
 allowed to dry spontanenusly, and on no account to be 
 dried by the heat of a fire. All artificial heat in drying in 
 any process of hoohhinding is injurious to the work. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 EOUNDING. 
 
 The word "rounding" applies to the back of the book, 
 and is preliminary to backing. In rounding the back, the 
 book is to be laid on the press before the workman with 
 the foredge towards him ; the book is then to be held with 
 the left hand by placing the thumb on the foredge and 
 fingers on the top of the book pointing towards the back, 
 so that by drawing the fingers towards the thumb, or by 
 pressing fingers and thumb together, the back is drawn 
 towards the workman at an angle. In this position 
 the back is struck with the face of the hammer, begin- 
 ning in the centre, still drawing the back over with 
 the left hand. The book is then to be turned over, and 
 the other side treated in the same way, and continually 
 
■ROUNDING. 
 
 47 
 
 changed or turned from one side to the other until it has 
 its proper form, which should be a part of a circle. When 
 sufficiently rounded, it should be examined to see if ono 
 side be perfectly level with the other, by holding the book 
 up and glancing down its back, and gently tapping the 
 places where uneven, until it is perfectly true or uniform. 
 
 Eoundiiig Machine. 
 
 The thicker the book the more difficult it will be found to 
 round it ; and some papers will be found more obstinate 
 than others, so that great care must be exercised both in 
 rounding and backing, as the foredge when cut will have 
 exactly the same form as the back. Nothing can be more 
 annoying than to see books lop-sided, pig-backed, and with 
 sundry other ailments, inherent to cheap bookbinding. 
 
48 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 The back when properly rounded should be about a third 
 of a circle, according to the present mode, but in olden times 
 they were made almost flat. They were not rounded as 
 now done, but the swelling caused by the thread used 
 made quite enough rounding when put in the press for 
 backing. 
 
 Flat back books have a certain charm about them, the 
 more so if in other respects they are properly forwarded. 
 The theory is altogether averse to practical binding. I 
 have always been given to understand that we round our 
 books in order to counteract the tendency of a book to sink 
 in and assume a convex back. Any old well-used book 
 bound with a flat back will show at once this defect. 
 
 Messrs. Hopkinson and Cope, of Farringdon Road, 
 London, manufacture a rounding machine. They claim tliat 
 this machine will round 600 books j)er hour, and that any 
 desired " round may be given to the book wath great 
 uniformity. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 Backing. 
 
 The boards required for backing, called backing boards, 
 should always be the same length as the book. They are 
 made somewhat thicker than cutting boards, and have 
 their tops planed at an angle, so that the sheets may fall 
 well over. 
 
 Hold the book in the left hand, lay a board on one side, 
 a little away from the back, taking the edge of the top 
 sheet as a guide, the distance to be a trifle more than the 
 thickness of the boards intended to be used. Then 
 
BACKING. 
 
 49 
 
 turn over tlie book, with the backing board, holding 
 the board to the book by the thumb, so that it does not 
 shift, and lay the other board at exactly the same distance 
 on the other side. The whole is now to be held tightly by 
 the left hand and lowered into the press. The boards may 
 possibly have shifted a little 
 during the process, and any 
 correction may now be made 
 whilst the press holds the book 
 before screwing up tight, such 
 as a slight tap with the hammer Backing Hammer, 
 
 to one end of a board that may not be quite straight. 
 Should the board however be not quite true, it will be 
 better to take the whole out and readjust them, rather than 
 
 Before Backing, After Backing. 
 
 lose time in trying to rectify the irregularity by any other 
 method. If the rounding is not quite true it will be seen 
 at once, and the learner must not be disheartened if he has 
 to take his book out of the press two or three times to 
 correct any slight imperfection. 
 
 The book and boards having been lowered flush with the 
 cheeks of the press, screw it up as tightly as possible with the 
 iron hand-pin. The back of the book must now be gently 
 struck with the back of the hammer, holding it slanting 
 and beating the sheets well over towards the backing 
 boards. Commence from the centre of the back and do 
 
 E 
 
50 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 not hit too hard, or the dent made by the hammer will 
 show after the book has been covered. The back is to be 
 finished with the face of the hammer, the sheets beins* 
 brought well over on the boards so that a good and solid 
 groove may be made. Each side must be treated in the same 
 way, and have the same amount of weight and beating. 
 The back must have a gradual hammering, and the sheets, 
 when knocked one way, must not he hioched hack again. 
 The hammer should be swung with a circular motion, 
 always away from the centre of the back. The book, when 
 opened after backing, should be entirely without wrinkles ; 
 their presence being a sign that the worJcman did not know his 
 business, or that it was carelessly done. Backing and cutting 
 constitute the chief work in forwarding, and if these two 
 are not done properly the book cannot be square and solid 
 — two great essentials in bookbinding. 
 
 Backing flexible work will be found a little more difl&cult, 
 as the slips are tighter ; but otherwise the process is exactly 
 the same, only care must be taken not to hammer the cord 
 too much, and to bring over the sections very gently, in 
 order not to break the sewing thread. 
 
 The backing boards may be replaned 
 from time to time, as they become used, 
 but boards may be had having a double 
 face of steel to them ; these may be used 
 from either side. The edges of the steel 
 must not be sharp, or they will cut the 
 paper when backing. The ordinary boards 
 may also have a face of steel screwed to 
 them, but I prefer to use the wood — one 
 Two-edged Backing can get a firmer back without fear of 
 cutting the sheets. 
 There are several backing machines by different makers 
 but they are a- 1 of similar plan. The book being first 
 rounded is put between the cheeks, and the roller at the 
 
MILL-BOARDS. 
 
 51 
 
 top presses tlie sheets over. I am sorry to say that a great 
 number of sheets get cut by this process, especially when a 
 careless man has charge of the machine. 
 
 CHAPTER XTII. 
 Mill-boards. 
 
 There is no occasion to wait for the book to be advanced 
 as far as the backing before the workman sees to his boards ; 
 but he should take advantage of the period of drying to 
 prepare them, to look out the proper thickness of the board, 
 and to line them with paper either on one side or on both. 
 
 There are now so many kinds of mill-boards made that a 
 few words about them may not be out of place. The best 
 boards are made of old rope, and cost about £30 per ton. 
 The various mills make each a different quality, the prices 
 ranging down to £14 per ton ; about this price the straw 
 boards may be said to commence, they going as low as £7, 
 and even less. 
 
 A new board has lately appeared called leather board ; 
 it is exceeding hard and durable. I made several experi- 
 ments with this board, but up to the present have not 
 succeeded in getting it to lay flat on the book. 
 
 Boards are made to the various sizes in sheets varying 
 from pott (17 J X 14^1 inches) to double elephant (40 x 
 28 inches). The thickness is known as 6d.^ 7d., 8d. ; 8x, 
 or eightpenny one cross ; 8xx, eightpenny two cross ; X 
 for tenpenny. Here is a list in full of all the boards likely 
 to be used : — 
 
52 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 SIZE. 
 
 1 
 
 6d. 
 
 1 
 
 7d. 
 
 1 
 
 8d. 
 
 1 
 
 8x. 
 
 1 
 
 8xx. 
 
 1 
 
 X. 
 
 
 
 a 
 
 ;h 
 
 
 u 
 
 c3 
 
 u 
 
 1 
 
 ca ^' 
 
 
 
 u 
 
 
 u 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 .S ^ 
 
 
 .2 <v 
 
 
 s ^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 0 c 
 
 
 = 1 
 
 
 
 
 S 5 
 
 
 
 
 5 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 gM 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ft 
 
 
 ft 
 
 
 ft 
 
 
 ft 
 
 
 ft 
 
 • 
 
 
 inches. 
 
 
 lb. 
 
 
 lb. 
 
 
 lb. 
 
 
 lb. 
 
 
 lb. 
 
 
 lb. 
 
 Pott 
 
 
 6 
 
 28 
 
 6 
 
 40 
 
 5 
 
 48 
 
 5 
 
 56 
 
 4 
 
 60 
 
 3 
 
 58 
 
 Foolscap . . , . 
 
 ieixl4i 
 
 6 
 
 32 
 
 6 
 
 44 
 
 5 
 
 50 
 
 5 
 
 58 
 
 4 
 
 62 
 
 3 
 
 58 
 
 
 20 Xl6i 
 
 6 
 
 36 
 
 6 
 
 50 
 
 5 
 
 62 
 
 5 
 
 72 
 
 4 
 
 74 
 
 3 
 
 72 
 
 Small Half Royal. 
 
 20ixl3 
 
 6 
 
 30 
 
 6 
 
 44 
 
 5 
 
 50 
 
 5 
 
 60 
 
 4 
 
 62 
 
 3 
 
 58 
 
 I arge Half Royal . 
 
 21 XU 
 
 6 
 
 30 
 
 6 
 
 48 
 
 5 
 
 60 
 
 5 
 
 62 
 
 4 
 
 70 
 
 3 
 
 72 
 
 Short 
 
 21 Xl7 
 
 A 
 D 
 
 QQ 
 OO 
 
 6 
 
 55 
 
 5 
 
 70 
 
 0 
 
 to 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 78 
 
 Sm. Half Imperial 
 
 22JX15 
 
 6 
 
 3;3 
 
 6 
 
 50 
 
 5 
 
 64 
 
 4 
 
 70 
 
 3 
 
 62 
 
 2 
 
 60 
 
 Half Imperial 
 
 23^X16* 
 
 6 
 
 40 
 
 6 
 
 60 
 
 5 
 
 66 
 
 4 
 
 70 
 
 3 
 
 66 
 
 2 
 
 64 
 
 Mdle. or Sm. Demy 
 
 22ixl8j 
 
 6 
 
 45 
 
 6 
 
 60 
 
 5 
 
 66 
 
 4 
 
 74 
 
 3 
 
 72 
 
 2 
 
 66 
 
 Large Middle or ( 
 Large Demy J 
 
 23|xl8i 
 
 6 
 
 48 
 
 6 
 
 68 
 
 5 
 
 66 
 
 4 
 
 76 
 
 3 
 
 74 
 
 2 
 
 60 
 
 Large or Medium . 
 
 24 X19 
 
 6 
 
 48 
 
 6 
 
 70 
 
 5 
 
 65 
 
 4 
 
 76 
 
 3 
 
 74 
 
 2 
 
 60 
 
 Small Royal . . . . 
 
 25ixl9i 
 
 6 
 
 52 
 
 6 
 
 78 
 
 5 
 
 78 
 
 4 
 
 84 
 
 3 
 
 84 
 
 2 
 
 68 
 
 Largc^ Royal . . 
 
 26|x20f 
 
 6 
 
 52 
 
 6 
 
 78 
 
 4 
 
 68 
 
 3 
 
 76 
 
 2 
 
 68 
 
 2 
 
 86 
 
 Extra Royal. . 
 
 28^x211 
 
 6 
 
 56 
 
 6 
 
 82 
 
 4 
 
 74 
 
 3 
 
 80 
 
 2 
 
 74 
 
 2 
 
 92 
 
 Imperial 
 
 32 x22i 
 
 6 
 
 72 
 
 4 
 
 72 
 
 3 
 
 72 
 
 2 
 
 72 
 
 
 96 
 
 2 
 
 120 
 
 Having chosen the board, it is necessary to cut it up to 
 the size wanted. If the book is 8vo., the board is cut into 
 eight pieces; if 4to., into four; using a demy board 
 for a demy book, or a royal for a royal book. To cut up 
 the board, first mark up, as a guide for the mill-board 
 
 Mill-board Shears. 
 
 shears. These are very large shears, in shape somewhat 
 like an enlarged tin shears. To use the shears, screw up 
 one arm in the laying press, hold the board by the left 
 hand, using the right to work the upper arm, the left hand 
 meanwhile guiding the board. Some little tact is required 
 
MILL-BOARDS. 
 
 53 
 
 to cut heavy boards. It will be found that it is necessary 
 to press the lower arm away with the thigh, and bring the 
 upper arm towards the operator whilst cutting. 
 
 A mill-board cutting machine is now in all large shops. 
 The cut fairly well explains itself ; the long blade descending 
 cuts the boards, which are held fast on the table by the 
 clamp. The gauges are set either on the table or in front. 
 The board is put on the table and held tight by pressure of 
 
 Mill-board Maeliine. 
 
 the foot on the treadle ; the knife descending upon the ex- 
 posed board cuts after the principle of the guillotine blade. 
 Another kind, introduced by Messrs. Richmond, of Kirby 
 Street, Hatton Garden, is made for steam work, and is no 
 doubt one of the best that can be made. Instead of a 
 knife to descend, a number of circular cutters are made to 
 revolve on two spindles, the one cutter working against 
 the other (see woodcut) ; but I give Messrs. Richmond's 
 own description, it being more explicit than any I could 
 
54 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 possibly give : The niacliine accomplishes a surprising 
 amount of superior work in a very short time, and the 
 best description of the ordinary lever mill-board cutting 
 machine cannot be compared with it. The machine is 
 very strongly and accurately constructed. It is furnished 
 with an iron table having a planed surface, and is also 
 provided with a self-acting feed gauge. The gear wheels 
 are engine cut, and the circular cutters, which are of the 
 
 Steam Mill-board Cutting Machine. 
 
 best cast steel, being turned and ground dead true," clean 
 and accurate cutting is insured. The machine will there- 
 fore be found to be a most profitable acquisition to any 
 bookbinding establishment in which large quantities of 
 mill-board are used up." 
 
 The boards being cut, square the edge which is to go to 
 the back of the book. This must be done in the cutting 
 press, using a cutting board for one side termed a " runner," 
 and another called a cut-against " for the other side. 
 
]yj ILL-BOARDS. 
 
 55 
 
 These are simply to save the press from being cut ; and a 
 piece of old mill-board is generally placed on the cut- 
 against, so that the plough knife does not cut or use up 
 the cut-against too quickly. The boards are now, if for 
 whole-binding, to be lined on both sides with paper ; if for 
 half-binding only on one side. The reason for lining them 
 is to make the boards curve inwards towards the book. 
 The various pastings would cause the board to curve the 
 contrary way if it were not lined. If the boards are to 
 be lined both sides, paper should be cut double the size of 
 fche boards ; if only one side, the paper cut a little wider 
 than the boards, so that a portion of the paper may be 
 turned over on to the other side about a quarter of an inch. 
 The paper is now pasted with not too thick paste, and the 
 board laid on the paper with the cut edge toivards the por- 
 tion to be turnod over. It is now taken up with the paper 
 adhering, and laid down on the press with the paper side 
 upwards, and rubbed well down ; it is then again turned 
 over and the paper drawn over the other side. It is 
 advisable to press the boards to make more certain of the 
 paper adhering, remembering always that the paper must 
 be pasted all over very evenly, for it cannot be expected 
 to adhere if it is not pasted properly. 
 
 When the books are very thick, two boards must be 
 pasted together, not only to get the proper thickness, but 
 for strength, for a made board is always stronger than a 
 single one. If a board has to be made, a thick and a 
 somewhat thinner board should be fastened together with 
 paste. Paste both boards and put them in the standing press 
 for the night. Great pressure should not be put on at first, 
 but after allowing them to set for a few minutes, pull 
 down the press as tight as possible. When placing made 
 boards to the book, the thinner one should always he next 
 the hooJc. It may be taken as a general rule that a thinner 
 board when pasted will always draw a thicker one. 
 
56 
 
 BOOKBlNDINa, 
 
 When boards are lined on one side only it is usual to 
 turn half an inch of the paper over the square or cut edge, 
 and the lined side must be placed next the book. 
 
 Many binders line the mill-board all over with paper 
 before cutting ; this may save time, but the edge of the 
 board at the joint is liable to be abraised, and the resulting 
 joint uneven. 
 
 The boards when lined should be laid about or stood up 
 to dry, and when dry, cut to the proper and exact size for 
 the book. As a fact, the black boards now sold are much 
 too new or green to be used direct by the binder, they 
 should be stocked for some months. 
 
 The requisite width is obtained by extending the com- 
 pass from the back of the book to the edge of the smallest 
 bolt or fold in the foredge. It is advisable not to measure 
 less than this point, but to leave a leaf or two in order to 
 show that the book is not cut down. The compasses being 
 fixed by means of the side screw, the boards are to be 
 knocked up even, compassed up, and placed in the lying 
 press, in which they are cut, using, as before, the " cut- 
 against," and placing the runner exactly to the compass 
 holes. When cut they are to be tested by turning one 
 round and putting them together again ; if they are the 
 least out of truth it will be apparent at once. The head 
 or top of the boards is next to be cut by placing a square 
 against the back and marking the head or top with a 
 bodkin or point of a knife. The boards being quite 
 straight are again put into the press and cut, and when 
 taken out should be again proved by reversing them as 
 before, and if not true they must be recut. The length is 
 now taken from the head of the book to the tail, and in 
 this some judgment must be used. If the book has already 
 been cut the measure must be somewhat larger than the 
 book, allowing only such an amount of paper to be cut off 
 as will make the edge smooth. If, however, the book is to 
 
DEAWING-IN AND PRESSING. 
 
 57 
 
 be entirely uncut, the size of tlie book is measured, and in 
 addition the portion called squares must be added. 
 
 When a book has not been cut, the amount that is to be 
 cut off the head will give the head or top square, and the 
 book being measured from the head, another square or 
 projection must be added to it, and the compass set to one 
 of the shortest leaves in the book. Bearing in mind the 
 article on trimming, enough of the book only should be 
 cut to give the edge solidity for either gilding or marbling. 
 A few leaves should always be left not cut with the plough, 
 to show that the book has not been cut down. These few 
 leaves are called proof, and are always a mark of careful 
 work. 
 
 About twenty years ago it was the mode to square the 
 foredge of the boards, then lace or draw them in, and to 
 cut the head and tail of the boards and book together, then 
 to turn up and cut the foredge of the book. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Drawing-in and Pressing. 
 
 The boards having been squared, they are to be attached 
 to the book by lacing the ends of the cord through holes 
 made in the board. The boards are to be laid on the book 
 with their backs in the groove and level with the head ; 
 they must then be marked either with a lead pencil or the 
 point of a bodkin exactly in a line with the slips, about 
 half an inch down the board. On a piece of wood the mill- 
 board is placed, and holes are pierced by hammering a short 
 bodkin through on the line made, at a distance from the 
 edge in accordance with the size of the book. About half 
 an inch away from the back is the right distance for an 
 
58 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 octavo. The board is then to be turned over, and a second 
 hole made about half an inch away from the first ones. 
 The boards having been holed, the slips must be scraped, 
 pasted slightly, and tapered or pointed. Draw them tightly 
 thvough the hole first made and back through the second. 
 Tap them slightly when the board is down to prevent them 
 from slipping and getting loose. When the cords are drawn 
 through, cut the ends close to the board with a knife, and 
 well hammer them down on the knocking-down iron to 
 make the board close on the slips and hold them tight. 
 The slips should be well and carefully hammered, as any 
 projection will be seen with great distinctness when the 
 book is covered. The hammer must be held perfectly even, 
 for the slips luill he cut by the edge of it if used carelessly. 
 
 The book is now to be examined, and any little alteration 
 may be made before putting it into the standing press. 
 With all books, a tin should be placed between the mill- 
 board and book, to flatten the slips, and prevent their 
 adherence. The tin is placed right up to the groove, and 
 serves also as a guide for the pressing board. Pressing 
 boards, the same size as the book, should be put flush with 
 the groove, using the pressing tin as guide, and the book 
 or books placed in the centre of the press directly under 
 the screw, which is to be tightened as much as possible. 
 In pressing books of various sizes, the largest book must 
 always be put at the bottom of the press, with a block or 
 a few pressing boards between the various sizes, in order 
 to get equal pressure on the whole, and to allow the screw 
 to come exactly on the centre of the books. 
 
 The backs of the books are now to be pasted, and allowed 
 to stand for a few minutes to soften the glue. Then with 
 a piece of wood or iron, called a cleaning-off stick (wood 
 is preferable), the glue is rubbed off, and the backs are well 
 rubbed with a handful of shavings and left to dry. Leave 
 them as long as possible in the press, and if the volume is 
 
CUTTING. 
 
 59 
 
 rather a thick one a coat of paste or thin glue should be 
 applied to the back. Paste is preferable. 
 
 If the book is very thick a piece of thin calico may be 
 pasted to the back and allowed to dry, the surplus being 
 taken away afterwards. 
 
 In flexible work care must be taken that the cleaning-off 
 stick is not forced too hard against the bands, or the thread 
 being moist will break, or the paper being wet will tear, or 
 the bands may become shifted. The cleaning-off stick may 
 be made of any piece of wood ; an old octavo cutting board is 
 as good as anything else, but a good workman will always 
 have one suitable and at hand when required for use. 
 
 When the volumes have been pressed enough (a day's 
 pressing is none too much) they are to be taken out, and the 
 tins and pressing boards put away. The book is then ready 
 for cutting. Of the numerous presses, excepting the hy- 
 draulic, Gregory's Patent Compound Action Screw Press 
 is to my mind the best, and I believe it to be one of the 
 most powerful presses yet invented ; sixty tons pressure can 
 be obtained by it. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 Cutting. 
 
 In olden times, when our present work-tools did not exist 
 and material aids were scarce, a sharp knife and straight 
 edge formed the only implements used in cutting. Now 
 we have the plough and cutting machine, which have 
 superseded the knife and straight edge; and the cutting 
 machine is now fast doing away with the plough. There 
 are very few shops at the present moment where a cutting 
 
60 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 machine is not in use, in fact I may say that, without 
 speaking only of cloth books, for thoy must always be cut 
 by machinery owing to the price not allowing them to be 
 done otherwise, there are very few books, not even except- 
 ing extra books, that have escaped the cutting machine. 
 
 Cutting Press and Plough. 
 
 All cutting presses " are used in the same way. The 
 plough running over the press, its left cheek running be- 
 tween two guides fastened on the left cheek of the press. 
 By turning the screw of the plough the right cheek is 
 advanced towards the left ; the knife fixed on the right of 
 
 I > 
 
 Sliding Knife. 
 
 the plough is advanced, and with the point cuts gradually 
 through the boards or paper secured in the press, as already 
 described in preparing the boards. There are two kinds 
 of ploughs in use — in one the knife is bolted, in the other 
 the knife slides in a dovetail groove — termed respectively 
 
CUTTING. 
 
 61 
 
 " bolt knife " and " slide knife." The forwarder will find 
 that the latter is preferable, on account of its facility of 
 action, as any length of 
 
 A. 
 
 knife can be exposed for 
 cutting. But with a 
 bolt knife, being fast- 
 ened to the shoe of the 
 plough, it is necessarily 
 a fixture, and must be -^^^^ Knife, 
 
 worn down by cutting or squaring mill-boards, or such 
 work, before it can be used with the truth necessary for 
 paper. 
 
 To cut a book properly it must be quite straight, and the 
 knife must be sharp and perfectly true. Having this in 
 mind, the book may be cut by placing the front board 
 the requisite distance from the head that is to be cut off. 
 A piece of thin mill-board or trindle is put between the 
 hind board and book, so that the knife when through 
 the book may not cut the board. The book is now to 
 be lowered into the cutting press, with the back towards 
 the workman, until the front board is exactly on a level 
 with the press. The head of the book is now horizontal 
 with the press, and the amount to be cut off exposed above 
 it. Both sides should be looked to, as the book is very 
 liable to get a twist in being put in the press. When it is 
 quite square the press is to be screwed up tightly and 
 evenly. Each end should be screwed up to exactly the 
 same tightness, for if one end is loose the paper will be 
 jagged or torn instead of being cut cleanly. 
 
 The book is cut by drawing the plough gently to and 
 fro ; each time it is brought towards the workman a slight 
 amount of turn is given to the screw of the plough. If 
 too much turn is given to the screw, the knife will bite too 
 deeply into the paper and will tear instead of cutting it. If 
 the knife has not been properly sharpened, or has a burr 
 
62 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 apon its edge, it will be certain to cause ridges on the 
 paper. The top edge being cut, the book is taken out of 
 the press and the tail cut. A mark is made on the top of 
 the hind or back board just double the size of the square, 
 and the board is lowered until the mark is on a level with 
 the cut top. The book is again put into the press, with 
 the back towards the workman, until the board is flush 
 with the cheek of the press ; this will expose above the 
 press the amount to be taken off from the tail, as before 
 described, and the left hand board will be, if put level with 
 the cut top, exactly the same distance above the press as 
 the right hand board is below the cut top. The tail is cut 
 in the same way as the top edge. 
 
 To cut a book properly requires great care. It will be 
 of great importance to acquire a methodical exactness in 
 working the different branches, cutting especially. Always 
 lay a book down one way and take it up another, and in 
 cutting always work with the back of the book towards 
 you, and cut from you. Give the turn to the screw of the 
 plough as it is thrust from j^ou, or you will pull away a 
 part of the back instead of cutting it. 
 
 In cutting the foredge, to which we must now come, 
 always have the head of the book towards you, so that if 
 not cut straight you know exactly where the fault lies. 
 The foredge is marked both back and front of the book by 
 placing a cutting board under the first two or three leaves 
 as a support ; the mill-board is then pressed firmly into 
 the groove and a line is drawn or a hole is pierced head 
 and tail, the foredge of the board being used as a guide. The 
 book is now knocked with its back on the press quite flat, 
 and trindles (flat pieces of steel in the shape of an elon. 
 gated U, about If inch wide and 3 or 4 inches long, with 
 a slot nearly the whole length) are placed between the 
 boards and book by letting the boards fall back from the 
 book and then passing one trindle at the head, the other at 
 
CUTTING. 
 
 G3 
 
 tail, allowing the top and bottom slip to go in the grooves 
 of the trindles. The object of this is to force the back np 
 quite flat, and by holding the book when the cut-against 
 and runner is on it, supported by the other hand under the 
 boards, it can be at once seen if the book is straight or not. 
 The cut-against must be put quite flush with the holes on 
 
 the left of the ^^ook, and the runner the distance under the 
 holes that the amount of square is intended to be. The 
 book being lowered into the press, the runner is put flush 
 with the cheek of the press and the cut-against just the 
 same distance ahove the press as the runner is helow the 
 holes. The trindles must be taken out from the book when 
 
 o 
 
 QC 
 < 
 O 
 GO 
 
 O 
 
 q: 
 < 
 o 
 
 09 
 
 Section of Book and Press, book partly cut. 
 
64 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 the cutting boards are in their proper place, and the mill- 
 boards will then fall down. The book and cutting boards 
 must be held verj tightly or they will slip and, if the 
 book has been lowered into the press accurately, everything 
 will be quite square. The press must now be screwed 
 up tightly, and the foredge ploughed ; when the book is 
 taken out of the press it will resume its original rounding, 
 the foredge will have the same curve as the back, and if 
 cut truly there will be a proper square all round the edges. 
 This method is known as cutting in boards." 
 
 If the amateur or workman has a set of some good work 
 which he wishes to bind uniformly, but which has already 
 been cut to different sizes, and he does not wish to cut the 
 large ones down to the smaller size, he must not draw 
 the small ones in, as he may possibly not to be able to 
 pull the boards down the required depth to cut the 
 book, but he must leave the boards loose, cut the head 
 and tail, then draw the boards in, and turn up and cut the 
 foredge. 
 
 ^* Cutting out of boards " is by a different method. The 
 foredge is cut before gluing up, if for casing, taking the 
 size from the case, from the back to the edge of the board 
 in the foredge. The book is then glued up, rounded, and 
 put into the press for half an hour, just to set it. The size 
 is again taken from the case, allowing for squares head 
 and tail. The book having been marked is cut, and then 
 backed. Cloth cases are made for most periodicals, and 
 may be procured from their publishers at a trifling cost, 
 which varies according to the size of the book and the 
 amount of blocking that is upon them. 
 
 This method of cutting out of boards is adopted in many 
 of the cheap shops (even leather shops). It is a method, 
 however, not to be commended. 
 
 To test if the book be cut true it is only necessary to 
 turn the top leaf back level to the back of the book and 
 
CUTTING. 
 
 65 
 
 even at the head ; if it be the slightest bit untrue it will at 
 once be seen. 
 
 A few words about the various cutting machines that 
 are in the market. Each maker professes his machine the 
 
 Cutting Machine. 
 
 best. In some the knife moves with a diagonal motion, in 
 others with a horizontal motion. 
 
 The principle of all these machines is the same : the 
 books are placed to a gauge, the top is lowered and clamps 
 
 F 
 
66 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 the book, and, on the machine being started, the knife 
 ■descends and cats through the paper. 
 
 Another machine by Harrild and Son, called a registered 
 cutting machine, is here illustrated. Its operation is on 
 the same principle as a lying press, the difference being, 
 that this has a table upon which the work is placed ; a 
 
 Eegistered Cutting Machine. 
 
 gauge is placed at the back so that the work may be placed 
 against it for accuracy, the top beam is then screwed down 
 and the paper ploughed. A great amount of work may be 
 accomplished with this machine, and to anyone that cannot 
 afford an ordinary cutting machine this will be found in- 
 Taluable. 
 
6? 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Colouring the Edges. 
 
 The edges of ev^ery book must be in keeping witli the 
 binding. A half roan book should not have an expensive 
 edge, neither a whole bound morocco book a sprinkled edge. 
 Still, no rule has been laid down in this particular, and 
 taste should regulate this as it must in other branches. 
 The taste of the public is so changeable that it is impossible 
 to lay down any rule, and I leave my reader to his own 
 discretion. 
 
 Here are various ways in which the edges may be 
 coloured. 
 
 SprinTded Edges. — Most shops have a colour always ready, 
 usually a reddish brown, which they use for the whole of 
 their sprinkled edge books. The colour can be purchased 
 at any oil shop. A mixture of burnt umber and red ochre 
 is generally used. The two powders must be well mixed 
 together in a mortar with paste, a few drops of sweet oil, 
 and water. The colour may be tested by sprinkling some 
 on a piece of white paper, allowing it to dry, and ther 
 burnishing it. If the colour powders or rubs, it is either 
 too thick, or has not enough paste in it. If the former, 
 some water must be added ; if the latter, more paste : and 
 it will perhaps be better if the whole is passed through a 
 cloth to rid it of any coarse particles. The books may be 
 sprinkled so as to resemble a kind of marble by using two 
 or three different colours. For instance, the book is i3ut in 
 the lying press and a little sand is strewn upon the edge m 
 small mounds. Then with a green colour a moderato 
 
68 
 
 BOOKBINDI^s'G. 
 
 sprinkle is given. After allowing it to dry, more sand is 
 put on in various places, a dark sprinkle of brown is put on, 
 and the whole allowed to dry. When the sand is shaken 
 off, the edge will be white where the first sand was dropped, 
 green where the second, and the rest brown. 
 
 A colour of two shades may be made by using sand, then 
 a moderately dark brown sprinkled, then more sand, and 
 lastly a deeper shade of same colour. 
 
 There are a few of the " Old Binders " who still use what 
 is called the "finger brush,'' a small brush about the size of 
 a shaving brush, made of stiff bristles cut squarely. They 
 dip it into the colour, and then by drawing the finger across 
 it jerk the colour over the edge. Another method is to use 
 
 Sprinkling Brush and Sieve. 
 
 a larger brash, which being dipped in the colour is beaten 
 on a stick or press-pin until the desired amount of sprinkle 
 is obtained. But the best plan is to use a nail brush and a 
 common wire cinder sifter. Dip the brush in the colour 
 and rub it in a circular direction over the cinder sifter. 
 This mode has the satisfactory result of doing the work 
 quicker, finer, and more uniformly. The head, foredge and 
 tail must be of exactly the same shade, and one end must 
 not have more sprinkle on it than the other, and a set of 
 books should have their edges precisely alike in tone and 
 colour. 
 
 Colours for S^rinlding. — To give an account of how the 
 various colours are made that were formerly used would 
 bo only waste of time, as so many dyes and colours that 
 
COLOURING THE EDGES, 
 
 69 
 
 answer all purposes may be purchased ready for instant use. 
 I may with safety recommend Judson's dyes diluted with 
 water. 
 
 Flain Golourmg. — The colour having been well ground 
 is to be mixed with paste and a little oil, or what is per- 
 haps better, glaire and oil. Then with a sponge or with a 
 brush colour the whole of the edge. In colouring the 
 foredge the book should be drawn back so as to form a 
 slope of the edge, so that when the book is opened a certain 
 amount of colour will still be seen. It is often necessary 
 to give the edges two coats of colour, but the first must be 
 quite dry before the second is applied. 
 
 A very good effect may be produced by first colouring 
 the edge yellow, and when dry, after throwing on rice, 
 seeds, pieces of thread, fern leaves, or anything else accord- 
 ing to fancy, then sprinkling with some other dark colour. 
 For this class of work body sprinkling colour should always 
 be used. It may be varied in many different ways. 
 
 Marhled Edges. — The edges of marbled books should in 
 almost every instance correspond with their marbled ends. 
 
 In London very few binders marble their own work, but 
 send it out of the house to the Marhlers, who do nothing 
 else but make marbled edges and paper. One cannot do 
 better than send one's books to be marbled ; it will cost 
 only a few pence, v/hich will be well spent in avoiding the 
 trouble and dirt that marbling occasions; nevertheless I 
 will endeavour to explain ; it is, however, a process that 
 may seem very easy, but is very difficult to execute 
 properly. 
 
 The requisites are a long square wooden or zinc trough 
 about 2 inches deep to hold the size for the colours to float 
 on ; the dimensions to be regulated by the work to be 
 done. About 16 to 20 inches long and 6 to 8 inches wide 
 will probably be large enough. Various colours are used, 
 such as lake, rose, vermilion, king's yellow, yellow ochre. 
 
70 
 
 BOOKTUNDIXG. 
 
 Prussian blue, indigo, some green, flake white, and lamp 
 black. The brushes for the various colours should be of 
 moderate size, and each pot of colour must have its own 
 brush. Small stone jars are convenient for the colours, 
 and a slab of marble and muUer to grind them must be 
 provided. The combs may be made with pieces of brass 
 wire about two inches long, inserted into a piece of wood ; 
 several of these will be required with the teeth at different 
 distances, according to the width of the pattern required 
 to be produced. Several different sized burnishers, flat 
 and round, will be required for giving a gloss to the work. 
 
 The first process in marbling is the preparation of the 
 size on which the colours are to be floated. This is a solu- 
 tion of gum tragacanthy or as it is commonly called, gum 
 
 Marbling Trough. 
 
 dragon. If the gum is placed over night in the quantity 
 of water necessary it will generally be found dissolved by 
 the morning. The quantity of gum necessary to give 
 proper consistency to the size is simply to be learned by 
 experience, and cannot be described ; and the solution 
 must always be filtered through muslin or a linen cloth 
 before use. 
 
 The colours must be ground on the marble slab with a 
 little water, as fine as possible ; move the colour from time 
 to time into the centre of the marble with a palette knife, 
 and as the water evaporates add a little more. About 
 one oz. of colour will suffice to grind at once, and it will 
 take about two hours to do it properly. 
 
 Having everything at hand and ready, with the size in 
 
COLOURING THE EDGES. 
 
 71 
 
 tlie trough, and water near, the top of the size is to be 
 carefully taken off with a piece of wood the exact width of 
 the trouofh, and the colour beingf well mixed with water 
 and a few drops of ox gall, a little is taken in the brush, 
 and n^feiu very fine spots are thrown on. 
 
 If the colour does not spread out, but rather sinks down, 
 a few more drops of gall must be carefully added and well 
 mixed up. The top of the size must be taken off as before 
 described, and the colour again thrown on. 
 
 If it does not then spread out, the ground or size is of 
 too thick consistency, and some clean water must be added, 
 and the whole well mixed. 
 
 If the colour again thrown on spreads out, but looks 
 rather greyish or spotty, then the colour is too thick, and 
 a little water must be added, but very carefully, lest it 
 be made too thin. If the colour still assumes a greyish 
 appearance when thrown on, then the fault lies in the 
 grinding, and it must be dried and again ground. 
 
 When the colour, on being thrown on, spreads out in 
 very large spots, the ground or size is too thin and a little 
 thicker size should be added. I^ow, if the consistency or 
 the amount of gum water be noticed, by always using the 
 same quantity the marbler cannot fail to be right. 
 
 If the colours appear all right on the trough, and when 
 taken off on a slip of paper adhere to it, the size and 
 colours are in perfect working order. 
 
 The top of the size must always be taken off with the 
 piece of wood before commencing work, so that it be kept 
 clean, and the colours must always be well shaken out of 
 the brush into the pot before sprinkling, so that the spots 
 may not be too large. The marbler must always be guided 
 by the pattern he wishes to produce, and by a little thought 
 he will get over many difficulties that appear of greater 
 magnitude than they really are. 
 
 S^ot Marhle, — The size is first to be sprinkled with a 
 
72 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 dark colour, and this is always termed the " ground colour," 
 then the other colours ; bearing in mind that the colour 
 that has the most gall will spread or push the others away, 
 and this colour should in spot marbling be put on last. 
 
 With very little variation all the other kinds of marbling 
 are done ; but in every case where there are more books or 
 sheets of paper to be done of the same pattern than the 
 trough will take at once, the same order of colours must 
 be kept, and the same proportion of each, or one book will 
 be of one colour and the second entirely different. 
 
 Coonh or No7ipareil Marble. — The colours are to be thrown 
 on as before, but as fine as possible. Then if a piece of 
 wood or wire be drawn backwards and forwards across the 
 trough, the colours, through the disturbance of the size, 
 will follow the motion of the stick. A comb is then to bo 
 drawn the whole length of the trough in a contrary direc- 
 tion. The wire in the comb will draw the colour, and 
 thus will be produced what is termed comb or nonpareil 
 marble. 
 
 The size or width of the teeth of the comb will vary 
 the size of the marble. 
 
 Spanish Marble. — The ground colour is to be thrown on 
 rather heavily, the others lighter, and the wavy appearance 
 is caused by gently drawing the paper in jerks over the 
 marble, thus causing the colour to form small ripples. 
 
 A few drops of turpentine put in the colours will give 
 them a different effect, viz., — causing the small white spots 
 that appear on the shell marble. 
 
 There are various patterns, each being known by name : 
 old Dutch, nonpareil, antique, curl, Spanish, shell. An 
 apprentice would do well to go to some respectable shop and 
 ask for a sheet or two of the various kinds mentioned, and 
 as each pattern is given to him, write the name on the 
 back, and always keep it as a pattern for future use and 
 reference. 
 
COLOURING THE EDGES, 
 
 73 
 
 Edges are marbled, after making the desired pattern on 
 the trough by holding the book firmly, pressing the edge 
 on the colour and lifting it np sharply. The foredge must 
 be made flat by knocking the book on its back, but the 
 marbler had better tie his book between a pair of backing 
 boards, so that it may not slip, especially with large books. 
 Care must be taken with books that have many plates, or 
 if the paper is at all of a spongy nature or unsized. If a 
 little cold water be thrown on the edges it will cause the 
 colours to set better. In marbling writing paper, a sponge 
 with a little alum water should be used to take off the gloss 
 or shine from the edge, occasioned by the cutting knife, 
 and to assist the marbling colour to take better. 
 
 Paper is marbled in the same way by holding it at two 
 corners ; then gently putting it on the colour and pressing 
 it evenly, but gently all over, so that the colour may take 
 on every part. It must be lifted carefully, as the least 
 shake by disturbing the size will spoil the regularity of the 
 pattern. Paper should be damped over night and left with 
 a weight on the top. When the paper has been marbled 
 and is dry, a rag with a little bee's wax or soap should 
 be rubbed over it, so that the burnisher may not stick, 
 and may give a finer gloss ; this applies also to the edges 
 in burnishing. Marble paper manufacturers burnish the 
 paper with a piece of polished flint or glass fixed in a long 
 pole working in a socket at the top, the other end resting 
 on a table which is slightly hollowed, so that the segment 
 of the circle which the flint takes is exactly that of the 
 hollow table. The paper is laid on the hollow table, and 
 the burnisher is worked backwards and forwards until 
 the desired gloss is attained. By the best and latest 
 method, the paper is passed between highly polished 
 cylinders. It is more expensive, on account of the cost 
 of the machinery, but insures superior effect. 
 
 A great deal of paper is now being made by means of u 
 
74 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 mechanical process. It has a very high gloss ; it is used 
 on very cheap work. 
 
 Sizing, — Paper should be always sized after being marbled. 
 The size is made by dissolving one pound of best glue in 
 five gallons of water with half a pound of best white soap. 
 This is put into a copper over night, and on a low fire the 
 next morning, keeping it constantly stirred to prevent 
 burning. When quite dissolved and hot it is passed 
 through a cloth into a trough, and each sheet passed 
 through the liquor and hung up to dry ; when dry, burnish 
 as above. 
 
 But it will be far cheaper to buy the paper, rather than 
 make it at the cost of more time than will be profitable. 
 The charge for demy size is at the rate of 20^. to 95^. per 
 ream, according to the quality and colour ; but to those to 
 whom money is no object, and who would prefer to make 
 their own marbled paper, I hope the foregoing explanation 
 will be explicit enough. 
 
 The "English Mechanic,'' March 17th, 1871, has the 
 following method of transferring the pattern from ordi- 
 nary marble paper to the edges of books : — 
 
 " Ring the book up tightly in the press, the edge to be 
 as flat as possible ; cut strips of the best marble paper about 
 one inch longer than the edge, make a pad of old paper 
 Lirger than the edge of the book, and about a quarter inch 
 thick ; then get a piece of blotting paper and a sponge with 
 a little water in ; now pour on a plate sufficient spirits of 
 salts (muriatic acid) to saturate the paper, which must be 
 placed marble side downwards on the spirit (not dipped in 
 it) ; when soaked put it on the edge (which has been pre- 
 viously damped with a sponge), lay your blot paper on it, 
 then your pad, now rap it smartly all over, take off the pad 
 and blot, and look if the work is right, if so, take the book 
 out and shake the marble paper off ; when dry burnish." 
 
 At a lecture delivered at the Society of Arts, January, 
 
COLOURING THE EDGES. 
 
 75 
 
 1878, by Mr. Woolnough, a practical marblcr, the whole 
 process of marbling was explained. Mr. Woolnough has 
 since published an enlarged treatise on marbling/ and one 
 that should command the attention of the trade. A copy 
 of the Society's journal can be had, describing the process, 
 No. 1,314, vol. XXYI., and will be of great service to any 
 reader, but his work is more exhaustive. 
 
 A transfer marble paper may now 
 be had, and from examples sent me the 
 process seems fairly workable. The 
 following is the method of working 
 sent by the importers of the paper : — 
 
 *' Place the book in the press. The 
 book edge which is to be marbled has Leo's Moclmnical 
 to be rubbed with pure spirits of wine; Marblers. 
 the dry strip of transfer marble is then to be put on 
 the edge. The white back or reverse side, whilst being 
 pressed hard against the book edge, is to be moistened 
 carefully with boiling water, by dabbing 
 a saturated sponge on it ; this dabbing 
 process to be continued so long till the 
 colour will show through the white back 
 — a proof that it is loosened from the 
 paper. Then remove the white paper, 
 and let the edge dry slowly. When quite 
 dry burnish." 
 
 Another invention is to marble the 
 edges by means of one or more rollers. 
 The top roller or rollers holds the colour, 
 which is distributed on the under rollers ; 
 these, in turn, ink the edge on being 
 passed over it. The books are naturally 
 held in the press whilst this is being 
 done. 
 
 ^ George Bell and Sons, York Street, Covent Garden. 
 
 Leo's Mechanical 
 Mar biers. 
 
76 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 From a book, the School of Arts/' third edition, 1750, 
 which has a chapter on marbling, the following, with cut, 
 is taken : — 
 
 " When thus jou have your colours and all things in 
 good order, then take a pencil, or the end of a feather, 
 and sprinkle or put first your red colour ; then the blue, 
 
 Cut from Book School of Arts," 1750. 
 
 yellow, green, etc. Begin your red from No. 1, and go 
 along your trough to 'No. 2, also the blue from No. 3, all 
 along to No. 4 ; the yellow and green put here and there 
 in the vacant places. Then with a bodkin or a small skewer 
 draw a sort of a serpentine figure through the colours, 
 beginning from No. 1 to No. 2 ; when this is done, then 
 take your comb and draw the same straight along from 
 
COLOURING THE EDGES. 
 
 77 
 
 No. 1 to 'No. 2. If you have some turnings or snail work 
 on your paper, then with a bodkin give the colours what 
 turns you please. (See the plate.) 
 
 Thus far you are ready in order to lay on your paper, 
 which must be moistened the day before, in the same manner 
 as book printers do their paper for printing ; take a sheet at 
 a time, lay it gently upon your colours in the trough, press it 
 slightly with your finger down in such places where you 
 find the paper lies hollow ; this done, take hold at one end 
 of the paper, and draw it up at the other end of the trough ; 
 
 Leo's Marbling Set. 
 
 Lang it up to dry on a cord ; when dry, glaze it, and it is 
 done. You may also embellish your paper with streaks of 
 gold, by applying mussel gold or silver, tempered with 
 gum water, among the rest of the colours." 
 
 This last paragraph shows that the gold vein which is 
 now in such demand is really over 150 years old. 
 
 Messrs. Leo, of Stuttgart, have put together a complete 
 marbling apparatus, containing colours, gall, cups, combs, 
 sticks, filter, brushes, etc., the whole in a box. To a small 
 country bookbinder this is indispensable. 
 
78 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 Gilt Edges. 
 
 A GILT edge is the most elegant of all modes of ornament- 
 ing edges, and this branch of bookbinding has from time 
 to time been so greatly extended, that at the present day- 
 there are many ways in which a book may have the edges 
 gilt ; bat some methods are not pursued, either from igno- 
 rance on the binder's part, or with a view to save expense. 
 
 Eirst we have the ijlain gilt,'' then " gilt in the round " ; 
 then again some colour under the gold, for instance, " gilt 
 on red,'" or whatever the colour may be, red being mostly 
 used, especially for religious books. Some edges are 
 
 tooled,'' and some have a gilt edge with landscape or 
 scene appropriate to the book painted on the edge, only 
 to be seen when the book is opened. '^Marbling under 
 gilt " may also be used with good effect ; but still better 
 
 marhling on gilt," 
 
 The room where gilt edge work is done should be neither 
 dirty nor draughty, and the necessary materials are : — 
 
 \st. The Gold Cushion. — This may be purchased ready 
 for use, or if the binder wishes to make one, it may be 
 done by covering a piece of wood, about 12 inches by 6, 
 with a piece of white calf, the rough side outwards, 
 and padding it with blotting paper and cloth. The pieces 
 itoderneath should be cut a little smaller than the upper 
 one, so that it will form a bevel at the edge, but quite flat 
 on the top. The calf to be neatly nailed all round the 
 edge. If the pile of the leather is too rough, it can be 
 reduced with a piec^^ of pumice stone, by rubbing the stone 
 on the calf with a circular motion. 
 
GILT EDGES. 
 
 70 
 
 2 ad. Gold Knife. — This should be a long knife of thin 
 steel, the blade about one to one and a half inch wide. 
 
 3rd, Burnisliers. — These are made of agate stone, and oan 
 be purchased of any size. A flat one, and two or three 
 round ones, w^ill be found sufficient. They should have a 
 very high polish. 
 
 Aitli, Glair e Water or Size. — The white of an egg and a 
 tea-cup full of water are well beaten together, until the 
 albumen is perfectly dissolved. It must then be allowed 
 to stand for some hours to settle, after which it should bo 
 strained through a piece of linen which has been washed ; 
 old linen is therefore preferred to new. 
 
 htli. Scrajpers. — Pieces of steel with the edge or burr 
 made to turn up by rubbing the edge flat over a bodkin or 
 other steel instrument, so that when applied to the edge a 
 thin shaving of p iper is taken off. The beauty of gilding 
 depends greatly on proper and even scraping. 
 
 Q)tli. The Gold Leaf. — This is bought in books, the price 
 according to quality ; most of the cheap gold comes from 
 Germany. I recommend the use of the best gold that can 
 be had ; it being in the end the cheapest, as cheap gold 
 turns black by the action of the atmosphere in course of 
 time. 
 
 The method of preparing the gold^ is by making an 
 alloy : gold with silver or copper. It is drawn out into a 
 wire of about six inches in length, and by being passed 
 again between steel rollers is made into a ribbon. This 
 ribbon is then cut into squares and placed between vellum 
 leaves, about four or five inches square, and beaten with a 
 hammer somewhat like our beating hammer, until the gold 
 has expanded to the size of the vellum. The gold is again 
 cut up into squares of about one inch, and again inter- 
 
 ' Although this has practically nothing to do with the art of book- 
 binding, it is always advisable for a workman to know something about 
 the tools and materials he uses. 
 
80 
 
 BOOKBIXDim 
 
 leaved; but gold-beaters' skin is now used instead of 
 vellum; and so by continual beating and cutting up, the 
 proper thickness is arrived at. If the gold is held up to 
 the light, it will be found to be beaten so thin that it is 
 nearly transparent, although when laid on any object it is 
 of sufficient thickness to hide the surface underneath. It 
 has been estimated that the thickness of the gold leaf is 
 only -Yg-oVo o of an inch. 
 
 To gild the edges, the book should be put into the press 
 straight and on a level with the cheeks of the press between 
 cutting boards, the boards of the book being thrown back. 
 The press should be screwed up very tightly, and any pro- 
 jection of the cutting boards should be taken away with a 
 chisel. If the paper is unsized or at all spongy, the edge 
 should be sized and left to dry. This may be ascertained 
 by wetting a leaf with the tongue : if spongy, the moisture 
 will sink through as in blotting paper. The edge should 
 be scraped quite flat and perfectly even, care being taken 
 to scrape every part equally, or one part of the edge will 
 be hollow or perhaps one side scraped down, and this will 
 make one square larger than the other. When scraped quite 
 smoothly and evenly, a mixture of black lead and thin glaire 
 water is painted over the edge, and with a hard brush it is 
 well brushed until dry. 
 
 The gold should now be cut on the gold cushion. Lift 
 a leaf out of the book with the gold knife, lay it on the 
 gold cushion, and breathe gently on the centre of the leaf to 
 lay it flat ; it can then be cut with perfect ease to any size. 
 The edge is now to be glaired evenly, and the gold taken 
 up with a piece of paper previously greased by drawing it 
 over the head. The gold is then gently laid on the edge, 
 which has been previously glaired. The whole edge or end 
 being done, it is allowed to get perfectly dry, which will 
 occupy some two hours. 
 
 Before using the burnisher on the gold itself, some gilders 
 
GILT EDGES. 
 
 81 
 
 lay a piece of fine paper on the gold and gently flatten it 
 with the burnisher. Books are often treated in this manner, 
 they then become " dull gilt." When intended to be bright, 
 a waxed cloth should be gently rubbed over the surface two 
 or three times before using the burnisher. The beauty of 
 burnishing depends upon the edge presenting a solid and 
 uniform metallic surface, without any marks of the burnisher. 
 The manner of burnishing is to hold a flat burnisher, where 
 the surface is flat, firmly in the right hand with the end of 
 the handle on the shoulder, to get better leverage. Work 
 
 Book -edge Burnishers. 
 
 the burnisher backwards and forwards with a perfectly 
 even pressure on every part. When both ends are finished, 
 the foredge is to be proceeded with, by making it perfectly 
 flat. It is better to tie the book, to prevent it slipping 
 back. The foredge is to be gilt exactly in the same manner 
 as the ends ; it will of course return to its proper round 
 when released from the press. This is done with all books 
 in the ordinary way, but if the book is to have an extra 
 edge, it is done solid" or "in the round." For this way the 
 book must be put into the press with its proper round, 
 without flattening it, and scraped in that position with 
 scrapers corresponding with the rounding. The greatest 
 care must be taken in this kind of scraping that the sides 
 
 G 
 
82 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 aro not scraped away, or the squares will be made either 
 too large or lop-sided. 
 
 Gilt on Red. — The edges are coloured by fanning them 
 out as explained in colouring edges, and when dry, gilt in 
 the usual way; uofc quite such a strong size will be wanted, 
 through there being a ground in the colour ; nor must any 
 black lead be used. The edges should in this process bo 
 scraped first, then coloured and gilt in the usual way. 
 
 Tooled Edges, — The book is to be gilt as usual, then 
 while in the press stamped or worked over with tools that 
 are of some open character ; those of fine work being- 
 preferable. Some design should be followed out according 
 to the fancy of the workman. The tools must be warmed 
 slightly so that the impression may be firm ; the foredgo 
 should be done first. Another method is to tool the edge 
 before burnishing, or the different portions of the tooling 
 may be so managed in burnishing that some parts will be 
 left bright and standing in relief on the unburnished or 
 dead surface. 
 
 Tainted Edges. — The edge is to fanned out and tied 
 between boards, and whilst in that position some landscape 
 or other scene, either taken from the book itself or ap- 
 propriate to the subject of it, painted on the foredge, and 
 when quite dry it is gilt on the fiat in the usual manner. 
 This work of course requires an artist well skilled in 
 water-colour drawing. The colours used must be more 
 of a stain than body colour, and the edges should be scraped 
 first. 
 
 After the edges have been gilt by any of the foregoing 
 methods, the rounding must be examined and corrected ; 
 and the book should be put into the standing press for two 
 or three hours, to set it. The whole of the edges should 
 be wrapped up with paper to keep them clean during 
 the remainder of the process of binding. This is called 
 
 capping up.'* 
 
83 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 Head-banding. 
 
 Few binders work their own head- bands in these times of 
 competition and strikes for higher wages. It takes some 
 time and pains to teach a female hand the perfection of head- 
 band working, and but too often, since gratitude is nob 
 universal, the opportunity of earning a few more pence per 
 week is seized without regard to those at whose expense 
 the power of earning anything was gained, and the baffled 
 employer is wearied by constant changes. Owing to this, 
 most bookbinders use the machine-made head-band. These 
 can be purchased of any size or colour, at a moderate 
 price. 
 
 Head-banding done by hand is really only a twist of 
 different coloured cotton or silk round a piece of vellum or 
 cat-gut fastened to the back every half dozen sections. Jf 
 the head-band is to be square or straight, the vellum should 
 be made by sticking with paste two or three pieces together. 
 Damp the vellum previously and put it under a weight for 
 a few hours to get soft. Vellum from old ledgers and 
 other vellum bound books is mostly used. The vellum 
 when quite dry and flat is to be cut into strips just a little 
 under the width of the squares of the books, so that when 
 the book is covered, the amount of leather above the head- 
 band and the liead-band itself will be just the size or height 
 of the square. 
 
 If, however, a round head-band is chosen, cat-gut is 
 taken on the same principle with regard to size, and this is 
 furtber advanced by using two pieces of cat-gut, the ono 
 
84i 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 being generally smaller than the other, and making with the 
 beading three rows. The round head-band is the original 
 head-band, and cord was used instead of cat-gut. The cords 
 were fastened to lay-cords on the sewing press, and placed 
 at head and tail, and the head-band was worked at the 
 same time that the book was sewn. I am now speaking of 
 books bound about the 15th century ; and in pulling one of 
 these old bindings to pieces, it will compensate for the 
 time occupied and the trouble taken, if the book be ex- 
 amined to see how the head-band was worked, and how the 
 head-band then formed the catch-up stitch ; the head-band 
 
 cords were drawn in through the boards, and thus gave 
 greater strength to the book than the method used at the 
 present day. To explain how the head-band is worked is 
 rather a difficult task ; yet the process is a very simple one. 
 The great difficulty is to get the silks to lie close together, 
 which they will not do if the twist or beading is not evenly 
 worked. This requires time and patience to accomplish. 
 The hands must be clean or the silk will get soiled j fingers 
 must be smooth or the silk will be frayed. 
 
 Suppose, for instance, a book is to be done in two 
 colours, red and white. The head-band is cut to size, the 
 
 Head-banding. 
 
HEAD-BANDING. 
 
 85 
 
 book is, for convenience, held in a press, or a plough with 
 the knife taken oat, so that the end to be head-banded is 
 raised to a convenient height. The ends of the silk or 
 cotton are to be joined together, and one, say the red, 
 threaded through a strong needle. This is then passed 
 through the back of the book, at about the centre of the 
 second section, commencing on the left of the book. This 
 must be passed through twice, and a loop left. The vellum 
 is put in this loop and the silk drawn tightly, the vellum 
 will then be held fast. The white is now to be twisted 
 round the red once, and round the head-band twice ; the 
 red is now to be taken in hand and twisted round the 
 white once, and the head-band twice ; and this is to be 
 done until the whole vellum is covered. The needle must 
 be passed through the back at about every eight sections 
 to secure the head- band. The beading is the effect of one 
 thread being twisted over the other, and the hand must be 
 kept exactly at the same tightness or tension, for if pulled 
 too tightly the beading will go underneath, or be irregular. 
 The fastening off is to be done by passing the needle 
 through the back twice, the white is then passed round 
 the red and under the vellum, and the ends are to be tied 
 together. 
 
 Three Colours Plain. — This is to be commenced in the 
 same way as with two, but great care must be taken that 
 the silks are worked in rotation so as not to mix or en- 
 tangle them. The silks must be kept in the left hand, 
 while the right twists the colour over or round, and as 
 each is twisted round the vellum it is passed to be twisted 
 round the other two. In fastening off, both colours must 
 be passed round under the vellum and fastened as with 
 the two colour pattern. 
 
 The head-bands may be worked intermixed with gold or 
 silver thread, or the one colour may be worked a number 
 of times round the vellum, before the second colour has 
 
86 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 been twisted, giving it the appearance of ribbons going 
 round the bead-band. 
 
 With regard to stuck-on head-bands, the binder may 
 make them at little expense, by using striped calico for the 
 purpose. A narrow stripe is to be preferred of some bright 
 colour. The material must be cut into lengths of about 
 X)ne-and-a-half inch wide, with the stripes across. Cords 
 of different thickness are then to be cut somewhat longer 
 than the calico, and a piece of the cord is to be fastened by 
 a nail at one end on a board of sufficient length. The 
 calico is then to be pasted and laid down on the board 
 under the cord, and the cord being held tightly may be 
 easily covered with the striped calico, and rubbed with a 
 folder into a groove. 
 
 When this is dry, the head and tail of the book is glued 
 and the proper piece of the head-band is put on. Or the 
 head-band may be purchased, as before stated, worked 
 with either silk or cotton ready for fastening on, from about 
 2s. Sd, to 4^s. 6cl. a piece of twelve yards, according to the 
 size required: it has, however, the disadvantage of not 
 looking so even as a head-band worked on the book. I 
 have lately seen some specimens of as good imitations of 
 hand-worked ones as it is possible for machinery to manu- 
 facture. 
 
 After the head-band has been put on or worked, the 
 book is to be lined up " or made ready for covering." 
 
87 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 PHEPARING FOR COVERING. 
 
 Nearly all modern books are bound with hollow bnclcs, 
 except where the books are sewn for flexible work or other- 
 wise meant to have tight backs. 
 
 Much of the paper used at the present day is so hard, 
 that the binder is almost forced to make a hollow back, in 
 order that the book may open. 
 
 The head-band is first set with glue, if worked, by 
 gluing the head and tail, and with a folder the head-band 
 is made to take the same form as the back. This is to be 
 done by holding the book in the left hand wath its back 
 on the press, then a pointed folder held in the right hand 
 is run round the beading two or three times to form it ; 
 the silk on the back is then rubbed down as much as 
 possible to make all level and even, and the book is allowed 
 to dry. When dry it is put into the lying press to hold it, 
 and the back is well glued all over ; some paper, usually 
 brown, is now taken, the same length as the book, put on 
 the back, and rubbed down well with a thick folder : a 
 good sized bone from the ribs of beef is as good as any- 
 thing. The overplus of the paper is now to be cut away 
 from the back, except the part projecting head and tail. 
 A second coat of glue is now put on the top of the brown 
 paper and another piece is put on that, but not quite up to 
 the edge on the left hand side. When this is well rubbed 
 down it is folded evenly from the edge on the right side 
 over to the left, the small amount of glued space left will 
 be found sufficient to hold it down; the top is again glued 
 
88 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 and again folded over from left to right, and cut off level 
 by folding it back and running a sharp knife down the 
 fold. This is what is generally termed " two on and two 
 off," being of course two thicknesses of paper on the back 
 and two for the hollow ; but thin or small books need only 
 have one on the back and two for the hollow. Thick or 
 large books should have more paper used in proportion to 
 their size. Books that have been over-cast in the sewins: 
 should have rather a strong lining- up, so that there be not 
 such a strain when the book is opened. When the whole 
 is dry, the overplus of the paper, head and tail, is to be cut 
 off close to the head-band. 
 
 I need hardly say that the better the paper used the 
 more easy will be the working of it. Old writing or copy- 
 book paper will be found to be as good as any, but good 
 brown paper is, as I have said before, mostly used. 
 
 The book is now ready for putting the bands on. These 
 are prepared beforehand by sticking with glue tw^o or three 
 pieces of leather together or on a piece of paper, w^cll 
 pressing it, and then allowing it to dry under pressure. The 
 paper must then be glued twice, allowing each coat to dry 
 before gluing again. It should then be put on one side 
 for future use, and when wanted, the proper thickness is 
 chosen and cut into strips of a width to correspond with 
 the size of the book. The book is now to be marked up, 
 five bands being the number generally used, leaving the 
 tail a little longer than the other portions. The strips of 
 band are then to be moistened with a little hot water to 
 cause the glue upon the paper to melt. Each piece is then 
 to be fixed upon the back just under the holes made with 
 the compasses in marking-up. This will be found to be a 
 far better plan than to first cut the strips and then to glue 
 them. By the latter plan the glue is liable to spread upon 
 the side, where it is not wanted, and if the book has to be 
 covered with light calf, it will certainly be stained black z 
 
PREPARING FOR COVERING. 
 
 89 
 
 SO the coverer must be careful that all glue is removed 
 from the back and sides before he attempts to cover any of 
 his books with calf. It is rather provoking to find some 
 favourite colour when dry, having a tortoiseshell appear- 
 ance, which no amount of washing will take out. When 
 dry the ends of the bands are to be cut off with a hevel, 
 and a little piece of the boards from the corners nearest 
 the back also taken off on the bevel, that there may not be 
 a sharp point to fret through the leather when the book is 
 opened. This is also necessary so that the head-band may 
 be properly set. A sharp knife should be -inserted between 
 the hollow and should separate it from the back at head 
 and tail on each side so far as to allow the leather to bo 
 turned in. Morocco may have the back glued, as it will 
 not show through, and will facilitate the adhesion of the 
 leather. 
 
 Flexible Work. — This class of work is not lined-up. The 
 leather is fastened directly upon the book; the head-band is 
 set as before explained, and held tight by gluing a piece of 
 fine linen against it, and when quite dry, the overplus is to be 
 cut away, and the back made quite smooth. The bands are 
 then knocked up gently with a blunt chisel to make them 
 perfectly straight, being first damped and made soft with 
 a little paste to facilitate the woi*king and to prevent the 
 thread from being cut. Any holes caused by sawing-in, in 
 previous binding, must be filled up with a piece of frayed 
 cord, pasted. Any holes thus filled up must be made quite 
 smooth when dry, as the least unevenness will show when 
 the book is covered. 
 
 In throw up " backs, or in flexible not to show," a 
 piece of thin linen (muslin) or stuff called mull is glued on 
 the back first, and one piece of paper on the top. For the 
 hollow, three, four, or even five pieces are stuck one on the 
 other, so that it may be firm ; whilst the book itself will 
 be as if it had a flexible back. The bands, if any, are then 
 
90 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 to be fastened on, and tlie corners of the boards cut off. It 
 is then ready for covering. Mock flexible " has generally 
 one piece of paper glued on the back, and when marked- 
 up, the bands are put on as before, and the book covered. 
 
 Books are covered according to the fancy o£ the binder or 
 customer. The materials used at the present day, are — • 
 leather of all sorts, parchment or vellum, bookbinder's 
 cloth, velvet, needle-work, and imitation leather, of which 
 various kinds are manufactured, such as leatherette and 
 feltine. 
 
 Each kind requires a different manner of working or 
 manipulation. For instance, a calf book must not be 
 covered in the same manner as a velvet one : I will take 
 each in the above order and explain how they are managed. 
 
 Under the class of leather, we have moroccos of all kinds ; 
 russia ; calf, coloured, smooth, and imitation ; roan, sheep, 
 and imitation morocco. 
 
 The morocco cover, indeed any leather cover, is to be 
 cut out by laying the skin out on a flat board, and having 
 
 knife round the book, leaving a space of about f of an inch 
 for an 8vo, and more or less according to the size of the 
 book and thickness of board for turning in. The morocco 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Covering. 
 
 French Paring Knife. 
 
 chosen the part or piece of 
 the skin to be used, the 
 book is laid on it and the 
 skin is cut with a sharp 
 
COVERING. 
 
 91 
 
 cover should now have marked upon it with a pencil the 
 exact size of the book itself, bj laying the book on the 
 cover, and running the point of a black lead pencil all 
 round it. The leather must then ^ — j 
 be " pared," or shaved round the / 
 edges, using the pencil marks as ^ _ VM?^ \ 
 
 a guide. This paring process is\j\~ -^^^yn^Jp^ \ 
 not so difficult, especially if a >fk \ 
 French knife is used, such as ^^hU L/y Xmrfn 
 may now be purchased at most mljJ 
 material dealers. The chief point /^CV^ >^yW 
 being that a very sharp edge is / 
 to be kept on the knife, and that ^ 
 the Uirr is on the cutting edge. Metliod of Holding French 
 The knife is to be held in the 
 
 right hand, placing two fingers on the top with the thumb 
 underneath. The leather must be placed on a piece of 
 marble, lithographic stone, or thick glass, and held tightly 
 strained between finger and thumb of the left hand. Then 
 by a series of pushes from the right hand, the knife takes 
 off more or less according to the angle given. The burr 
 
 causes the knife to enter 
 
 the leather ; if the burr ~ ^^^^^^^^ 
 
 If the knife is held too much at an angle it will go right 
 through the leather, a rather unpleasant experience, and 
 one to be carefully avoided. The leather should from 
 time to time be examined, by turning it over, to see if any 
 unevenness appears, for every cut will show. Especial 
 attention should be given to where the edges of the board 
 go. The turning in at the head and tail should be pared 
 off as thin as possible, as there will be twice as much thick- 
 ness of leather on the back where turned in, the object of 
 this care being, that it must not be seen. The morocco 
 
 is turned up the knife 
 will not cut but run off. 
 
 German Paring Knife. 
 
92 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 cover should now be wetted well, and grained np by nsing 
 either the hand or a flat piece of cork. This is to be done 
 by gently curling it up in all directions ; and when the 
 grain has been brought up properly and suflBciently, the 
 leather should be pasted on the flesh side with thin paste, 
 and hung up to dry. Should the leather be " straight 
 grain," it must only be creased in the one direction of 
 the grain, or if it is required to imitate any old book that 
 has no grain, the leather should be wetted as much as pos- 
 sible, and the whole of the grain rubbed out by using a 
 rolling pin with even pressure. 
 
 The Morocco leather first brought from that country, had 
 
 a peculiar grain, and was dyed with very bright colours. 
 It is now largely manufactured in London and Paris ; the 
 French manufacture is the finest. Russia and calf require 
 no setting up of the grain, but russia should be well rolled 
 out with the rolling pin. 
 
 When the cover (morocco) is dry, it is to be well pasted, 
 the squares of the book set, so that each side has its proper 
 portion of board projecting. The book is then laid down 
 evenly on the cover, which must be gently drawn on ; 
 the back is drawn tight by placing the book on its for- 
 edge and drawing the skin well down over it. The sides 
 are next drawn tight, and the bands pinched well up with 
 a pair of hand nip]3ers. The four corners of the leather 
 
 Method of Holding Ordinary Knife. 
 
COVERING. 
 
 93 
 
 are cut ofP with a sharp knife in a slanting direction, a little 
 paste put on the cut edge, and the operation of turning in 
 may be commenced. The book must be held on its edge, 
 either head or tail, with a small 
 piece of paper put close to the 
 head-band to prevent any paste 
 soiling the edge or head-band, 
 and Avith the boards extended, the 
 liollow is pulled a little away from 
 the back and the leather neatly 
 tucked in. The leather is next to be tightly brought over 
 the boards and well rubbed down, both on the edge and 
 inside, with a folding stick, but on no account must the 
 outside be rubbed, or the grain will be taken away. The 
 foredge is to be treated in like manner, by tucking the 
 corners in for strength. The head-band is now to be 
 set, by tying a piece of thread round the book between 
 the back and the boards in the slots cut out from the 
 corners of the boards ; this thread must be tied in a 
 knot. The book being held in the left hand, resting on its 
 end, the leather is drawn with a pointed folding- stick, as 
 it were, towards the foredge, and flattened on the top of 
 the head-band. When this is done properly it should be 
 exactly even with the boards, and yet cover the head-band, 
 leaving that part of the head-band at right angles with the 
 edge exposed. With a little practice the novice may be 
 able to ascertain what amount of leather is to be left out 
 from the turning-in, so that the head-band can be neatly 
 covered. The perfection in covering a book depends upon 
 the leather being worked sharp round the boards, but with 
 the grain almost untouched. 
 
 Paste should be always used for morocco, calf, russia and 
 vellum, in fact for all kinds of leather ; but in my humble 
 opinion, all leather with an artificial grain should be glued ; 
 the turning-in may be with paste. The glue gives more 
 
94 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 body to the leather, and thus preserves the grain. White 
 morocco should be covered with paste made without any 
 alum, which causes it lo turn yellow, and if the leather is 
 washed with lemon juice instead of vinegar when finishing, 
 the colour will be much improved. 
 
 BKssia is to be pared in the same way as morocco. It 
 should be damped, and rolled with a rolling-pin before 
 covering, or stretched out with a thick folding-stick. 
 
 Calf, either coloured or white, need be pared only round 
 the head-band. Calf should be covered with paste and the 
 book washed when covered with a clean damp sponge. In 
 putting two books together, when bound in calf of two diffe- 
 rent colours, a piece of paper should be placed between, as 
 most colours stain each other, especially green. Care should 
 be taken to handle calf as little as possible whilst wet, and 
 touching it with iron tools, such as knives and band nip- 
 pers, will cause a black stain. Morocco will bear as much 
 handling as you like, but the more tenderly calf is treated 
 the better. 
 
 Vellum or Parchment, — The boards should be covered 
 with white paper, to avoid any darkness of the board show- 
 ing through. The vellum or parchment should be pared 
 head and tail, and the whole well pasted and allowed to 
 stand for a short time so that it be well soaked and soft. 
 The book should then be covered, but the vellum must not 
 on any account be stretched much, or it will, when dry, 
 draw the boards up to a most remarkable extent. It will 
 perhaps be better if the book be pressed, to make the vel- 
 lum adhere better. The old binders took great pains in 
 covering their white vellum books. The vellum was lined 
 carefully with white paper and dried before covering: this 
 in some degree prevented the vellum from shrinking so 
 much in drying, and enabled the workman to give the 
 boards a thin and even coat of glue, which was allowed to 
 dry before putting on the covering. 
 
COYERING. 
 
 95 
 
 Roan should be covered with glue and turned in with 
 paste. Head and tail only need be pared round the head- 
 band. 
 
 Clolh is covered by gluing the cover all over and turn 
 ing in at once : gluing one cover at a time, and finishing 
 the covering of each book before touching the next. 
 
 Smooth cloth, cloth with no grain, may be covered with 
 paste : great care must be taken that no paste be on the 
 fingers, or the cloth will be marked very badly when 
 dry. 
 
 Velvet should be covered with clean glue not too thick; 
 first glue the hach of the book and let that set before the 
 sides are put down. The sides of the hooh should next be 
 glued, and the velvet laid down, and turned in with glue. 
 The corners should be very carefully cut or they will not 
 meet, or cover properly when dry. When the whole is dry 
 the pile may be raised, should it be finger marked, by 
 holding the book over steam, and if necessary by carefully 
 using a brush. 
 
 Sillc and Satin should be lined first with a piece of thin 
 paper cut to the size of the book. The paper must be glued 
 with thin clean glue, rubbed down well on to the silk, and 
 allowed to get drj-, before covering the book. When dry, 
 cover it as with velvet. 
 
 Dr. Dibdin, whose knowledge of libraries and great 
 book collectors must stamp him as an authority, says 
 that : — 
 
 The general appearance of one's library is by no means 
 a matter of mere foppery or indifference : it is a sort of 
 cardinal point, to w^hich the tasteful collector does well to 
 attend. You have a right to consider books, as to their 
 outsides, with the eye of a painter ; because this does not 
 
 militate against the proper use of the contents Be 
 
 spariug of red morocco or vellum, they have each so dis- 
 
96 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 tinct, or what painters call spotty, an appearance, that they 
 should be introduced but circumspectly." 
 
 I cannot agree entirely with the Doctor with regard to 
 being sparing with the red morocco. A library without 
 colour is dark, dreary, and repulsive. The library should 
 be one of the most inviting and cheery rooms in a house, 
 and even if one cannot aspire to a room entirely devoted 
 to literature and study, let the bookcase, whatever its posi- 
 tion or however hnmble, be made as cheerful and inviting 
 as possible. What colour will do this so well as red ? But 
 it should be judiciously dispersed with other colours. 
 
 If some standard colour were chosen for each subject, 
 one might recognize from some little distance the nature of 
 the book by its colour. For instance, all books relating to 
 Military matters might be in bright red ; ^Taval affairs in 
 blue ; Botany in green ; History in dark red ; Poetry in 
 some fancy colour, such as orange, light blue, light green, 
 or olive, according to its subject ; Divinity in dark brown ; 
 Archaeology in dull red, and Law in white as at present. 
 This would give a pleasing variety, and a light and cheer- 
 ful appearance to a library. 
 
 An imitation russia leather is imported from America, 
 of far greater strength than the real. It is made from 
 buffalo skins, and tanned in the same way as the russia 
 hides. This fact, combined with the price, has doubtless 
 caused this material to be received with favour in the 
 English market. It is to be had from nearly all leather 
 sellers. 
 
 Half-hound Work. — The title speaks for itself, the book 
 has its back, a part of the sides, and the corners covered 
 with leather. The sides are, after the leather is perfectly 
 dry, covered either with cloth or paper according to fancy, 
 turned over the boards as with leather. The book is then 
 to be pasted down. Before the paper is put on the sides, 
 
PASTING DOWN. 
 
 97 
 
 all unevenness of the leather is to be pared away. This 
 style has gained its reputation very much on account of its 
 economy ; the amount of leather required is less, and the 
 work is as strong and serviceable as in a whole-bound 
 book. It will be better if the back be finished before the 
 corners are put on, as there is great likelihood that the 
 corners may get damaged to some extent during the pro- 
 cess of finishing. The outside paper may either match 
 the colour of the leather, or be the same as the edge or 
 end papers. This, like many other rules in bookbinding, is 
 quite a matter of taste. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Pasting Down. 
 
 This is to cover up the inside board by pasting down the 
 end papers to the boards. 
 
 The white or waste leaf, that has till this process pro- 
 tected the end papers, must now be taken away or torn 
 out. The joint of the board must be cleaned of any paste 
 or glue that may have accumulated there during the course 
 of either gluing up or covering, by passing the point of a 
 gharp knife along it, so that when the end is pasted down, 
 the joint will be quite straight and perfectly square. 
 Morocco books should be filled in with a smooth board or 
 thick paper, the exact substance of the leather. This 
 thickness must be carefully chosen, and one edge be cut off 
 straight, and fastened to the inside of the board very slightly, 
 in fact only touching it in the centre with a little glue or 
 paste, just sufiB.cient to hold it temporarily. It must bo 
 
 H 
 
98 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 flusli with the back-edge of the board. When dry, this 
 paper or board is to be marked with a compass about half 
 an inch round, and both paper and leather cut through at 
 the same cut with a sharp knife. The overplus board will 
 fall off and the outside of the leather may be easily de- 
 tached by lifting it up with a knife. The paper or board, 
 which will now fit in exactly, should be glued and well 
 rubbed down with a folding stick, or it may be pressed in 
 the standing press if the grain of the morocco is to be 
 polished, but not otherwise. 
 
 As morocco books only have morocco joints, I may as 
 well explain at once how they are made. Morocco of the 
 same colour is cut into strips the same length as the book, 
 and about one inch and a half in breadth for 8vo. ; a line 
 is drawn or marked down each strip about half an inch 
 from one edge, either with a pencil or folder, as a guide. 
 The leather is now to be pared from the mark made to a 
 thin edge on the half inch side, and the other side pared 
 as thin as the leather turned in round the board, so that 
 there will be two distinct thicknesses on each piece, the 
 larger half going on the board to correspond with the 
 leather round the three sides, and the smaller and thinly 
 pared half going in the joint and edge on to the book. 
 The end papers, only held in with a little paste, are to be 
 lifted out from the book, and the leather well pasted is to be 
 put on the board, so that the place where the division is 
 made in the leather by paring will come exactly to the 
 edge of the board; the thin part should then be well 
 rubbed down in the joint, and the small thin feather edge 
 allowed to go on the book. 
 
 Groat care must be taken to rub the whole down well, 
 that it may adhere properly ; the grain need not be heeded. 
 With regard to the overplus at the head and tail, there 
 are two ways of disposing of it : first, by cutting both 
 leathers slanting through at once, and making the two 
 
PASTING DOWN. 
 
 99 
 
 meet ; or, secondly, by cutting the cover away in a slant 
 and doing the same to the joint, so that the two slant cuts 
 cover each other exactly. This requires very nice paring, 
 or it will be seen in the finishing. The book should be 
 left till quite dry, which will take some five or six hours. 
 The boards are then to be filled in by the same method 
 as above described, and the end papers fastened in again 
 properly. 
 
 Cloth Joints. — If the cloth has been fastened in when the 
 ends were made, after cleaning all unevenness from the 
 joints, the boards are to be filled in as above, and the cloth 
 joint stuck down w^ith thin glue, and rubbed down well. 
 The marble paper may now be put on the board by cutting 
 it to a size a little larger than the filling in of the board, so 
 that it may be well covered. When cloth joints are put 
 in, the board paper is generally brought up almost close to 
 the joint ; but with morocco joints, the space left all round 
 should be even. 
 
 Calf, Russia, etc. — After having cleaned the joint, the 
 leather must be marked all round a trifle larger than the 
 size intended for the end papers to cover. Then with a 
 knife, the leather is cut through in a slanting direction by 
 holding the knife slanting. The boards should be thrown 
 back to protect the leather, and the book placed on a board 
 of proper size, so that both book and board may be moved 
 together, when turning round. When the leather is cut, a 
 piece of paper should be pasted on the board to fill up to the 
 thickness of the leather, and to curve or swing the board 
 back ; the boards otherwise are sure to curve the contrary 
 way, especially with calf. When this lining is dry, the end 
 papers may be pasted down. As there are two methods of 
 doing this, I give the most exact but longest first. The 
 paper is to be pasted all over, and being held in the left 
 hand, is to be well rubbed down, particularly in the joint. 
 The paper is then marked all round — the head, foredge, 
 
100 
 
 COOKBINDIxa. 
 
 and tail, with a pair of compasses to the width required for 
 finishing inside the board. With a very sharp knife the 
 paper is to be cut through to the depth of the paper only, 
 by laying the straight edge on the marks made by the com- 
 passes. This has the advantage of procuring an exact 
 margin round the board, but it must be done quickly or 
 the paper will stick to the leather round the board from 
 the paste getting dry, the leather absorbing the watery 
 particles in the paste. 
 
 The other way is to lay the paper back, and down on the 
 board, and then to mark it. A tin is then to be placed 
 between the book and paper, and the paper cut to the marks 
 made. The paper is then pasted down as above. When 
 pasted down, the book should be left standing on its end, 
 with boards left open until thoroughly dry, which will be 
 about six hours. A tin should be kept especially for cutting 
 on, and the knife must be as sharp as possible. This latter 
 method is used for all half bindings. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Calf Colouring. 
 
 Although coloured calf- skins may be bought almost as 
 cheaply as smooth calf (the term given to uncoloured ones), 
 yet there are so many reasons why coloured calf should not 
 be used, that I give such instructions as will enable any 
 one to colour, sprinkle, and marble his own leather. 
 
 The skins may, however, be procured already sprinkled 
 or marbled at most leather shops. This plan of sprinkling 
 and marbling the whole skin is good enough for cheap or 
 
CALF COLOURING. 
 
 101 
 
 half-bonnd work, but for extra work it is far better to 
 sprinkle, marble, or otherwise colour the leather when on the 
 book. Hand-colouring is coming again into use, and by de- 
 grees getting known more and more throughout the trade ; 
 but a great many secrets in the art have been lost. Before 
 giving the names of the chemicals to be used, I must give 
 a general caution, that if any acid be used on the leather, 
 it is essential to wash as much, as possible of it out with 
 water immediately after it lias done its 'work, or after a few 
 months the surface of the leather will be found to be eaten 
 away and destroyed. It is a fault of some of our binders 
 at the present day, that if they use any chemical, either on 
 their leather or on their paper, they are not satisfied to use 
 their acid weak, and allow it to do its work slowly, and 
 when the proper moment has arrived stop its further action, 
 they frequently use the acids as strong as possible, and, 
 either to save time or through ignorance of their chemical 
 properties, do not wash out the residue. The consequenco 
 is, the leather or the paper rots. In order to avoid this, 
 I will not recommend any chemicals that will destroy the 
 leather, but give instructions for harmless preparations, by 
 the use of which as great a variety of different styles may 
 be executed as will, I trust, satisfy any reasonable expecta- 
 tion. 
 
 Black. — Sulphate of iron or copperas is the chief ingre- 
 dient in colouring calf black. Used by itself, it gives a 
 greyish tint, but if a coat of salts of tartar or other alkali 
 be previously used it strikes immediately a rich purple 
 black. The name copperas is probably from the old and 
 mistaken idea that the crystals contain copper. They have 
 a pale greenish blue colour. It can be purchased at the 
 rate of one penny per pound from any drysalter. 
 
 1. Into a quart of boiling water, throw a i-lb. of sulphate 
 of iron, let it re-boil, and stand to settle, and then bottle the 
 clear liquid for use. 
 
102 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 2. Boil a quart of vinegar with a quantity of old iron 
 nails or steel filings for a few minutes. Keep this in a 
 stone jar, and use the clear liquid. This can from time to 
 time be boiled again with fresh vinegar. An old iron pot 
 must be kept for boiling the black. 
 
 Brown, — 1. Dissolve a i-lb. of salts of tartar in a quart 
 of boiling water, and bottle it for use. 
 
 This liquid is mostly used for colouring ; it has a very 
 mellow tone, and is always used before the black when 
 a strong or deep colour is required. It is poisonous, and 
 must not be used too strong on the calf or it will corrode it. 
 
 2. For a plain brown dye, the green shells of walnuts 
 may be used. They should be broken as much as possible, 
 mixed with water, and allowed to ferment. This liquid 
 should then be strained and bottled for use. A pinch of 
 salt thrown in will help to keep it. This does not in any 
 way corrode the leather, and produces the best uniform tint. 
 
 Yellow. — 1. Picric acid dissolved in water forms one of 
 the sharpest yellows. It is a pale yellow of an intense 
 bitter taste. It must not be mixed with any alkali in a dry 
 state, as it forms a very powerful explosive compound. It 
 is a dangerous chemical and should be carefully used. It 
 may be bottled for use. 
 
 2. Into a bottle put some turmeric powder, and mix 
 well with methylated spirit ; the mixture must be shaken 
 occasionally for a few days until the whole of the colour is 
 extracted. This is a very warm yellow^, and produces a 
 very good shade when used after salts of tartar. 
 
 For all the following, a preparation or ground of paste- 
 water must be put on the calf, that the liquids may not 
 sink through too much. The calf must be paste-washed 
 all over equally, and allowed to get thoroughly dry. It 
 will then be ready for the various methods. Perhaps to 
 wash it over night and let it stand till next morning will 
 
CALF COLOURING. 
 
 103 
 
 be the best and surest plan. It matters very little wlietlier 
 the calf is on the book or in the skin. 
 
 Sjprinldes, — There are so many sprinkles, that it would 
 be useless for me to enumerate a number, they are all 
 worked in the same manner, by throwing the colour on 
 fmely or coarsely, as it may be wanted light or dark. 
 
 Presuming that the paste or ground- wash be thoroughly 
 dry, take liquid salts of tartar and dilute with cold water, 
 one part salts to two of water, in a basin ; wash the calf 
 with this liquid evenly, using a soft sponge. The calf will 
 require the wash to be applied two or three times, until a 
 proper and uniform tint be obtained. Each successive 
 wash must be allowed to get thoroughly dry before the 
 next be applied. 
 
 The next process will be to sprinkle the book, with the 
 boards extended or open. Two pieces of flat wood, about 
 three feet long, four inches in width, and half an inch thick, 
 will be found very useful for supporting the book. These 
 rods must be supported at each end, so that the book may 
 be suspended between them, with the boards resting on 
 the rods nearly horizontally. Now put into a round pan 
 some of the copperas flaid, and into another some of the 
 solution of salts of tartar. Use a pretty large brush for 
 each pan, which brush must be kept each for its own fluid. 
 The sprinkling may be commenced. The brushes being 
 well soaked in the fluids, should be well beaten out, using 
 a piece of broomstick or a hand pin to beat on before 
 beating over the book, unless a coarse sprinkle is desired. 
 Whilst beating over the book, the hands should be held up 
 high, and also moved about, so that a fine and equal spray 
 may be distributed ; and this should be continued until the 
 desired depth of colour is attained. 
 
 This may be varied by putting some geometrical design, 
 cut out of thin mill-board, on the cover ; or if the book is 
 on any special subject, the subject itself put on the cover 
 
104 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 will liave a very pretty effect, and may be made emble- 
 matical. A fern or other leaf for botanical work as an 
 instance. The sprinkle must in these cases be very fine 
 and dark for the better effect. The leaf or design being 
 lifted from the cover when the sprinkle is dry, will leave 
 the ground dark sprinkle with a light brown leaf or design. 
 Cambridge calf is done in this way by cutting a squa-rc 
 panel of mill-board out and laying it on the sides. The 
 square on the cover may be left brown or may be dabbed 
 with a sponge. 
 
 Marhles. — As the success of marbling depends upon the 
 quickness with which it is executed, it is important that the 
 colours, sponges, brushes and water, should be previously 
 disposed in order and at hand, so that any of them can 
 be taken up instantly. Another point to which attention 
 must be directed is the amount of colour to be thrown on, 
 and consequently the amount that each brush should 
 contain. If too much colour (black) is thrown on, the 
 result will be an invisible marble, or, as I once heard it 
 expressed by a workman, " it could not be seen on account 
 of the fog ; " if too little, no matter how nicely the marble 
 is formed, it will be weak and feeble. 
 
 Marbling on leather is produced by small drops of colour- 
 ing liquids, drawn, by the flowing of water down an in- 
 clined plane, into veins and spread into fantastic forms 
 resembling foliage — hence, often called tree-marhle. It is 
 a process that requires great dexterity of hand and perfect 
 coolness and decision, as the least hurry or want of judg- 
 ment will ruin the most elaborate preparation. 
 
 To prepare the book paste- wash it evenly all over, and 
 to further equalize the paste-water, pass the palm of the 
 hand over the board after washing it. When dry, wash 
 over with a solution of salts of tartar two or three times to 
 get the desired tint. When dry, glaire the whole as even 
 as possible, and to diminish the froth that the sponge may 
 
CALF COLOURING. 
 
 105 
 
 occasion, put a few drops of milk into the glaire. Again 
 allow it to dry thoroughly. Put some fresh copperas into 
 a pan, and some solution of salts of tartar into another, 
 and soak each brush in its liquid. Place the book upon 
 the rods, the boards extending over and the book hanging 
 between. Should it be desired to let the marble run from 
 back to foredge the back must be elevated a little, and the 
 rods supporting the boards must be level from end to end. 
 If the marble is to run from head to tail, elevate the ends 
 of the rods nearest to the head of the book. The elevation 
 must be very slight or the water will run off too quickly. 
 
 Place a pail of water close at hand, in it a sponge to 
 wash off ; and a bunch of birch to throw the water with. 
 A little soda should be added to soften the water. Charge 
 each brush well, and knock out the superfluous colour until 
 a fine spray comes from it. A little oil rubbed in the palm 
 of the hand, and the brush well rubbed into it, will greatly 
 assist the flow of colour from the brush, and also prevent 
 the black colour from frothing. Throw some water over 
 the cover in blotches with the birch, just sufficient to make 
 them unite and flow downwards together, l^ow sprinkle 
 some black by beating the black brush on a press pin, as 
 evenly and as finely as possible. When suflBcient has been 
 thrown on, beat the brown in like manner over the ex- 
 tended boards. When the veins are well struck into the 
 leather, sponge the whole well with clean water. Have no 
 fear in doing this as it will not wash off. Then set the book 
 up to dry. 
 
 Tree-marhles. — The cover is to be prepared and sprinkled 
 in the same manner as stated in marbling; the boards, 
 however, must be bent a little, and a little water applied 
 by a sponge in the centre of each board to give the neces- 
 sary flow of water ; when the water is thrown on, it will 
 flow towards the centre or lowest part of the boards, and 
 when the sprinkle is thrown on, a ti^ee, as it were, will be 
 
106 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 formed. The centre being white forms the stem, and from 
 it branches will be formed bj the gradual flow of the 
 streams of water as they run down. 
 
 For marbling, every thing must be ready at hand before 
 any water is thrown on, so that the water may not have 
 time to run off before the colour is applied. The water 
 must run at the same time that the spray is falling, or a 
 failure will be the result. 
 
 It has been said that marbling was discovered by an 
 accident ; that a country bookbinder was sprinkling some 
 books, when a bird, which was hung up in the shop, threw 
 or splashed some water down on his books; the water 
 running, took some of the colour with it and formed veins. 
 Liking the form it gave, the workman improved upon it 
 and thus invented marbling. There is, however, no doubt 
 that it had its origin in Germany. 
 
 Tree calf seems to be coming into general use again, 
 and to meet the demand for cheapness, a wood block has 
 been cut resembling as closely as possible one done by the 
 water process, and blocked in black on the calf ; but, as 
 might have been expected, it has not found much favour. 
 
 Dabs. — This is a process with a sponge, charged with 
 the black or the brown liquid, dabbed on the calf either all 
 over the cover or in successive order. Give the proper 
 preparation to the calf, and be very careful that the ground 
 tint of brown be very even. Take a sponge of an open 
 nature, so that the grain is pleasant to the eye ; fill it with 
 black and squeeze out again, now dab it carefully over the 
 calf. Repeat the operation with another sponge charged 
 with brown. Cat's paw, French dab, and other various 
 named operations all emanate from the sponge. When 
 done properly this has a very good effect, and gives great 
 relief to the eye when placed with a number of other 
 books. 
 
 All these marbles and sprinkles require practice, so that 
 
CALF COLOURIXG. 
 
 107 
 
 a first failure must not be regarded with disconragement. 
 When one's hand has got into the method with these two 
 or three colours it is astonishing how many diiTerent styles 
 may be produced. In all this manipulation a better effect 
 is obtained if a yellow tint be washed over the leather 
 after the sprinkle or marble has been produced. Again, by 
 taking coloured calf and treating it in the same manner as 
 white, some very pleasant effects are brought out ; and 
 when the colours are well chosen the result is very good. 
 Take for instance a green calf and marble a tree upon it, 
 or take a light slate colour and dab it all over with black 
 and brown. 
 
 In all operations with the copperas care must be taken 
 that it does not get on the clothes, as it leaves an iron 
 stain that cannot be easily got rid of. Keep a bason for 
 each colour, and when done with wash it out with clean 
 water. The same with the sponges : keep them as clean 
 as possible ; have a sponge for each colour, and use it only 
 for that colour. A piece of glass to put the sponges on 
 will be of great use, and prevent the work-table or board 
 from catching any of the colour. A damp book or damp 
 paper laid on a board that has been so stained will most 
 probably be damaged, even though it has waste paper 
 between the work-board and book. I^o amount of washinsr 
 
 o 
 
 will ever take away such a stain. 
 
 When the book has been coloured, the edges and inside 
 are to be blacked or browned according to taste, or in 
 keeping with the outside. The book is then ready for 
 finishing. 
 
 Some very good results may be obtained if the binder, 
 using coloured calf of a light brown, treats it as if it were 
 white calf, marbling with the usual colours; or a yellow 
 calf, splashing it all over with salts of tartar only, the 
 boards being placed in a slanting direction to allow tha 
 colour to gently run down. 
 
108 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 Or the whole of a cover may be blacked with tartar and 
 copperas, then with a diluted solution of acid it may be 
 sprinkled, this will give grey- white spots on black or slate 
 ground : if, after washing, the cover be sponged over with 
 some colouring liquid, such as analine dyes, the spots will 
 be of the colour used. 
 
 I do not give many methods or receipts for producing 
 colours for calf, because, as before stated, the introduction 
 of fancy calf has rendered obsolete the old-fashioned way 
 of boiling and preparing the different woods for making 
 colours, and the above will be found useful for colouring 
 calf in many different ways. 
 
PART II. 
 
 FINISHING. 
 
RENAISSANCE. 
 Roy foiio. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
 Finishing. 
 
 Finishing is tlie art of embellishing tlie covers of books 
 with different designs. Finishing comprises the embellish- 
 ment of the covers either with blind work, gold, silver 
 or platina leaf, or with metal ornaments fastened through 
 the boards, or by only a lettering on the back of the book. 
 
 The art of finishing does not comprise any embellishment 
 done with the blocking press.'' Therein the art is more 
 that of the block or tool cutter, who, working in concert 
 with the artist who drew the design, cuts the metal accor- 
 dingly. The binder's use of these blocks is mechanical 
 only. 
 
 The monks who cultivated all the arts, and enriched 
 their Hours and their Missals with marvellous miniatures, 
 gave great zeal to the occupation of binding. So charm- 
 ingly were the bindings ornamented with tools and small 
 blocks reproduced from the text, that we must regret 
 that so few of these monastic bindings are now left to us. 
 
 A great number of these books were executed in Ger- 
 many, w4iere this mode of decoration remained a long time 
 in use ; and we find that other countries borrowed from the 
 printer this primitive mode of decoration. As the art 
 progressed the binder's mark was impressed on the cover 
 as an ornament, or as a distinction, such as we find at the 
 present day at the end or after the title of books to denote 
 by what printer the work was executed. Later on, when 
 the Renaissance shone in all its glory and beauty, we find 
 that it freed itself from this limited practice. A new mode 
 
112 
 
 BOOKBINDING, 
 
 of decoration came into 
 even at the present day ; 
 
 Monastic Tools. 
 
 cover never has the life ai 
 has. Of blocking I must 
 These intrinsic design 
 
 se, w^hich we may well study, 
 style at once rich and varied. 
 If we follow the bold in- 
 terlacing lines which, form 
 the skeletons of those infi- 
 nite and varied designs, we 
 catch the imaginative cap- 
 rices of their authors; and 
 the details of their trans- 
 formation gives us a guide 
 to the different schools and 
 art of their time. The 
 execution of these linear 
 designs is extremely diffi- 
 cult. It can be easily seen 
 that they have not been 
 done by a block engraved 
 in one piece, but with small 
 segments.^ The art of 
 putting together these 
 small pieces, so as to form 
 one complete and artistic 
 pattern, is the skill of the 
 finisher. Many books are 
 now finished by means of 
 the blocking press ; but on 
 close examination, these 
 imitations may be readily 
 distinguished. A blocked 
 id spirit that a hand-finished one 
 speak in subsequent pages. 
 3 were very much used by the 
 
 ^ There are a few exceptions to this on a few old books of 12mo. size. 
 One may now and then see such designs worked in one piece certainly 
 by a block. 
 
ANTIQUE WITH GOLD LINE 
 Jmperial 8^°. 
 
FINISHING. 
 
 113 
 
 binders contemporary with Grolier, and the use of lined or 
 azure tools are a distinctive mark of the period. Tliis is 
 
 Venetian. 
 
 the connecting link with the Italian bindings. It will be 
 observed that the Italian or Venetian tools are solid, 
 
 Grolier. 
 
 while in the other style the tools, although of the same 
 shape, are lined or azure. A little later on other artists, 
 not satisfied with this modification, dispensed with the 
 
 I 
 
114 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 fine cross lines, and retained their outlines only. France, 
 during the reign of Henry II., left Italy far behind, and 
 executed those grand compositions of Diane bindings. 
 They are marvellous subjects, and are sometimes imitated 
 at the present day, but are never surpassed in their won- 
 derful originality. 
 
 After these masterpieces we find the curious bindings of 
 Henry III., which instantly mark a distinct transformation. 
 The interlacings are less bold and free, but more geometri- 
 cally traced. The absence of filling in with small tools 
 gives a coldness, which is increased by a heavy coat of 
 
 ^. 
 
 ^ ^ 
 
 Le Gascon. 
 
 arms on the sides. This form of decoration exercised a 
 great influence, and from this epoch another school sprung 
 up. Later on in time these interlacings served as a ground 
 plan only for the brilliant fantasies of Le Gascon^ a master 
 wdio no doubt has had the least number of imitators. 
 Although he followed and to a certain extent kept the 
 shapes, the aspect of his bindings was very much changed 
 by the application of pointed tools. Le Gascon rests for 
 ever as the most renowned master of the 16th century. 
 The number of tools necessary for the execution of a 
 composition like one oi Le Gascon's is large ; and when one 
 considers that these tools are repeated, perhaps a thousand 
 
FINISHING. 
 
 115 
 
 times on each side of tlie book, a fair idea may be formed 
 of the magnitude of such a work. I am of opinion that 
 Le Gascon brought bookbinding to its highest point of 
 richness and finish. His drawings are always pure and 
 correct ; his squares, lozenges, triangles, and ovals are so 
 brought together as to form a series of compartments in- 
 terlacing the one within the other, with an incomparable 
 boldness and perfect harmony ; above all, one must remark 
 with what richness the compartments are filled. There is 
 no doubt the ground work of the style was GrolieVy but he 
 
 Derome. 
 
 never filled his panels with such richness or with such taste 
 as that displayed by Le Gascon, The difficulty of adapting 
 such designs to the different sizes of books has no doubt 
 deterred the various masters from imitating such works, 
 so that we see less of Le Gascon s style than of any other 
 ancient master. 
 
 From Le Gascon^ s period the tools became thicker and 
 thicker, until we have the heavy tools of Derome, which are 
 much in keeping for books of a serious character. They 
 are original in shape, but their employment was only in 
 borders, leaving the centre of the book free from ornament. 
 
116 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 I do not pretend to give a history of the various masters, 
 but rather a practical description of the art of bookbinding. 
 Much has already been written about the various works 
 executed, by these grand, old masters ; my endeavour has 
 been to show, that whilst the various masters of the art of 
 bookbinding worked w^ith tools but little altered from 
 their original forms, they so modified and changed them 
 in their character and use, as to form a distinctive mark 
 of style for each artist, by which his work may be re- 
 cognized. 
 
 A pamphlet, published in Paris, 1878, says: "One of 
 the branches of artistic industry in which France possesses 
 unquestionable superiority is certainly bookbinding ; the 
 International Exhibitions, and still more the sales of 
 private or other collections, have each day given evident 
 proof of this. Italy, which initiated herself so perfectly in 
 the Renaissance style, and Holland, once her rival in the 
 17th century, have long ceased to produce any work worthy 
 of remark ; everywhere books are being bound, bat the 
 'art ' of bookbinding is practised only in France." 
 
 I cannot agree with its authors that one must go to 
 France now to have a book bound jDroperly. The method 
 of bookbinding is quite differently managed and worked 
 there than it is here. I have witnessed both methods, and 
 prefer the English one as being more substantial. 
 
 Hand-finishing. — We were first taught to work the gold 
 leaf on books by a method not now employed, except, 
 perhaps, by a novice, who wishes to get his books done 
 before his glaire has dried. This method was to damp 
 the cover well with water, either with a wet sponge or by 
 other means. The gold leaf was then laid on, and the tool 
 worked rather warm on the gold. Through the heat or 
 steam generated the gold was burnt in, and the overplus 
 washed off with a damp sponge or rag, the gold being left 
 only in the impressions. If, however, any block or centre 
 
FINISHING. 
 
 117 
 
 was used, it was impressed with heat upon the side in a 
 small lying press in use at the period. This press was 
 known then as an arming ijress, because used commonly 
 for impressing armorial bearings and monograms on the 
 sides. The term arming press is still used for the lighter 
 kinds of blocking presses. 
 
 Hand-finishing, as before stated, is really an art. The 
 finisher should be able to draw, or at least have some 
 knowledge of composition, and also know something about 
 the harmony of colours. The workman not having any 
 knowledge of drawing cannot expect to be a good finisher; 
 because he cannot possibly produce any good designs, or by 
 a combination of the small tools form a perfect and correct 
 pattern. Taste has no small influence in the success of 
 the workman in this branch of the art. It is better to 
 finish books plainly, rather than put on the least portion 
 of gold more than is necessary. If the intentions of the 
 books' owner is to put some special style or design into 
 his bookcase, it will be well to think over the various 
 styles before deciding upon any particular one. Before 
 going thoroughly into the working details a few preliminary 
 words may be permitted. 
 
 Let the tools be always in keeping with the book, both 
 in size and character. Large ones should be used only on 
 a large book, and those of less size for smaller works. A 
 book on Natural History should have a bird, insect, shell, 
 or other tool indicative of the contents. A flower should 
 be used on works on Botany, and all other works be treated 
 in the same emblematical manner ; so that the nature of 
 the book may be understood by a glance at the back. In 
 lettering, see that the letters are of a size proportionate to 
 the book — legible, but not too bold. They should neither 
 be so large as to prevent the whole of the title being read 
 at one view, nor so small as to present a difficulty in 
 ascertaining the subject of a book when on the shelf. 
 
118 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 Amongst a large number of books there should be an agree* 
 able variety of styles, so that the effect may be in harmony 
 with the colours around, and produce as pleasing a contrast 
 as possible 
 
 Tools and Materials required for Finishing. — Rolls, fillets, 
 pallets, centre and corner tools of every possible class and 
 character ; type of various sizes for the lettering of books 
 
 Type-holder. Pallet. 
 
 Fillet. 
 
 or labels. The type may be either of brass or of the usual 
 printer's metal ; if the latter be chosen, care must be taken 
 fchat it be not left at the fire too long, or it vrill melt. Type- 
 holders to hold the type, which are made to fit the respective 
 sizes are necessary, but one or two with a spring side, adjus- 
 ted by screw at the side, will be found convenient fo:if any 
 sized type. In England it is the custom to letter books 
 with hand letters, each letter being separate and fixed in a 
 handle. I have, however, little doubt that these will in 
 time be laid aside, and that the type and type case will be 
 found in every bookbinder's shop. 
 
 Polishing irons. Of these two are necessary — one for the 
 sides and one for the backs. There is generally a third 
 
FINISHING. 
 
 119 
 
 kept for polishing the board end papers when pasted down, 
 which should be kept for this purpose only. 
 
 Polishing Iron. 
 
 A gold-rag^ to wipe off the surplus gold from the back or 
 side of a book. It should have a little oil well worked into 
 it, so that when it has been wiped over the back or side the 
 gold may adhere and remain in it. This rag when full of 
 gold will be of a dirty yellow, and may then be melted 
 down by any of the gold-refiners and the waste gold 
 recovered. 
 
 India-ruhher, cut up very small — the smaller the better 
 — and steeped in turpentine, so as to render it as soft as 
 possible, to be used for clearing away any gold not taken 
 off by the gold-rag. This should also be melted down 
 when full.^ 
 
 Gold' cushion, for use as explained in Chapter XYII. 
 
 Gold leaf. The best should be used, it keeps its colour 
 better, and is much more easy to work than the commoner 
 metal usually sold. 
 
 Sponges, both large and small — the large ones for paste- 
 washing, the smaller for glairing and sizing. 
 
 Glair e may be purchased already prepared, or it may bo 
 made from the white of egg, which must be very carefully 
 beaten up to a froth wath an egg whisk. In breaking the 
 egg care must be taken not to let any of the yolk get 
 amonofst the white. A little vineo:ar should be mixed with 
 the white before beating up, and a drop of ammonia, or a 
 grain or two of common table salt, or a small piece of cam- 
 phor, will in some measure prevent it from turning putrid, 
 
 ^ Messrs. Cow and Co., Cheapside, have lately prepared my rubber 
 ready for use. I find it of great convenience. 
 
120 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 as it is liable to do. Some workmen always have a stock 
 of good old glaire," as they term it, by them, fancying 
 that it produces better work, bat this is a mistaken notion, 
 often productive of annoyance, and destructive to the comfort 
 of the workmen. I advise the finisher to beat his glaire 
 from an egg as he may require it. When well beaten, 
 allow it to stand for some hours, and then pour the clear 
 liquid into a bottle for use. I have had some dried albu- 
 men sent me, but its working has not given me such satis- 
 faction as that fr- shly prepared; it may answer the purpose 
 in other hands, but with me the gold appears to have been 
 burnt in. 
 
 Cotton tuool, for taking up the gold leaf and pressing it 
 firmly on the leather. 
 
 Varnish should always be used on that part where glaire 
 has been applied, after it has been polished ; the 
 object being to retain the brilliancy, and to preserve the 
 leather from the ravages of flies and other insects which 
 are attracted by the glaire ; these pests do great damage 
 to the covers of books which have been prepared with glaire, 
 by eating it off. They also take away the surface of 
 the leather and spoil the good appear- 
 ance of the books. Yarnish may be 
 purchased at all prices : use only the 
 best, and be very sparing with it. 
 
 A small pair of spring dividers, some 
 lard, sweet oil, and lastly, but most im- 
 portant, ilie finishing stove. Before gas 
 was introduced the finishing stove in 
 a 0 was the now almost extinct char- 
 coal fire. A bookbinder's gas stove can 
 Leo's Oil Finishinsj: i i j. i . 
 
 ^^Q^Q now be purchased at almost any gas- 
 
 ^ fitter's shop or bookbinders' material 
 dealers. The price varies according to size. 
 
 A stove burning paraflln oil may now be had from Leo of 
 
FINISHING. 
 
 121 
 
 Stuttgart, which he guarantees smokeless andfree from soot; 
 where gas is not obtainable, this will be found very handy. 
 
 Many still prefer the charcoal fire. To such a stove a pipe 
 should be fixed to conduct the fumes away into the 
 open air or up a chimney. To make such a stove any old 
 tin may be utilized. Make a number of large holes through 
 the sides ; fill it with some live charcoal, and place a per- 
 forated tin plate on the top. It will keep alight for hours, 
 and impart quite enough heat for any purpose required. 
 This primitive stove, however, must be placed on a stand 
 or on a piece of thick iron, lest it become dangerous. 
 A finishing p-ess is a small press, having two sides of 
 
 Finishing Press. The reverse side is quite fiat, used 
 when sides of books are being finished. 
 
 solid wood with wooden screws at each end, the cheeks 
 should be of width enough to allow the sides of a book to 
 be finished comfortably when the boards are extended, the 
 book itself being held by the press which is screwed up 
 tightly. The press should, however, be light enough to 
 enable the finisher to easily turn it round, as it frequently 
 must be, while finisliing a book. 
 
 Mr. Leo has a press (patented) which he claims gives 
 more freedom for finishing a book, but with it one can only 
 • finish the back of a book ; there are, however, many good 
 points that our English makers may well study. 
 
122 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 Finishing is divided into two classes — hlind or antique, 
 or, as it is sometimes called, monastic and gold-finished. 
 
 The term antique is mostly known in the trade ; and 
 when morocco antique or calf antique is mentioned, it means 
 that the whole of the finishing is to be done in blind tooling. 
 Not only this, but that the boards should be very thick and 
 bevelled, and the edges either dull gilt or red, or gilt over 
 red. This class of work is used extensively for religious 
 
 books. A gold line in- 
 troduced and inter- 
 mixed with blind work 
 gives a great relief to 
 any class of antique 
 work. 
 
 It is not necesfeary 
 that a special set of tools 
 be kept for antique 
 work, although some 
 would look quite out of 
 keeping if worked in 
 gold. As a general rule 
 antique tools are bold 
 and solid, such as Vene- 
 tian tools, whilst those 
 for gold work are cut 
 Leo's Finishing Press. finer and are well 
 
 shaded. The greater number work equally well in gold 
 and in blind, but when a special style has to be followed 
 the various tools and their adaptation to that style must be 
 studied. 
 
 The general colour of the blind work is dark brown, and 
 the proper way of working these antique tools is to take 
 them warm and work them on the damp leather a number 
 of times, thus singeing or burning as it were the surface 
 only, until it has assumed its proper degree of colour. 
 
FINISHING. 
 
 123 
 
 Antique work, as a decoration, requires quite as much 
 dexterity and care as gold work. Every line must be 
 straight, and the tools must be worked properly on tlie 
 leather, both in colour and depth ; and as the tools have to 
 be worked many times on the same spot, it requires a very 
 steady hand and great care not to double them. Some 
 consider blind work as preparatory to gold work, and that 
 it gives experience in the method of handling and working 
 the various tools, and the degree of heat required for diffe- 
 rent leathers without burning them through. The leather 
 on which this work is mostly executed is morocco and calf. 
 In finishing the back of a book it must always be held 
 
 Antique Stamps. 
 
 tightly in the finishing press." ^When in the press, mark 
 the head and tail as a guide for the pallets by running 
 a folding- stick along the edge of a piece of parch- 
 ment or vellum held by the finger and thumb of the 
 left hand against the sides of the volume across the back 
 at the proper place. When two or more books of the 
 same character and size are to range together, the backs 
 must be compassed up so that the lines head and tail may 
 run continuous when finished. In using the pallet, hold it 
 firmly in the right hand, and let the working motion pro- 
 ceed from the wrist only, as if it were a pivot. It will he 
 
124 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 found rather difficult at first to work the pallets straight 
 over the back and even to the sides of the bands, but after 
 a little practice it will become easy to accomplish. 
 
 Morocco. Flexible work, as a rule, has blind lines, a 
 broad and a narrow one, worked close to the bands. Damp 
 the back with a sponge and clean water, and work the 
 moisture evenly into the leather with a hard clean brush. 
 Take a pallet of a size suitable to the book, warm it over 
 the stove, and work it firmly over the back. As the leather 
 dries, make the pallet hotter ; this will generally be found 
 sufficient to produce the required dark lines. Sometimes it 
 will be necessary to damp the different places two or three 
 times in order to get the proper colour in the blind tooling. 
 
 The tools may have a tendency to stick to the leather 
 and possibly burn it. To obviate this, take 1^ oz. of white 
 wax and 1 oz. of deer fat or lard, place them in a pipkin 
 over a fire or in a warm place, so that they may be well 
 mixed together ; when mixed allow them to cool. Rub some 
 of this mixture upon the rough or fleshy side of a piece of 
 waste morocco, and when working any tools in blind, rub 
 them occasionally over the prepared surface. This mixture 
 will be found of great service in getting the tools to slip or 
 come away from the leather in working. Lard alone is 
 sometimes used, but this mixture will be found of greater 
 service to any finisher, and the advantage of adding the 
 wax will be apparent. 
 
 The lines impressed on the back must now have their 
 gloss given to them. This is done by giggering the pallets 
 over them. Make the pallet rather hot, rub it over the 
 greased piece of leather, and work it backwards and forwards 
 in the impression previously made. Great care must be 
 taken that the pallet be kept steadily in the impressions 
 already made, or they will be doubled. The back is now 
 ready for lettering. This will be found further on, classed 
 nnder gold work. 
 
FINISHING. 
 
 125 
 
 To blind tool the side of a book it must be marked with 
 a folder and straight edge, according to the pattern to be 
 produced, and as a guide for the rolls and tools to be us 3d. 
 These lines form the ground plan for any design that has 
 to be worked. Damp the whole of the side with a sponge, 
 and brush it as before directed ; then work the fillets along 
 the lines marked. Run them over the same line two or 
 three times. When dry, make the fillet immovable by 
 driving a wooden wedge between the roll and fork, and 
 gigger it backwards and forwards to produce the gloss. If 
 tools are to be worked, make them slightly warm, and as 
 the leather dries make the tool hotter and hotter. This 
 must be repeated as often as is necessary, until the desired 
 depth of colour and gloss is obtained. In using a roll that 
 has a running or continuous pattern, a mark should be 
 made upon the side with a file, at the exact point that first 
 comes in contact with the leather, so that the same flower, 
 scroll, or other design, may always fall in the same place 
 in the repeated workings. It is impossible for a roll to be 
 cut so exactly that it may be worked from any point in the 
 circumference without doubling the design. All blind work 
 is done in the same manner, whether in using a small or a 
 large tool, viz., the leather must be damped and repeatedly 
 worked until the depth of colour is obtained. It is then 
 allowed to dry, and re-worked to produce the gloss. The 
 beauty of blind w^ork consists in making the whole of the 
 finishing of one uniform colour, in other words, avoiding 
 the fault of having any portion of the w^ork of lighter 
 tint than the rest. 
 
 Gold Work is far more complicated than blind or antique 
 work, so that it will be better if one practises upon 
 some spare pieces of roan, calf, or morocco before one 
 attempts to finish a book. Gold work is not more difficult 
 than blind tooling, it is only more complicated. The 
 
126 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 different kinds of leather require such different degrees of 
 heat, that what would fail to make the gold adhere upon 
 one leather would burn through another. The various 
 colours each require their different degrees of heat ; as a 
 rule, light fancy colours require less heat than dark ones. 
 The finisher has not only to contend with these difficulties, 
 but he must also become an adept in handling the gold 
 leaf and in using the proper medium by which the gold is 
 made to adhere to the leather. This medium is used in 
 two ways — wet and dry. The wet is used for leather, the 
 dry for velvet, satin, silk, and paper. 
 
 The wet medium is again divided into two classes, one 
 for non-porous and another for porous leather. Morocco 
 is the principal of the non-porous leathers, with roan 
 and all other imitation morocco. 
 
 The porous varieties consist of calf of all kinds, russia, 
 and sheep. 
 
 The non-porous leathers need only be washed with thin 
 paste-water or vinegar, and glaired once ; but if the glaire be 
 thin or weak it will be necessary to give them a second coat. 
 
 The porous varieties must be paste-washed carefully, 
 sized all over very evenly, and glaired once or twice; care 
 being taken that the size and glaire be laid on as evenly as 
 possible. 
 
 All this, although apparently so simple, must be well kept 
 in mind, because the great difficulty that apprentices 
 have to contend with is, that they do not know the proper 
 medium for the various leathers, and one book may be 
 prepared too much, while another may have a deficiency, 
 and as a consequence, one book will be spoilt by the prepa- 
 ration cracking, and the gold not adhere to the other. 
 By following the directions here given the finisher will 
 find that his gold will adhere without much trouble, 
 beyond the practice necessary in becoming accustomed to 
 an accurate use of the various tools. 
 
FINISHING. 
 
 127 
 
 Suppose that a half morocco book is before us to be 
 neatly finished and lettered. Take a broad and narrow 
 pallet of a suitable and proper size, and work it against the 
 bands in blind as a guide for finishing in gold. As the 
 impression need be but very slight, warm the pallet on the 
 gas stove but very little. Choose some suitable tool as a 
 centre piece to go between the bands. Work this also 
 lightly on the back exactly in the centre of each panel. 
 This must be worked as truly as possible and perfectly 
 straight. A line made previously with a folding-stick 
 along the centre of the back will greatly assist in the 
 working of a tool in its proper position. Now wash the 
 back with vinegar, and brush it well with a hard brush to 
 disperse the moisture and drive it equally into the leather; 
 some use paste- water for this purpose instead of vinegar. 
 Paste-water has a tendency to turn grey in the course of 
 time, and this is avoided in using vinegar ; vinegar also im- 
 parts freshness to the morocco, and keeps it moist a longer 
 time, which is very desirable when finishing morocco. 
 
 The impressions made by the broad and narrow pallet 
 and the centre tool are now to be pencilled in with glaire ; 
 when dry, pencil in another coat ; allow this again to dry, 
 then rub them very slightly with a piece of oiled cotton 
 wool. Take a leaf of gold from the book and spread it out 
 evenly on the gold cushion ; cut it as nearly to the various 
 shapes and sizes of the tools as possible, l^ow take up one of 
 the pieces of gold upon a large pad of cotton wool, previously 
 greased slightly by drawing it over the head. (There is 
 always a sufficient amount of natural grease in the hair to 
 cause the gold to adhere to the cotton when so treated.) 
 Lay the gold gently but firmly on the impressed leather. See 
 that the whole of the impression is covered, and that the gold 
 is not broken. Should it be necessary to put on another 
 piece of gold leaf, gently breathing on the first will make 
 the second adhere. When all the impressions are covered 
 
128 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 with gold leaf, take one of the tools heated to such a degree 
 that when a drop of water is applied it does not hiss but 
 f?ne5 instantly ; work it exactly in the blind impressions. 
 Hepeat this to the whole of the impressions, and wipe the 
 overplus of gold off with the gold rag. The impressions 
 are now supposed to be worked properly in gold ; but if 
 there are any parts where the gold does not adhere, they 
 must be re-glaired and worked in again. A saucer should 
 be placed near at hand, with water and a piece of rag or a 
 sponge in it, to cool any tool and reduce it to its proper 
 heat before using. If the tool be used too hot, the gold 
 impression will be dull ; if too cold, the gold will not 
 adhere. To use all tools of the exact degree of heat 
 required is one of the experiences of the skilled workman. 
 The back is now ready for the title. Set up the proper 
 words in a type- case, of a type sufficiently large and suit- 
 able to the book. The chief word of the title should be in 
 somewhat larger size than the rest, the others diminishing, 
 so that a pleasant arrangement of form be attained. In 
 order to adjust the length of the words, it may be neces- 
 sary to space some of them — that is, to put between each 
 letter a small piece of metal called a space. Square the 
 type, or make the face of the letters perfectly level, by 
 pressing the face of them against a flat surface before 
 tightening the screw. They must be exactly level one 
 with another, or in the working some of them will be 
 invisible. Screw up the type-case, warm it over the finish- 
 ing stove, and work the letters carefully in blind as a 
 guide. Damp the whole of the lettering space with 
 vinegar. When dry, pencil the impressions in twice with 
 glaire. Then lay the gold on and work them in gold. 
 
 But with lead type and a spring type- case (a method 
 more suitable for some binders on account of its relative 
 cheapness and the convenience of the case fitting itself to 
 the different sizes of the type, of which the binder will want 
 
FINISHING. 
 
 129 
 
 a selection of various sizes), the type-case must be ^varmed 
 before the type is put in. The lieat of the case should impart 
 sufficient heat for the type to be worked properly. If the 
 case and type be put on the stove, the type will probably be 
 melted if not watched very narrowly. Hand letters are 
 letters fixed in handles, each used as a single tool. The 
 letters should be arranged in alphabetical order round the 
 finishing stove, and as each letter is wanted it is taken 
 from the order, worked, and replaced. They are still very 
 much used in England, but where two or more books are 
 to have the same lettering, brass type is very much better. 
 Tt does its work more uniformly than hand letters, however 
 skillfully used. 
 
 When this simple finishing can be executed properly 
 and with ease, a more difficult task of finishing may be 
 attempted, such as a full gilt hack. This is done in two 
 ways, a run-up back and a "mitred" back. As a 
 general rule morocco is always mitred. Place the book on 
 its side, lift up the mill-board, and make a mark head and 
 tail on the back, a little away from the hinge of the back. 
 Then with a folder and strais^ht edo^e mark the whole lenoftli 
 of the back : this is to be done on both sides. Make another 
 line the whole length down the exact centre of the back. 
 With a pair of dividers take the measurement of the spaces 
 between the bands, and mark the size, head and tail, for the 
 panels from the top and bottom band; with a folder and 
 strip of parchment make a line across the back, head and 
 tail, at the mark made by the dividers. Work a thin broad 
 and narrow pallet alongside the bands in blind. Prepare 
 the whole of the back with vinegar and glaire, as above de- 
 scribed, but lay the glaire on with a sponge. When dry, 
 lay the gold on, covering the whole of the back with it, 
 mending any breaks. For mitreing, take a two-line pallet 
 that has the ends cut at an angle of 45®, so that the joint 
 at that angle may be perfect. Work this on the side at the 
 
 K 
 
CHAMPFLEURY ^ 
 
 LE VIOLON 
 
 DE 
 
 ^ FAIENCE ^ 
 
 Pallets. 
 
 Panel entirely finished. 
 Band. 
 
 Panel mitred in gold, with title and small 
 corners. 
 
 Band. 
 
 Panel mitred and cornered with centre tool. 
 
 'Z Band. 
 
 Panel mitred and cornered. 
 
 Band. 
 
 
 
 
 
 • 1 8 
 
 
 Panel mitred. 
 ^ Band, 
 
 Panel marked out in blind for ^nishir.-. 
 
 Small tail panel with date. 
 Pallet. 
 
 Showing progressive Stages of Pinishing 
 
FINISHING. 
 
 131 
 
 mark made up the back, and up to the line made in blind 
 across the back. Repeat this to each panel. The two- 
 line pallet must be worked across the back and up to the 
 lines made in gold ; the cutting of the pallet at the angle 
 will allow of the union or mitre, so that each panel is 
 independent of the other. There will be a space left, head 
 and tail, which may be filled up with any fancy pallet or 
 repetition of tools. The corners should be in keeping with 
 the centre, and large enough to fit the 
 panel. Work these from the sides of the 
 square made, or from the centre of the 
 panel, as will be found most convenient, 
 according to the thickness of the book 
 and style of finishing, and then fill in 
 
 any small stops. When the whole is 
 Cut showing the use ^ ^^^^ ^^.^^ ^^^^ 
 
 01 Mitrepiece. ' ^ , , ^ ^ 
 
 rag, and use the india-rubber if neces- 
 sary. The title has now to be put on, which is done in the 
 same manner as before described. 
 
 It is not always necessary that the finishing be done in 
 blind first. I have explained it, and advocate its being so 
 worked first as easier for a learner. One who is accus- 
 tomed to finishing finds that a few lines marked previously 
 with a folding- stick is all that is required. When working 
 the title, a thread of silk drawn tightly across the gold 
 produces a line sufficient, and is the only guide that an 
 experienced workman requires. 
 
 To finish a side, make a mark with the folder and straight 
 edge as a guide for any rolls or fillets. Prepare the leather 
 as before described where the ornamentation is to come ; 
 but if the pattern is elaborate it must be worked first in 
 blind. As a greater facility, take a piece of paper of good 
 quality and well sized. Draw the pattern you wish to 
 produce on the paper, and if any tools are to be used, hold 
 them over the flame of gas ; this will smoke them so that 
 
132 
 
 P,OOKBIXDING 
 
 the J may be worked on the ^^^.per in black. When the 
 pattern is complete in every detail, tip the four corners of 
 the paper with a little paste, then work the pattern through 
 the paper on to the leather, using the various sized gouges 
 as the scrolls requh^e, and a single line fillet where there 
 are lines. Work thus the complete pattern in blind. This 
 being done completely, take the paper off from the four 
 corners, place it on the other side, and work it in the same 
 way. Prepare the leather with vinegar, and pencil out 
 with glaire the whole of the pattern. If the whole side be 
 glaired with a sponge it will leave a glossy appearance that 
 is very undesirable. The whole of the side is now to be 
 laid on with gold, and the pattern worked again with the 
 warm tools, in the previous or blind impressions. 
 
 The inside of a book is generally finished before the out- 
 side. This should be done as neatly as possible, carefully 
 mitreing the corners when any lines are used. Most fre- 
 quently a roll is used, thus saving a great deal of time. A 
 style was introduced in France called ^'double," the inside 
 of the board being covered with a coloured morocco different 
 to the outside, instead of having board papers. This inside 
 leather was very elaborately finished ; generally with a 
 " dentelle " border, while the outside had only a line or two 
 in blind. It is a style which, although very good in itself, 
 is not now in great request, many prefer to have the finishing 
 outside rather than to have it covered up and not seen when 
 the book is shut. 
 
 The edges of the boards and the headbands must be 
 finished either in gold or blind, according to fancy, but in 
 keeping with the rest of the embellishment. A fine lino 
 worked on the centre of the edge of the board by means of 
 a fillet looks better, and of course requires more pains than 
 simply running a roll over it. If it is to be in gold, simply 
 glairing the edge is sufficient. Lay on the gold and work 
 the fillet carefully. Place the book on its ends in the 
 
GHOJ.IER 
 
 Demv Polio. 
 
FINISHING. 
 
 133 
 
 finishing press to keep it steady, or it will sliake and throw 
 the fillet off. If a roll is used, take the gold up on the roll, 
 but grease it first a little, by rubbing the gold rag over the 
 edge to make the gold adhere. Then run the roll along the 
 edge of the boards : the roll generally used for this purpose 
 is called a bar roll — that is, one having a series of lines 
 running at right angles with the edge of the roll. 
 
 Imitation morocco is generally used for publishers' bind- 
 ings, where books are in large numbers and small in price, 
 and the finishing is all done w^ith the blocking press. To 
 finish this leather by hand, it is advisable to wash it with 
 paste- water and glaire twice. 
 
 Hoan is generally used for circulating library work, and 
 is very seldom finished with more than a few lines and the 
 title across the back. This leather is prepared with paste- 
 wash and glaire, and, when complete, varnished over the 
 whole surface. 
 
 Inlaid Woi'h. — Inlaid, or mosaic work, is used only in the 
 higher branches of bookbinding. Formerly books were 
 not inlaid, but painted w4th various colours. Grolier used 
 a great deal of black, white, and green. Mr. Tuckett, the 
 late binder to the British Museum, took out a patent for 
 extracting one colour from leather and substituting another 
 by chemical action. This method, however, was in use 
 and known long before he turned his attention to the sub- 
 ject, although he improved greatly upon the old practice. 
 As the patent has long expired, it may not be out of place 
 to give an extract from the specification : " Take dark 
 chocolate colour, and after the design has been traced 
 thereon, it is then to be picked out or pencilled in with 
 suitable chemicals, say diluted nitric acid ; this will change 
 the chocolate, leaving the design a bright red on a chocolate 
 ground." But to lay on the various colours with leather is, 
 no doubt, by far the better plan. Paint has a tendency in 
 time to crack, and, if acids are used, they will, to a certain 
 
134 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 extent, rot or destroy the leather ; but if leather is used it 
 will always retain both colour and texture. To choose the 
 proper colours that will harmonize with the ground, give 
 tone, and produce a pleasing effect, requires a certain 
 amount of study. Morocco is the leather generally used, 
 but in Vienna calf has been used with very good results. 
 If the pattern to be inlaid be very small, steel punches of 
 the exact shape of the tools are used to punch or cut out 
 the patterns required. To do this, work the pattern in 
 blind on the side of the book ; take morocco of a different 
 colour to the ground it is required to decorate, and pare it 
 down as thin as possible. Lay it on a slab of lead. Lead 
 is better than anything else on account of its softness ; the 
 marks made by the punch can always be beaten out again, 
 and when quite used up it may be re-melted and run out 
 anew. ISTow take the steel punch of an exact facsimile of 
 the tool used that is to be inlaid, and punch out from the 
 leather the required number. These are to be pasted and 
 laid very carefully on the exact spot made by the blind- 
 tooling ; press each down well into the leather, either with 
 a folding-stick or the fingers, so that it adheres properly. 
 When dry, the book should be pressed between polished 
 plates, in order that the pieces that have been laid on, 
 may be pressed well into the ground leather. When it has 
 been pressed, the whole of the leather must be prepared as 
 for morocco, and finished in gold. The tools in the work- 
 ing will hide all the edges of the various inlaid pieces, 
 provided they are laid on exactly. 
 
 If interlacing bands are to be of various colours, tho 
 bands must be cut out. Pare the leather thin, and after 
 working the pattern through the paper on to the sides of 
 the book, lay it on the thinly pared leather ; with a very 
 sharp and pointed knife cut through the paper and leather 
 together on a soft board. Or the design may be worked 
 or drawn on a thin board, and the various bands cut out 
 
MAI 0 LI 
 
 Rojal folio 
 
FINISHING. 
 
 135 
 
 of the board as patterns. Lay these on the thin leather 
 and cut round them. Keep these board templates for any 
 future use of the same patterns. The various pieces are 
 to be well pasted, carefully adjusted in their places, and 
 well rubbed down. The leather is then to be prepared 
 and worked olf in gold. 
 
 Another method is to work the pattern in blind on the 
 sides. Pare the morocco thin, and while damp place it upon 
 the portion of the pattern to be inlaid, and press it well 
 with the fingers, so that the design is impressed into it. 
 Lay the leather carefully on some soft board, and cut round 
 the lines made visible by the pressure with a very sharp 
 knife. When cut out, paste and lay them on the book and 
 prepare as before, and finish in gold. I do not recommend 
 this last method as being of much value ; I give it only 
 because it is sometimes chosen ; but for any good work, 
 where accuracy is required, either of the plans mentioned 
 previously are to be preferred. 
 
 The Viennese work their calf in quite a different manner, 
 in fact, in the same way that the cabinet-makers inlay their 
 woodwork. With a very sharp and thin knife they cut 
 right through two leathers laid the one on the other. The 
 bottom one is then lifted out and replaced by the top one. 
 By this method the one fits exactly into the other, so that, 
 if properly done, the junctions are so neatly made that no 
 finishing is required to cover the line where the two colours 
 meet. 
 
 The frontispiece to this treatise is a copy of a book bound 
 by my father for one of the Exhibitions. The ground is of 
 red morocco, inlaid with green, brown, and black morocco. 
 The pattern may be called " Renaissance." The inside of 
 the boards are " Grolier," inlaid as elaborately as the 
 outside. Seven months' labour was expended on the out- 
 side decoration of this volume. 
 
 Porous, — Calfy as before described, requires more and 
 
136 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 different preparation than morocco, on account of its soft 
 and absorbing nature. As a foundation or groundwork, 
 paste of different degrees of strength is used, according to 
 the various work required. 
 
 Calf books have generally a morocco lettering piece of a 
 different colour to the calf on the back for the title. This 
 is, however, optional, and may or may not be used, accord- 
 ing to taste. Leather lettering pieces have a great tendency 
 to peel off, especially if the book be exposed to a hot atmos- 
 phere, or if the paste has been badly made, so that it is 
 perhaps better if the calf itself be lettered. There is no 
 doubt that a better effect is produced in a bookcase when 
 a good assortment of coloured lettering pieces are placed 
 on the variously coloured backs, and the titles can be more 
 easily read than if they were upon light or sprinkled calf ; 
 but where wear and tear have to be studied, as in public 
 libraries, a volume should not have any lettering pieces. 
 All such books should be lettered on their natural ground. 
 
 For lettering pieces, take morocco^ of any colour, accord- 
 ing to fancy, and having wetted it to facilitate the work, 
 pare it down as thin and as evenly as possible. Cut it to 
 size of the panel or space it is intended to fit. When cut 
 truly, pare the edges all round, paste it well, put it on the 
 place and rub well down. Should the book require two 
 pieces — or one for the title, and one for the volume or 
 contents — it is better to vary the colours. I must caution 
 the workman not to allow the leather to come over on to the 
 joint, as by the frequent opening or moving of the boards 
 the edge of the leather w^ill become loose. A very good 
 plan as a substitute for lettering pieces is to colour the 
 calf either dark brown or black, thus saving the leather at 
 the expense of a little more time. When the lettering 
 
 ^ Other leathers are often used instead of morocco, even paper ; in 
 fact a specially prepared paper is largely sold in Germany for this 
 purpose. 
 
FINISHING. 
 
 137 
 
 pieces are dry, mark the back, bead and tail, for tbe pallets 
 or otber tools witb a folding-stick. Apply witb a brusb 
 paste all over tbe back. Witb a tbick folding-stick, or 
 witb tbe bandle of an old tootb brusb, wbicb is better, rub 
 tbe paste into tbe back. Before it bas time to dry, take 
 tbe overplus off witb ratber a bard sponge, dipped in tbin 
 paste-water. Tbe learner will perbaps wonder wby paste of 
 full strength should be used for tbe back, and only paste- 
 water for tbe sides. Tbe reason is, that through the 
 stretching of tbe leather over the back in covering, tbe 
 pores are more open, and consequently require more filling 
 up to make a firm ground. Much depends upon the 
 groundwork being properly applied; and a general caution 
 witb regard to the working in general may not be here 
 amiss. Finishing, above all other departments, demands 
 perfect cleanliness. A book may have the most graceful 
 designs, the tools be worked perfectly and clearly, but be 
 spoiled by having a dirty appearance. See that everything 
 is clean — paste- water, size, glaire, sponges, and brushes. 
 Do not lay any gold on nntil tbe preparation be perfectly 
 dry, or tbe gold will adhere and cause a dirty yellow stain 
 where wiped off. 
 
 Should tbe calf book be intended to have only a pallet 
 alongside the bands, it is only necessary, when the paste- 
 wash is quite dry, to glaire that portion which is to be gilt : 
 ibis is usually done witb a camel's hair brusb, by laying 
 on two coats. When dry, cut the gold into strips, and take 
 one up on the pallet and work it on tbe calf. This is 
 what is termed calf neat. Tbe band on each side is gilt, 
 leaving tbe rest of tbe leather in its natural state. Some 
 binders polish their backs instead of leaving them dead or 
 dull. This, however, is entirely according to taste, whether 
 so large a space be left polished only. 
 
 Full Gilt Bach. — Rtm-up. Make a mark up tbe back on 
 both sides a little away from tbe joint with a folder and 
 
POEMS 
 TENNYSON. 
 XIII. 
 
 i860 
 
 LYRICS 
 
 OF 
 
 THE HEART. 
 A. WATTS 
 
 D& tji «^ «^ «J»tJs <?i 'J' «^ 
 
 BYRON'S 
 POETICAL 
 WOUKS 
 
 Samples of Backs suitable for Calf Work. 
 
FINISHING. 
 
 139 
 
 straight edge. Put on lettering piece. When dry, paste 
 and paste- wash the back. When again dry, take some of 
 Young's patent size, melt it in a pipkin with a little water 
 and apply it with a sponge. Lay this on very evenlj^ with 
 a very soft sponge, and be particular that it is perfectly 
 clean, so that no stains be left. When the size is done 
 with, put it on one side for future use. This size should 
 not be taken its full strength, and when w^armed again 
 some more water should be added to make up for evapora- 
 tion. When the coat of size has dried, apply two coats of 
 glaire. The first must be dry before the second is applied, 
 and great care must be taken that the sponge is not passed 
 over the same place twice, or the previous preparation 
 will be taken off. It is now ready for finishing. Cut the 
 gold to proper size ; rub a little lard over the whole of the 
 back with a little cotton wool. This requires great atten- 
 tion. Yery little must be put on light or green calf, as 
 these colours are stained very readily. Take the gold up 
 on a cotton pad; lay it carefully down on the back; breathe 
 on the gold, and press down again. If there be any places 
 where the gold is broken, they must be mended. 'Now take 
 a two-line fillet ; heat it so that it hisses when placed in 
 the cooling pan or the saucer with the wet rag in it, and 
 run it the whole length of the back on the line made before 
 paste-washing. Do this on both sides, and rub the gold 
 off with the gold-rag up to the line on the outside. Take 
 a two-line pallet, and work it on each side of the bands. 
 Work the morocco lettering piece last, as it requires less 
 heat. The centre piece of each panel must now be worked. 
 Impress the tools firmly but quickly. The corner tools next ; 
 work them from the centre or sides, using the right hand 
 corners as a guide, and judging the distance by the left 
 ones. The press must be turned when it is required to bring 
 the left side to the right hand in working the corners. The 
 requisite pallets may now be worked to finish the book 
 
140 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 head and tail. As a rule these ai^e worked when the two- 
 line pallet is imprinted. 
 
 Calf requires very quick working. The tools should not 
 be held over the various places too long, or the heat will 
 destroy the adherent properties of the albumen. With 
 morocco time does not signify so much, as the heat used is 
 not so great. 
 
 Mitred hack must be prepared the same way as for "run- 
 up back," and the mitreing is to be done as explained in 
 working morocco. As before stated, this is superior work 
 and requires more skill ; takes longer, but looks much 
 better: each panel should be an exact facsimile of the rest. 
 If the tools do not occupy precisely similar places in each 
 panel, the result will be very unsatisfactory, and an evi- 
 dence of a want of skill. When the backs are finished, 
 rub the gold off with the gold-rag, and clear off any resi- 
 due with the india-rubber. Be very careful that every 
 particle oE the surplus gold be cleaned off, or the delicate 
 lines of the ornaments will be obscure and ragged in 
 appearance. 
 
 The book is now ready for lettering. Set the type up in 
 the case, and work it carefully in a perfectly straight line 
 over the back. The whole of the back is now to be polished 
 with the polishing iron, which must be perfectly clean and 
 bright before it is used. Prepare a board from an old calf 
 blading, by rubbing some fine emery or charcoal and lard 
 over the leather side of it. By rubbing th,e iron over this 
 prepared surface it will acquire a bright polish. It must 
 be used over the back by holding it lightly, and giving it an 
 oblong circular motion. Go over every portion of the back 
 with very even pressure, so that no part may be made more 
 glossy than another. The polishing iron should be used 
 rather warmer than the tools. If the iron be too hot the 
 glaire will turn white ; if too cold the polish will be dull. 
 The grease upon the leather will be quite sufficient to make 
 
FINISHING. 
 
 141 
 
 the polisher glide easily over the surface, bat the operation 
 must be rapidly and evenly done. All liglit and green calf 
 require less heat than any other kinds. These will turn 
 black if the iron be in the least degree too hot. 
 
 It is in finishing the sides that the workman can show 
 his good taste and skill. The sides should be always in 
 keeping with the back ; or, more strictly speaking, the 
 back should be in keeping with the sides. Before the sides 
 can be finished, the inside of the boards must occupy our 
 attention. With a " run-up " back, the edge of the leather 
 round the end papers is to be worked either in blind or 
 have a roll round it in gold. In any case it should be 
 paste- washed. If for blind, the roll is to be heated and 
 worked round it; if for gold, it must be glaired twice. 
 The gold, cut into strips, is to be taken up on the roll 
 and worked, and the overplus taken off with the gold-rag 
 as before directed. Extra work, such as mitred work, 
 should have some lines, or other neat design impressed. 
 Paste-wash the leather, and when dry glaire twice. When 
 again dry lay on the gold all round, and work the roll 
 or other fillets, or such other tool that may be in keeping 
 with the exterior work. When the gold has been wiped 
 off, the leather should be polished with the polishing 
 iron. 
 
 The outside must now be finished. Are the sides to be 
 polished, or left plain ? If they are not to be polished, 
 paste-wash the whole of the side up to the edge of the back 
 carefully, then glaire only that portion which is to be gilt. 
 Generally a two-line fillet only is used round the edge, so 
 that the width of the fillet or roll must determine the width 
 to be glaired. When glaired twice and dry, take up the 
 gold on the fillet or roll and work it evenly and straightly 
 round the edge. The corners where the lines meet are next 
 to be stopped by working a small rosette or small star on 
 them. Clean off any gold that may be on the side, and 
 
142 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 work a small dotted or pin-head roll at the edge of the 
 glaire. This will cover and conceal the edge. 
 
 Extra calf books generally have the sides polished. 
 Paste- wash the sides all over, and when dry size them. 
 Hold the book, if small, in the left hand, if large, lay it 
 on the press and work the sponge over the side in a cir- 
 cular direction, so that the size may be laid on as evenly 
 as possible. Be very careful that it does not froth ; should 
 it do so, squeeze the sponge oat as dry as possible, and fill 
 it anew with fresh size. Some workmen work the sponge 
 up and down the book, but if this be not done very evenly it 
 produces streaks. The finisher will find he can lay a more 
 even coating on by using the sponge in a circular direc- 
 tion. Allow this to dry by leaving the book with boards 
 extended. When perfectly dry glaire once. This will be 
 found sufficient, as the size gives body to the glaire. 
 When sizeing and glairing, be assured that the book be 
 laid down with the boards extended on a level surface ; 
 if the book be not level, the size or glaire will run down 
 to the lowest portion of the surface, and become unequally 
 distributed. The gold is now to be laid on the respective 
 places, either broad or narrow, according to the nature of 
 the finishing or width of the rolls. As a general rule, the 
 sides of the better class of calf books have nothing more 
 than a three-line round the edge and mitred in the corners. 
 This is, however, quite a matter of taste. Some have a 
 border of fancy rolls, but never any elaborate pattern as 
 in morocco work. To finish the sides, place the book in 
 the finishing press with the boards extended, so that they 
 may rest on the press. This will afford greater facility 
 for working the fillets, rolls, and tools necessary to complete 
 the design on each side. The finishing press being a small 
 one, can be easily turned round as each edge of the 
 border is finished. 
 
 To polish the sides, place the book on its side on some 
 
FINISHING. 
 
 143 
 
 soft surface, such as a board covered witli baize, and kept 
 for the purpose. Use the large and heavy polishing iron, 
 hot and clean. Rub or work the iron quickly and firmly 
 over the sides, first from the groove towards the foredge, 
 and then in a contrary direction, from the tail to the head, 
 by turning the volume. The oil or grease applied to the 
 cover previous to laying on the gold will be sufficient to 
 allow the polisher to glide easily over the surface. Polish- 
 ing has also the effect of smoothing down the burr formed 
 on the leather by the gilding tools, and bringing the impres- 
 sions slightly to the surface. The iron must be held very 
 evenly, so that the centre of the iron may be the working 
 portion. If held sideways the edge of the iron will indent 
 the leather. The heat must be sufficient to give a polish. 
 It must be remembered that if the iron is too hot it will 
 cause the glaire to tarn white. The temperature must be 
 well tested before it be applied to the cover. A practised 
 finisher can generally tell the proper heat on holding the 
 iron at some little distance from his face, by the heat 
 radiated from the iron. Calf books should be pressed, 
 whether polished or not. 
 
 Pressing.' — Plates of japanned tin or polished horn are 
 proper for this purpose. Put pressing tins between the 
 book and the mill-boards : the tins must be up to the joint. 
 Now place one of the japanned plates on the side level with 
 the groove ; turn book and japanned plate over carefully 
 together, so that neither shifts ; place another of the 
 polished plates on the top of the book, thus placing the 
 book between two polished surfaces. Put the book into the 
 standing press, and screw down tightly. Leave in for some 
 hours. When pressed sufficiently, take the book out, and if 
 the sides be polished, varnish them. 
 
 Make a little pad of cotton wool, saturate the lower 
 portion with varnish ; rub it on a piece of waste paper to 
 equalize the varnish, then work the pad over the side as 
 
144 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 quickly as possible in a circular direction. Renew the 
 wool with, varnish for the other side. Enough must be 
 taken on the pad to varnish the whole side, or the delay 
 caused by renewing the varnish on the cotton will cause a 
 streaked surface. When the varnish is perfectly dry — a 
 few minutes will suffice — the book must be again pressed. 
 To do this, rub the gold-rag, which is greased, over the 
 sides, this will prevent the sides from sticking to the 
 polished plates. Place the book between the plates as 
 before, leaving out the pressing tins, and place in the 
 standing press. Only little pressure must now be given ; 
 if the press be screwed down too tightly the plates will 
 stick to the book. The varnish must be of good quality, 
 and perfectly dry, or the result will be the same. Half 
 an hour in the press will be found quite long enough. 
 Should the plates stick, there is no other remedy than 
 washing off the varnish with spirits of wine, and the glaire 
 and size with warm water, and carefully re-preparing the 
 surface as before. This is, however, an accident that 
 cannot happen if due care and judgment be exercised. 
 
 Graining. — Graining is now used very much on calf 
 books. It may be properly considered as a blind orna- 
 ment. It is done by means of wooden, or, better still, 
 copper plates cut out in various patterns, so as to form 
 small squares, scales of fish, or an imitation of morocco. 
 Place the volume between two of these plates, level to 
 the groove of the back, in the standing press ; screw 
 down tightly The pressure should be equal over the 
 whole surface. ISTothing looks worse than a bold impres- 
 sion in one place and a slight one in another, so that it is 
 rather important that it be evenly pressed ; a second appli- 
 cation of the plates is impracticable. Graining has the ad- 
 vantage of hiding any finger-marks that may accidentally 
 be on the calf, and also partly conceals any imperfections 
 in the leather. 
 
FINISHING. 
 
 145 
 
 The state of the weather must in a great measure gnide 
 the finisher as to the proper number of volumes he ought 
 -to prepare at one time. The leather should always be a 
 Tittle moist, or, in other words, rather fresh. In winter 
 double the number of books may be prepared, and the 
 gold laid on, than the dryness of a summer's day will 
 permit. If books are laid on over night the tools must 
 be used very hot in working them the next morning, or 
 the gold will not adhere. During summer, flies will eat 
 the glaire from various places while the book is lying or 
 standing out to dry, so that constant vigilance must be 
 kept to avoid these pests. 
 
 Russia is prepared in the same way as calf, but is 
 usually worked with more blind tools than gold, and 
 the sides are not as a rule polished, so that the size and 
 glaire are dispensed with, except on those parts where it is 
 to be finished in gold ; those portions need be only paste- 
 washed and glaired once, without any size. 
 
 Finishing with Dry Preparation. — The dry preparation is 
 used for silk, velvet, paper, or any other material that would 
 be stained by the employment of the wet process. There 
 are a number of receipts in the trade and in use. 
 
 Take the white of eggs, and dry by spreading it some- 
 what thickly over glass plates, taking care to preserve it 
 from dust. When dry it will chip off readily, if the glass 
 has been previously very slightly oiled or greased. It must 
 not be exposed to more heat than 40^ Reaum., or the 
 quality of the albumen will be destroyed. The dried mass 
 is to be well powdered in a porcelain mortar. 
 
 Or, take equal portions of gum mastic, gum sandrac, 
 gum arabic, and powder them well in a mortar. This 
 powder, if good work be desired, must be ground into an 
 impalpable powder. When powdered put it into a box or 
 bottle, and tie three or four thicknesses of fine muslin 
 over the mouth. By tapping the inverted box, or shaking 
 
 L 
 
146 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 it over the lines or letters, the dust will fall through in a 
 fine shower. The powder ^hould fall only on the part to be 
 gilt. Cut the gold into strips, take it up upon the tool, 
 and work rather hot. The overplus of the powder can be 
 brushed away when the finishing is completed. Finishing 
 powder is now sold commercially. 
 
 Velvet is very seldom finished beyond having the title 
 put on, and this should be worked in blind first and with 
 moderately large letters, or the pile will hide them. 
 
 Silk is finished more easily, and can, if care be taken, 
 have rather elaborate work put upon it. In such a case, 
 the lines or tools, which must be blinded-in first, may be 
 glaired. For this purpose the glaire must be put in a 
 saucer or plate in the free air for a day or two, so that a 
 certain amount of water or moisture of the glaire may be 
 evaporated ; but it must not be too stiff so as to prevent 
 the brush going freely over the stuff. Great care, however, 
 must be taken, or the glaire will spread and cause a stain. 
 A thin coat of paste- water will give silk a body and keep 
 the glaire from spreading to a certain extent, but I think 
 the best medium for silk is the dry one, and it is always 
 ready for instant use. In using glaire the gold is laid on 
 the silk, but on no account must any oil or lard be rubbed 
 on it for the temporary holding of the gold. Rub the parts 
 intended for the gold with the finger (passed through the 
 hair), or with a clean rag lightly oiled, and when the tools 
 are re-impressed a clean piece of flannel should be used to 
 wipe off the superfluous gold. 
 
 Blocking has been used lately on silk with some success 
 in Germany. The blocking plate is taken out of the press, 
 and the gold is laid on it, and then replaced in the press. 
 The finishing powder is freely distributed over the silk 
 side, which is laid on the bed of the press. On pulling 
 the lever over, the block descends and imprints the design 
 in gold on the silk. This process may be applied to velvet, 
 
FINISHING. 
 
 147 
 
 bnt velvet never tal^es the sharpness of the design on 
 account of the pile, so that as a rule it is left in its natural 
 state. 
 
 Vellum. — The Dutch, as a nation, appear to have been 
 the first to bind books in vellum. It was then a simple 
 kind of casing, with hollow backs. A later improvement 
 of theirs was that of sewing the book on double raised cords, 
 and making the book with a tight back, similar to the way 
 in which our flexible books are now done, showing the raised 
 bands. The ornamentation was entirely in blind, both on 
 the back and sides, and the tools used were of a very solid 
 character. 
 
 This art of binding in vellum seems to be entirely lost at 
 the present day; its imperishable nature is indeed its only 
 recommendation. It has little beauty ; is exceedingly harsh ; 
 and little variety can be produced even in the finishing. 
 
 There are two or three kinds of vellum prepared from 
 calf skins at the present day, thanks to the progress of 
 invention. First, we have the prepared or artist's vellum, 
 with a very white artificial surface ; then the Oxford vellum, 
 the surface of which is left in its natural state ; the Roman 
 vellum, which has a darker appearance. Parchment is an 
 inferior animal membrane prepared from sheepskins after 
 the manner of vellum, and this is very successfully imitated 
 by vegetable parchment, made by immersing unsized paper 
 for a few seconds in a bath of diluted oil of vitriol. This 
 preparation resembles the animal parchment so closely that 
 it is not easy to distinguish the difference. It is used 
 very extensively in France for wrappering the better 
 class of literature, instead of issuing them in cloth as is the 
 custom here. 
 
 The method of finishing vellum is altogether different 
 to leather. On account of its very hard and compact 
 nature, it requires no other ground or preparation than 
 glaire for gold work. 
 
148 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 The cover should be very carefully washed with a soft 
 sponge and clean water, to clean off any dirt or finger- 
 marks, and to make the book look as fresh as possible. 
 This washing must be very carefully done by going over 
 the surface as few times as possible. This caution applies 
 jDarticularly to the prepared or artist vellum, as each wash- 
 ing will take off a certain amount of the surface, so that 
 the more it is damped and rubbed the more the surface 
 will be disturbed and the beauty destroyed. It requires 
 some experience to distinguish the flesh and leather sur- 
 faces of prepared vellum, but this experience must be 
 acquired, because it is absolutely necessary that the leather 
 side should be outward when the book is covered, for two 
 reasons : the flesh side is more fibrous, and adheres better 
 to the boards than the leather side, and the leather side 
 is less liable to have its surface disturbed in the process of 
 washing. 
 
 The parts that are to be gilt must be glaired, but as the 
 glaire will show its presence, or, more strictly speaking, 
 leave rather a dirty mark, the tools should first be worked 
 in blind, and the glaire laid on carefully up to their outer 
 edge. When dry, lay the gold on and work the tool in. 
 Let the tools be only moderately warm ; if too hot they 
 will go through to the mill-board, leaving their mark as if 
 they had been cut out with a knife. 
 
 As a rule no very heavy tooling is ever put on vellum, 
 the beauty lies in keeping the vellum as clean as possible. 
 The tooling being, comparatively speaking, on the surface, 
 owing to the thinness of the skin, requires a very com- 
 petent and clean workman to produce anything like good 
 work on vellum. 
 
 Vellum is of so greasy a nature that, if a title-piece of 
 leather has to be put on, it will be found that there is a 
 great difficulty in making it adhere properly nnless some 
 special precaution be taken. The best plan is to scrape 
 
FINISHING. 
 
 149 
 
 the surface where the leather is intended to be placed 
 with the edge of a knife. This will produce a rough and 
 fibrous ground on which to place the pasted leather. This 
 leather, when drj, must be prepared with paste-water and 
 glaire, in the same manner as with other books. 
 
 In the foregoing instructions for finishing a book, the 
 most that can be looked for towards teaching either the 
 apprentice or the unskilled workman is to give him an idea 
 how it is accomplished by practised hands. Pure taste, a 
 correct eye, and a steady hand, are not given to all in 
 common. The most minute instructions, detail by detail, 
 cannot make a workman if Nature has denied these gifts. 
 I have known men whose skill in working a design could 
 not be excelled, but who could not be trusted to gild a back 
 without instructions. Others, whose ideas of design were 
 not contemptible, could not tool two panels of a back in 
 perfect uniformity. Some also have so little idea of har- 
 mony of colour, that without strict supervision they would 
 give every volume the coat of a harlequin. In a word, a 
 first-rate bookbinder is nascitur non fit, and although the 
 hints and instructions I have penned may not be sufficient to 
 make a workman, I trust they will be found of some value 
 to the skilled as well as to the less practised craftsman. 
 
 Blocldng, — The growing demand for books that were at 
 once cheap and pretty, became so strong, that mechanical 
 appliances were invented to facilitate their ornamentation ; 
 and thus we have the introduction of the present blocking 
 press. 
 
 I will not follow too closely the various improvements 
 introduced at different periods, but roughly describe the 
 blocking press, without which cheap bookbinding cannot 
 be done at the present day. There can be no doubt that 
 this press owes its extensive use to the introduction of 
 publishers' cloth work. 
 
 Formerly, when the covers of books were blocked, a 
 
150 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 small lying or other press was used. The block, previously 
 heated, was placed on the book, and the screw or screws 
 turned to get a sufficient pressure. It often happened 
 that the pressure was either too much or too little : the 
 block either by the one accident sank into the leather too 
 deeply, or by the other the gold failed to adhere, and it 
 required a good workman to work a block properly. 
 
 The first press to be noticed is a Balancier, having a 
 moveable bed, a heating box, heated by means of red-hot 
 irons, two side pillars to guide the box in a true line, and 
 attached to it a screw connected at the top with a bar or 
 arm, having at each extremity an iron ball. The block, 
 having been fixed to a plate at the bottom of the heated 
 box, the side of the book was laid down on the bed, and 
 by swinging the arm round the block descended upon the 
 book. The arm was then swung back, and the next book 
 put into place. It will be seen that this incurred a great 
 loss of time. 
 
 The next improvement consisted in having a press that 
 only moved a quarter circle, with almost instantaneous 
 action ; and another improvement connected with the bed 
 was, that by means of screws and gauges, when the block 
 was once set, a boy or an inexperienced hand might with 
 ease finish off hundreds of copies, all with equal pressure. 
 By referring to the woodcut opposite, the press and its 
 action will be seen and understood. The box may be 
 heated with gas, and kept at a constant and regulated 
 temperature the whole time of working. It can be ad- 
 justed to any amount of pressure, as it is regulated by the 
 bed underneath. 
 
 The next step in progress was the introduction of print- 
 ing in different colours upon the cloth, and intermixing 
 them with gold. Messrs. Hopkinson and Cope's machines 
 may be mentioned. They are made to be driven by steam, 
 and will print and emboss from 500 to 600 covers per 
 
FINISHING. 1 51 
 
 hour, and are heated by steam or gas. The inking 
 apparatus is placed at the back of the press, so that 
 while the workman is placing another cover, the ink 
 roller, by automatic action, inks the block ready for the 
 next impression. The inking or printing of the covers is 
 done without heat, so, to avoid loss of time, an arrange- 
 ment is made that the heating box can be cooled imme- 
 diately by a stream of water passed through it. 
 
 Messrs. Kampe and Co. have just 
 brought out a blocking machine, which 
 they claim to be superior to any in 
 the trade. It will block at the rate of 
 700 to 800 covers per hour. The 
 pressure is obtained by one of the 
 most powerful of mechanical appli- 
 ances, and it can be adjusted to block 
 either paper or leather. 
 
 The tools required for blocking are 
 called blocks or stamps. These may 
 be composed of very small pieces, or 
 may be of one block cut to the size of 
 the book. In any case, the block 
 has to be fastened to the moveable 
 plate at the bottom of the heating box. To block the 
 sides of a book, take a stout piece of paper and glue it 
 upon a moveable pi ate. ^ Then take the book, and having 
 set the blocks upon the side in exact position, place the 
 side or board upon which are placed the blocks upon the 
 bed of the blocking press, leaving the volume hanging 
 down in front of the press. The bed is now to be fixed, 
 so that the centre of the board is exactly under and in 
 the centre of the heating box. When quite true, the 
 sides and back gauges are fixed by screws. Pull the lever 
 so that a slight pressure upon the plate be given : releaso 
 ^ The moveable plate is also called the platen. 
 
U2 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 the press, and take out the book and examine if all bo 
 correct. Some of the blocks may require a small piece of 
 paper as a pad, so as to increase the pressure, others to be 
 shifted a little. N^ow glue the back of the stamps and 
 replace them in their respective places. Place the whole 
 under the top plate in the press, heat the box, and pull 
 the lever over ; and let the book remain for some little time 
 to set the glue. Take out the book, examine if perfectly 
 square and correct, but replace it with a soft mill-board 
 under the stamps, and pull down the press. The lever 
 must remain over, and the blocks be under pressure until 
 the glue is hardened. 
 
 Another method is to glue upon the plate a piece of 
 thick paper and mark upon it the exact size of the book 
 to be blocked. Strike upon the plate from the size the 
 centre, and from that any other lines that may assist in 
 placing the blocks. Arrange the blocks upon the plate so 
 as to form the design ; when correct, paste the blocks on 
 their backs and replace them o\ the plate. When the 
 paste adheres a little, turn the plate over and put it into 
 the press. Apply heat to the box ; pull the lever over, and 
 when the paste is set, regulate the bed and gauges. 
 
 When the press is properly heated, throw back the lever ; 
 take out the mill-board from under the stamp, and regulate 
 the degree of pressure required by the side-screw under or 
 over the bed. Place upon the bed the side to be stamped, 
 hold it firmly against the guides with the left hand, and 
 with the right draw the lever quickly to the front. This 
 straightens the toggels and forces down the heating box, 
 causing a sharp impression of the stamp upon the leather 
 or other material. Throw or let the lever go back sharply, 
 and take out the book. If the block be of such a design 
 that it must not be inverted, the whole of the covers must 
 be blocked on one side first, and the block turned round 
 for the other side, or the design will be upside down. 
 
FINISHING. 
 
 153 
 
 Work for blocking in gold does not require so much 
 body or preparation as if it were gilt by band. Morocco 
 can be worked by merely washing the whole surface with a 
 little urine or weak ammonia, but it is safer to use a coat 
 of glaire and water mixed in proportion of one of the 
 former to three of the latter. The heat should not be 
 great, and slowly worked. 
 
 Calf should have a coat of milk and water or thin paste- 
 water as a ground, and when dry another of glaire. Both 
 should be laid on as evenly as possible ; but if only por- 
 tions are to be gilt, such as a centre-piece, and the rest 
 dead, the centre-piece or other design should be pencilled 
 in with great care. The design should be first sligh£ly 
 blocked in blind as a guide for the glairing. The edge of 
 the glaire generally leaves a black or dark stain. The heat 
 required for calf is greater than for morocco, and the 
 working must be done more quickly. 
 
 Cloth requires no preparation whatever, the glue beneath 
 and the coloured matter on the cloth gives quite enough 
 adhesiveness when the hot plate comes down for the gold 
 to adhere. 
 
 A great deal of taste may be displayed in the formation 
 of patterns in this branch, but as publishers find that 
 books that are tawdrily gilt are better liked by the public, 
 they are, of course, very well satisfied if their books are 
 well covered with gold. It would be well if those who 
 have the principal charge of this work would strive, by the 
 cultivation of elegant design, to correct the vitiated taste 
 of the public, and seek by a study of classic ornamenta- 
 tion to please the eye and satisfy the judgment rather than 
 to attract the vulgar by glitter and gaudy decoration. 
 
 However, of late years a great advancement has been made 
 with publishers' block work ; the samples given in the trade 
 paper (" The Bookbinder '' now " Bookmaker will prove 
 this. 
 
GENERAL INFORMATION 
 
CHAPTER XXIY. 
 
 Washikg and Cleaning. 
 
 The binder is often called upon to clean books ; to many lie 
 is a sort of Aladdin, who makes old books into new ; the 
 consequence is that he often has placed in his hands a lot 
 of dirty, miserable-looking books, and is expected to turn 
 them into first-class copies. To renovate such books requires 
 time and experience, and unfortunately very little is known 
 among binders as a body about cleaning. Outside the 
 trade, I am sorry to say, even less is known, for if a book be 
 received from a binder bleached, it seems to satisfy the 
 owner, and to be all that is desired. By such treatment of 
 bleaching a quantity of lime is generally left in the paper, 
 the goodness is destroyed, and naturally the paper must 
 suffer in a short time. To test such treatment one has only 
 to apply the tongue to the paper, it will at once absorb any 
 moisture, as blotting paper does, and often the lime can be 
 distinctly tasted. 
 
 But books are often washed and given out to the binder 
 to rebind in this state. In such a case it remains with the 
 binder not to associate himself with the book; for if he 
 rebinds such a book the stigma will attach itself to him 
 when the period of rotting, falling to pieces, and other mis- 
 fortunes has arrived. 
 
 It is the practice of many who profess to wash books or 
 prints to use chlorine at every washing ; this is not neces- 
 sary; often a simple bath of hot water, with perhaps the addi- 
 
158 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 tion of a little alum, is all that is required. An important 
 thing is to know the different kinds of stains when looking 
 through the book ; there may be many in one book, each from 
 a different cause. In such a case it will be best to go for the 
 majority, and to use the bath that will move them. Often 
 the one bath is sufficient, but should there be any stains 
 that are not touched, these leaves must be treated again. 
 
 When there are stains of different character in the one 
 book, such as oil stains on a few leaves, and, say, coffee 
 stains in other parts, the oil must be first removed ; the one 
 bath will not touch both stains. 
 
 Often when the bath is used wrongly it will fix the stain 
 in the paper, and not remove it, the chemical used acting as 
 a mordant. 
 
 It is impossible for me to describe the various stains, the 
 intelligence of the workman must be brought to bear on 
 the subject ; and I advise a small memo, book be used to jot 
 down the difficulties that may occur from time to time, and 
 so to act as a guide for future work ; to the use of such a 
 book I am enabled to lay before my readers the methods of 
 working with the various receipts collected in France and 
 Oermany, and used by me in my business. 
 
 To wash a book it is absolutely necessary to pull it to 
 pieces. Should there be much glue on the back, and 
 difficulty arise in the pulling, the book may be treated as given 
 in Chapter II. : or sections of six or eight sheets may be 
 left together ; the hot water and soaking to which the book 
 will be subjected in the washing will dissolve the glue or 
 paste that may be on the back, and the sheets will readily 
 part whilst in the solution. Washing must be conducted 
 -with great care ; the handling of the wet sheets will demand 
 the most delicate touch, for one can reasonably understand 
 that paper left in water for twelve or more hours is likely 
 to be very tender. In nearly every case when a book has 
 been washed it will be found necessary to size it: the size 
 
WASHING AND CLEANING. 
 
 159 
 
 gives back the body or goodness that the hot water and 
 chemical has extracted. Often the virtue is extracted by 
 damp, through the book being left in some damp situation, 
 or by imperfect sizing the paper has first received ; in such 
 cases, although the book may not require washing, sizing 
 will be of benefit. 
 
 Requisites, — The necessary articles required for washing, 
 etc., are dishes. Those of porcelain are perhaps the best ; 
 they may be bought at any photographic material dealers. 
 If much work is done, it is advantageous to have a set or 
 sets of two or three sizes. In using the various dishes, 
 ample room should be given to allow the hands to enter the 
 water and pick up the sheets or leaves without any danger of 
 tearing. Should the pans be of such a size as to be too 
 heavy to move when full of water, they may be emptied 
 by means of a syphon, the short end of the syphon placed, 
 in preference, at one of the corners of the dish, so as not to 
 touch the sheets. The dishes may also be made of wood, 
 lined with zinc or lead : for very large work these must bo 
 used, the porcelain are not made above a certain size. 
 
 A Icettle for boiling water in. 
 
 A gas-stove, or substitute, for heating purposes. 
 
 A ]3eel, made of wood, to hang the sheets on the lines. 
 The sheets are placed on the peel, from which they are 
 transferred to the lines. 
 
 Chloride of lime for solution of chloride of lime. — Make a 
 saturated solution of chloride of lime by mixing intimately 
 the lime with water in a large jar. When clear the solution 
 may be used. To every gallon of hot water take from this 
 stock solution two or three ounces. 
 
 Note. — Chlorine bleaches all vegetable matter. 
 
 Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid or spirits 
 of salts (poison) 
 
 Oxalic acid (poison). 
 
 Powdered alum. 
 
160 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 A Tiair sieve. This is not absolutely necessary, as a fino 
 piece of linen will answer as well. 
 Size : — 
 
 (1). 1 quart of water. 
 
 \ ounce of powdered alum. 
 1 ounce of isinglass. 
 
 1 scruple of soap. 
 
 Simmer tlie wliole for about one hour, then pass through 
 a fine hair sieve or piece of linen. Use this whilst warm. 
 (2.) 1 gallon of water. 
 \ lb. of best glue. 
 
 2 ounces of powdered alum. 
 Simmer and use as above. 
 
 (3). 1 quart of water. 
 
 2\ ounces of isinglass. 
 2 drachms of alam. 
 
 Simmer the whole for about one hour, strain as above. 
 
 It must be remembered tliat a size too strong in glue or 
 isinglass is liable to make the paper too brittle ; again, some 
 papers require a stronger size than others. 
 
 (4). A size that may be used cold, and is recommended 
 in France, to keep at hand and to use when only a single 
 leaf requires sizing, such as when a name has been erased 
 from a title-page, is as follows : — Boil about a quart of water 
 in a saucepan. Whilst boiling, add about two oz. of shellac 
 and \ oz. of borax ; the borax will dissolve the shellac, which 
 will be held in suspension; the whole must then be passed 
 through a fine hair sieve, or piece of linen, to rid it of all pieces 
 or impurities. This will keep a very long time, and may be 
 used over and over again. 
 
 Great care must be exercised that not too much shellac 
 is used, or the paper will be rendered transparent. 
 
WASHING AND CLEANING. 
 
 161 
 
 Manipulation. 
 
 Bust, — The careful application of india-rubber or bread 
 will generally take away all dust. In using india-rubber, 
 hold the sheet or leaf down by the left hand, and rub gently 
 away from it. If the rubber is used in a to and fro motion, 
 there is great danger of the sheet doubling back and 
 breaking. The bread may be used in a circular motion ; and 
 if a book be cleaned from dust by this means without 
 pulling to pieces, all crumbs must be brushed away from 
 the back very carefully before closing the book. 
 
 Water stains. — If the stains be from w^ater, the application 
 of boiling water and alum will take them out. This stain 
 is the one most usually found in books, it may be distin- 
 guished from other stains by leaving a mark having a sharp 
 edge. 
 
 To take such a stain away, pull the book to pieces, strew 
 on thtj bottom of the pan a handful of powdered alum, on 
 this pour a quantity of boiling water. Immerse each sec- 
 tion leaf by leaf in the liquid, and allow to remain for some 
 hours. It may be found rather difficult to get the sheets 
 to go under the water; and as one cannot press them under 
 by hand, on account of the heat, make a substitute by 
 wrapping strips of linen on the end of a piece of wood ; 
 keep this handy, it will be found very useful ; being round 
 at the end, and soft, it does not tear or go through the 
 paper, as will anything sharp. 
 
 The alum water will, after a time, become very dis- 
 coloured ; this is only the stain and other dirt extracted from 
 the paper ; throw this away by tipping the dish, or by the use 
 of the syphon; add fresh water, either warm or cold, but pre- 
 ferably warm, to dissolve any excess of alum that may have 
 soaked into the paper, and to further clear it. After a time 
 the whole book may be taken out, placed between pressing 
 boards, and excess of water pressed away by the laying 
 
 M 
 
[62 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 press. The sections are then carefully opened, and hung 
 upon lines or cords stretched across the workshop to dry. 
 When dry, should the paper require it, pass the whole book, 
 section by section, or leaf by leaf, through a size, press, and 
 again hang up to dry. When dry, it will be ready for re- 
 binding. It may happen that only a single leaf is stained ; 
 do 7iot cut this out as is usually done, but wet a piece 
 of fine string, which lay on the leaf as far in the back 
 as possible ; close the book and allow to remain a few 
 minutes ; the leaf may then be readily drawn out, the 
 moisture of the string having made the paper soft where 
 it was placed. It may then be cleaned, and when dry and 
 pressed, replaced. 
 
 Damp stains may be treated as for water stains, but, as 
 a rule, a book damaged by damp has little or no chance of 
 being made good again. A book so damaged can only be 
 strengthened by re-sizing or some artificial means. To re-size 
 leaves that cannot be plunged into the solution, the sizing 
 may be done with a soft brush. Place the leaf on a piece 
 of glass or marble, and use the brush to the leaf as one 
 would do in pasting ; when sized, lift the leaf up very gently 
 and lay it out on paper to dry ; when dry, the reverse side 
 is treated in like manner ; or a thin paper of a transparent 
 character may be pasted over the pages, either on one or 
 both sides. 
 
 Mud. — Luckily a book stained with mud is not of frequent 
 occurrence. Mud seems to be a combination of all that is 
 objectionable, generally it is a mixture of iron and grease. 
 Wash the leaf well in cold water, then in a weak solution of 
 muriatic acid, after which, plunge in a weak solution of 
 chloride of lime. Rinse well, dry, and size. Sometimes it 
 will be necessary to wash the leaf with soap water. Make a 
 Boap solution, and gently go over the whole sheet with a 
 soft brush, a shaving brush for instance ; this may be done 
 by laying the leaf on a slab of glass : use great care with 
 
WASHING AND CLEANING. 
 
 1G3 
 
 the brash, or the surface of the paper will be abraised ; after 
 which, rinse well with water. 
 
 Yery often such stains, if fresh, will disappear if a fine 
 jet of water be allowed to play on the parts dirtied, the 
 water being ejected through a fine rose jet. 
 
 Fox-marks. — Books so stained may generally be cleaned 
 by immersing the leaves into a weak solution of hydro- 
 chloric acid ; one must not make the bath too strong, ^ 
 ounce of the acid to 1 pint of water, using the bath hot, will 
 be found about right. Should the marks not give to this 
 treatment, plunge the book, sheet by sheet, into a weak bath 
 of chlorine water. The book may be left in for some hours, 
 taken out and replaced in the hydrochloric bath ; after a 
 half hour it may be rinsed with cold water, hung up to dry, 
 and sized. 
 
 Finger -marks, commonly called " thumb -marks.*' — These 
 are the most difficult to erase, the dirt being generally of a 
 greasy nature, and forced into the fibres of the paper. Make 
 a jelly of white or curd soap, apply to the stain, and leave it 
 on for some time, then wash away gently by means of a 
 soft brush while the leaf is in cold water ; this will, as a rule, 
 take all, or nearly all, away. A slight rinsing in very 
 weak acid water, again wuth cold water, and when dry size. 
 
 Blood, stains. — The leaves stained must be plunged into 
 cold water; when thoroughly soaked, the stains may be 
 washed with a soft brush charged with soap, then well rinsed 
 with water again. Dry. 
 
 If hot water be used, the heat renders the albumen of the 
 blood insoluble, and the stain will be difficult to erase. 
 
 Ink stains (vjriting). — Some inks are more difficult to 
 erase than others. As a rule ink gives way if the writing 
 be treated with a solution of oxalic acid, and afterwards to 
 a weak solution of chloride of lime. It is perhaps better to 
 immerse the whole leaf in the solution, as the lime is 
 likely to bleach and leave a mark ; the leaf should in any 
 
164 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 case be plunged in warm water afterwards, to wash away 
 the lime and acid, and, after drying, it should be sized. 
 
 Ink stains {marhing inh, silver) may be removed by 
 a solution of tincture of iodine ; nitrate of silver, the basis 
 of the ink, is changed into iodide of silver, this is then 
 treated with a solution of cyanide of potassium. It may per- 
 haps be necessary to repeat this two or three times; when 
 quite dissolved out, it must be well washed. As the cyanide 
 is a deadly poison, one may subsitute hyiDOsulij'hite of sodium. 
 
 Fat stains. — (1.) Place a piece of blotting-paper on each 
 side of the stain, apply a hot polishing iron very carefully 
 to the paper ; this will, in most cases, melt the fat, which 
 will be absorbed by the blotting-paper. 
 
 (2.) Scrape pipe clay, or French chalk, which place on 
 the stain, then use the hot iron. The iron must not be 
 used too hot, or the paper will be scorched ; a piece of 
 paper should always be placed between the iron and 
 the leaf stained. The powder may be afterwards brushed 
 away. 
 
 (3.) May be removed by washing the leaf with ether, 
 or benzoline, placing a pad of blotting-paper under and over 
 the leaf, dabbing the benzoline or ether on the spot with a 
 piece of cotton wool. This process must not be conducted 
 near a flame, both are highly inflammable. 
 
 (4.) A mixture of 1 part nitric acid, 10 parts water, is 
 useful in many instances for oil stains. When erased, 
 plunge the whole sheet or leaf into water, changing the 
 water several times. Dry and size. 
 
 Inh. — When the writing-paper has been made from 
 inferior rags bleached with excess of chlorine the best ink 
 becomes discoloured. 
 
 Reviving old loritings, — (1.) Brush the paper over care- 
 fully with a solution of sulpho-cyanide of potassium (1 in 20). 
 Then, while still damp, hold over a dish containing hot 
 muriatic acid ; the writing will develop deep red. 
 
WASHING AND CLEANING. 
 
 165 
 
 (2.) Wasli the writing with a very weak solution of 
 hydrochloric acid, then carefully apply infusion of galls. 
 
 (3.) For letters that have been in sea water, wash with 
 warm water to remove the salt, then soak in weak solution 
 of gallic acid, about 3 grains to the ounce. If this does not 
 make the writing legible enough, wash thoroughly in clean 
 water, and soak in a solution of protosulphate of iron, 10 
 grains to the ounce. 
 
 To restore ivriting effaced hij chlorine. — (1.) Expose the 
 writing to the vapour of sulphuret of ammonia, or dip it 
 into a solution of the sulphuret. 
 
 (2.) Ferro-cyanide of potassium, 5 parts. 
 Water, 85 parts. 
 
 Dissolve and immerse the paper in the fluid, then slightly 
 acidulate the solution with sulphuric acid. 
 
 Guitaud discovered that sulphuret of ammonia and prus- 
 siate of potash revives writing effaced by oxymuriatic acid. 
 
 To restore MSS. faded hy time. — A moderately concen- 
 trated solution of tannin washed over the paper. The MS. 
 to be carefully dried. 
 
 To preserve draivings or manuscripts. — Mix with every 100 
 parts of collodion 2 parts of sterine. Place the paper in 
 question on a perfectly level and even surface, such as a 
 marble table or large slab of glass. Give the paper a 
 thin coat of this collodion, and in about twenty minutes it 
 will be protected by a transparent, brilliant, and imperish- 
 able envelope. 
 
 To fix drawings or peficil marJcs. — Pass the paper through 
 a bath of thin size, made either from gelatine or isinglass ; 
 or a bath of skim milk. 
 
 To render ijaper vjaterjoroof. — Take of borax 100 parts, 
 water 2,250 parts ; boil, and while stirring, gradually add 
 powdered shellac 300 parts. When the whole is dissolved, 
 strain through muslin. This will keep a long time and 
 may be bottled. 
 
166 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 To render paper incombustible. — Pass the paper through 
 a strong solution of alum, and hang up to dry. 
 
 The following, taken from the " English Mechanic," June 
 19th, 1874, is, I think, of great use to the professional 
 restorer of old books, and will give the binder an idea of 
 what has to be done sometimes : — 
 
 " DECIPHERING BURNT DOCUMENTS. 
 
 " M. E-athelot, an officer of the Paris Law Courts, has 
 succeeded in an ingenious manner in transcribing a number 
 of the registers which were burnt during the Commune. 
 These registers had remained so long in the fire that each 
 of them seemed to have become a homogeneous block, 
 more like a slab of charcoal than anything else ; and when 
 an attempt was made to detach a leaf it fell away into 
 powder. 
 
 He first cut off the back of the book ; he then steeped 
 the book in water, and afterwards exposed it, all wet as it 
 was, to the heat at the mouth of a warming pipe (calori- 
 fere). The water as it evaporated raised the leaves one by 
 one, and they could be separated, but with extraordinary 
 precaution. Each sheet was then deciphered and tran- 
 scribed. The appearance of the pages was very curious — 
 the writing appeared of a dull black, while the paper was 
 of a lustrous black, something like velvet decorations on a 
 black satin ground, so that the entries were not difficult to 
 decipher.'' 
 
 Insects. — A library has generally three kinds of enemies 
 to be guarded against, viz. : insects, dampness, and rats or 
 mice.^ 
 
 Everyone is supposed to know how to guard against 
 dampness and rats or mice. Several means are known 
 how to keep insects at a distance. The first consists in the 
 
 ^ Blades, in his " Enemies of Books," includes bookbinders. 
 
WASHING AND CLEANING. 
 
 167 
 
 proper choice of woods for the book- case : these are cedar, 
 cypress, mahogany, sandal, or very dry and sound oak. 
 All these are compact or of very strong aroma, and are such 
 as insects do not like to pierce. Another source of danger 
 is the use of chemicals in the binding of books. 
 
 The insects that make ravages in books multiply very 
 rapidly, and very few libraries are free from them. The 
 microscopic eggs that are left by the female give birth to 
 a small grub, which pierces the leather boards and book 
 for its nourishment, and to get to the air. These are 
 familiarly called bookworms, but by the scientific world 
 they are known as Tiypothenemiis eriiditus which eats the 
 leather, and anohium striatum which bores through the 
 paper. The larva? of the dermestes also attack wood as well 
 as books. 
 
 An instance of how these insects were once manasfed : — 
 M. Fabbroni, Director of the Museum of Florence, who 
 possessed a magnificent library, found, after a year's ab- 
 sence, in the wood and furniture, great havoc made by 
 insects, and his books spoilt by the larvse, so much so that 
 it gave a fair promise of the total destruction of the whole, 
 unless he could find a method to exterminate the pests. 
 He first painted the holes over with wax, but shortly after 
 he found new worms which killed every particle of wood 
 they touched. He plunged the ordinary wood in arsenic 
 and oil, and other portions he anointed once every month 
 with olive oil, in which he had boiled arsenic, until the 
 colour and odour announced that the solution was perfect. 
 The number then diminished. But a similar method could 
 not be employed for books. M. Fabbroni resolved to 
 anoint the back and sides with aquafortis ; in an instant 
 the dermestes abandoned their habitation, and wandered to 
 the wood ; the oil having evaporized they commenced to 
 develop again, and again began their attacks on the newly 
 bound books. He saw amongst the many spoilt books one 
 
168 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 remaining intact, and on inquiry found that turpentine 
 had been used in the paste. He then ordered that for the 
 future all paste should be mixed with some such poison. 
 This precaution had the heneftcial result. 
 
 It is not only in Europe that these worms make such 
 ravages in libraries. In the warmer climes they appear to 
 be even more dangerous. And it is a fact that certain 
 libraries are almost a mass of dust, by the books (and 
 valuable ones) falling to pieces. I^early all authors on 
 this subject agree that the paste which is used is the first 
 cause, or a great help, to all the waste committed by these 
 dangerous hibliopJiohes. Then something must be put into 
 the paste which will resist all these insects and keep them 
 at a distance. The most suitable for this is a mineral salt, 
 such as alum or vitriol ; vegetable salts, such as potash, 
 dissolve readily in a moist air and make marks or spots in 
 the books. From experience, it is most desirable to banish 
 everything that may encourage worms, and as it is very 
 rare that persons who occupy themselves with books are 
 not in want of paste, for some repairs or other, either to 
 the bindings or to the books, subjoined is a method of 
 preserving the paste and keeping it moist and free from 
 insects. 
 
 Alum, as employed by binders, is not an absolute pre- 
 servative, although it contributes greatly to the preserva- 
 tion of the leather. Resin as used by shoemakers is 
 preferable, and in effect works in the same w^ay ; but oil 
 of turpentine has a greater effect. Anything of strong 
 odour, like aniseed, bergamot, mixed perfectly but in small 
 quantities, preserves the paste during an unlimited time. 
 
 Or, make the paste with flour, throw in a small quantity 
 of ground sugar and a portion of corrosive sublimate. The 
 sugar makes it pliant and prevents the formation of crust 
 on the top. The sublimate prevents insects and fermenta- 
 tion. This salt does not prevent moisture, but as two or 
 
WASHING AND CLEANING. 
 
 169 
 
 three drops of oil are sufficient to prevent it, all causes of 
 destruction are thus guarded against. This paste exposed 
 to the air hardens without decomposition. If it is kept in 
 an air-tight pot or jar, it will be always ready, without any 
 other preparation. 
 
 Books placed in a library should be thoroughly dusted 
 two or three times a year, not only to keep them in all 
 their freshness, but also to prevent any development of 
 insects and to examine for signs of dampness. The inte- 
 rior of a book also asks that care, which unfortunately is 
 neglected very often. After having taken a book from 
 the shelves it should not be opened before ascertaining if 
 the top edge be dusty. If it is a book that has had the 
 edge cut, the dust should be removed with a soft duster, 
 or simply blown off. If it is a book which has uncut 
 edges it should be brushed with rather a hard brush. 
 By this method in opening the volume one need not be 
 afraid that the dirt will enter between the leaves and soil 
 them. 
 
 Glue. — The best glue may be known by its paleness, but 
 French glae is now manufactured of inferior quality, made 
 pale by the use of acid, but which on boiling turns almost 
 black. Good glue immersed in water for a day will not 
 dissolve, but swell, while inferior will partly or wholly do 
 so, according to quality. 
 
 In preparing glue, a few cakes should be broken into 
 pieces and placed in water for twelve hours, then boiled and 
 turned out into a pan to get cold; when cold, pieces may 
 be cut out and placed in the glue-pot as wanted. This 
 naturally refers to when large quantities are used, but 
 small portions may be boiled in the glue-pot after soaking 
 in water. 
 
 Glue loses a great deal of its strength by frequent re- 
 melting. It should always be used as hot as possible. 
 Rice glue or ]jaste, — By mixing rice flour intimately with 
 
170 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 cold water, and then gently boiling it, a beautifully white 
 and strong paste is made. It dries almost transparent, and 
 is a most useful paste for fine or delicate work. 
 
 Paste. — For ordinary purposes paste consists simply of 
 flour made into a thin cream with water and boiled. 
 It then forms a stiffish mass, which may be diluted 
 with water so as to bring it to any required condition. 
 It is sometimes of advantage to add a little common 
 glue to the paste. Where paste is kept for a long time, 
 various ingredients may be added to prevent souring 
 and moulding. A few cloves form perhaps the best pre- 
 servative for small quantities ; on the larger scale carbolic 
 acid may be used ; salicylic acid is also a good preservative, 
 a few grains added to the freshly prepared paste will 
 entirely prevent souring and moulding. 
 
 Paste is now made on a commercial scale by various 
 Paste Cos., who send it out to all parts. The paste is 
 exceedingly good, and keeps a long time. 
 
 PliotograpJis, — A few words respecting the treatment of 
 photographs may not be out of place here. 
 
 To remove a photograph from an old or dirty mount, the 
 surplus of the mount should be cut away ; it should then 
 be put into a plate of cold water and be allowed to float off. 
 A little warm water will assist in its coming away more 
 easily, but should it not do so, the photograph has probably 
 been mounted with a solution of india-rubber, and in that 
 case, by holding it near the fire, the rubber will soften, and 
 the print may easily be peeled off. 
 
 Very hot water is likely to set up a reaction if the prints 
 were not well washed by the photographer when first sent 
 out. 
 
 In mounting photographs, white boards should, as a rule, 
 be avoided, because the colour of the boards is more pure 
 than the lights of the photograph, and deaden the effect. 
 A toned or tinted board is more suitable. 
 
WASniNG AND CLEANING. 
 
 171 
 
 They should be damped, and evenly trimmed and pasted 
 all over with thin best glue or starch, and well rubbed 
 down with a piece of clean paper over the print. If any of 
 the glue or starch oozes out from tlie sides, it should be 
 wiped oif with a clean damp sponge. As photographs lose 
 their gloss in mounting, they must be rolled afterwards in 
 order to restore it. A special machine is used for this. 
 
 But it may be wished to introduce the silver print with- 
 out mounting on a board. To do so, and to keep the print 
 straight, ^^aste a very thin paper on the back, stretching 
 the paper well ; this will counteract the pulling power 
 albumen has, and the print will, if this be done properlyy 
 remain perfectly straight and not curl up. 
 
 Albumen. — Desiccated esfQ^-albumen is now well known 
 in the market in the form of powder. Three teaspoonfuls of 
 cold water added to every teaspoonful of powder repre- 
 sents the normal consistency of egg-albumen.^ 
 
 The manufacture of egg-albumen in the neighbourhood 
 of Moscow is carried on in the houses of the country people. 
 The albumen however is generally roughly prepared and of 
 bad appearance, and often spoils. But egg-albumen is also 
 produced on a manufacturing scale in the neighbourhood 
 of Korotscha, the largest establishment there numbering 
 sixty to seventy workwomen, using about eight million 
 eggs yearly, other establishments using less in proportion. 
 
 Albumen is also largely manufactured from blood ; 5 
 oxen or 20 sheep or 34 calves are said to yield the same 
 quantity of dry albumen, viz., 2 lbs. In producing blood- 
 albumen for commerce, the objects borne in mind are the 
 attainment of a substance whose solution is free from 
 colour, possesses coagulation, and which is cheap. 
 
 To prevent tools, machines, etc., from rusting. — Boiled 
 linseed oil, if allowed to dry on polished tools, will keep them 
 
 ^ See Chapter on Finishing — "Albumen." 
 
172 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 from rusting ; tlie oil forms a coat over tliem which excludes 
 contact from air. 
 
 Dissolve ^ oz. of camplior in 1 lb. of lard ; take off the 
 scum, and mix as much blacklead as will give the mixture 
 an iron colour. All kinds of machinery, iron or steel, if 
 rubbed over with this mixture, and left on for 24 hours, and 
 then rubbed with a linen cloth, will keep clean for months. 
 
 To clean silver mountings, — To restore the colour of tar- 
 nished silver clasps, etc., boil the goods, either silver or 
 plated, in enough water to cover them. For every pint of 
 water put into it 2 ounces of carbonate of potash and a 
 i lb. of whiting. After boiling them for about a quarter of 
 an hour, clean with a leather, brush, and whiting. They 
 will then look as good as new. 
 
 To clean sponges. — Soak the sponge well in diluted 
 muriatic acid for twelve hours. Wash well, then immerse 
 in a solution of hyposulphate of soda to which a few drops 
 of muriatic acid has been added a few moments before. 
 When sufficiently bleached, wash well, and dry in a current 
 of air. 
 
GLOSSARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 TECHNICAL TERMS AND IMPLEMENTS USED IN 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 All- ALONG. — When a volume 
 is sewed, and the thread 
 passes from kettle -stitch to 
 kettle-stitchj or from end to 
 end in each sheet, it is said 
 to be sewed " all-along." 
 
 Arming press. — A species of 
 blocking press used by hand ; 
 so called from the use of it to 
 impress armorial bearings on 
 the sides of books. 
 
 Asterisk. — A star used by 
 printers at the bottom of the 
 pages meant to supply the 
 places of those cancelled (see 
 also Cancel). 
 
 Backing boards. — Used when 
 backing and for forming the 
 groove. They are made of 
 very hard wood, and some- 
 times faced with iron ; are 
 thicker on the edge intended 
 to form the groove than upon 
 the edge that goes toAvards 
 the foredge, so that the whole 
 power of the lying press may 
 be directed towards the back. 
 
 Backing hammer.— The ham- 
 mer used for backing and 
 rounding ; it has a broad flat 
 face similar to a shoemaker's 
 hammer. 
 
 Backing machine. — A ma- 
 chine for backing cheajp work. 
 
 Bands. — The cord whereon the 
 sheets of a volume are sewn. 
 When a book is sewn "flexi- 
 ble " the bands appear upon 
 the back. When the back is 
 sewn so as 'to imbed the cord 
 in the back, the appearance 
 of raised bands is produced 
 by gluing narrow strips of 
 leather across the back before 
 the volume is covered. 
 
 Band driver. — A blunt chisel 
 used in forwarding, to correct 
 any irregularities in the bands 
 of flexible backs. 
 
 Band nippers.— Flat pincers 
 used for nipping up the band 
 in covering. 
 
 Beading.— The small tAvist 
 formed when twisting the silk 
 or cotton in head-banding. 
 
 Beating hammer.— The heavy 
 short-handled hammer used 
 in beating (generally about 
 10 lbs.). 
 
 Beating stone.— The bed on 
 which books are beaten. 
 
 Bevelled boards. —Very 
 heavy boards with bevelled 
 edges ; used for antique work. 
 
 Bleed. — When a book has been 
 cut down into the print it is 
 said to have been bled. 
 
 Blind-tooled.— When a book 
 has been impressed with tools- 
 
174 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 without being gilt, it is said 
 to be " blind-tooled " or " an- 
 tique." 
 
 Blocking press. — Another and 
 more general term for the 
 arming press ; one of the chief 
 implements used in cloth 
 work. Used for hnishing the 
 side of a cover by a mechani- 
 cal process. 
 
 Blocks or blocking tools.— 
 An engraved stamp used for 
 finishing by means of the 
 blocking press. 
 
 Boards. — Are of various kinds, 
 each denoting the work it is 
 intended for, such as pressing 
 boards, backing, cutting, 
 burnishing, gilding, etc. 
 
 J^ODKIN. — A strong and short 
 point of steel hxedin a wooden 
 handle, for making the holes 
 through the mill-boards. The 
 slips upon the back of the 
 book are laced through the 
 holes for attaching the mill- 
 board to the book. 
 
 Bole. — A red earthy mineral, 
 resembling clay in character, 
 used in the preparation for 
 gilding edges. 
 
 Bolt. — The fold in the head 
 and for edge of the sheets. 
 The iron bar with a screw 
 and nut which secures the 
 knife to the plough. 
 
 Bosses. — Brass or other metal 
 ornamentations fastened upon 
 the boards of books ; for orna- 
 ment or preservation. 
 
 Bboken over. — When plates 
 are turned over or folded a 
 short distance from the back 
 edge, before they are j)laced 
 in the volume, so as to facili- 
 tate their being turned easily 
 or laid flat, they are said to 
 be broken over. When a leaf 
 has been turned down the 
 paper is broken. 
 
 Burnish.— The gloss produced 
 by the application of the 
 burnisher to the edges. 
 
 Burnishers.— Pieces of agate 
 or bloodstone affixed to con- 
 venient handles. 
 
 Cancels. — Leaves containing 
 errors which are to be cut out 
 and rej^laced by corrected 
 pages [see Asterisk). 
 
 Cap. — The envelope of paper 
 used to protect the edges 
 while the volume is being 
 covered and finished. 
 
 Case- WORK.— When the cover 
 is made independent of the 
 book, the book being after- 
 wards fastened into it. Re- 
 fers principally to cloth and 
 bible work. 
 
 Catch-word. —A word used 
 and seen in early printed 
 books at the bottom of the 
 page, which word is the first 
 on the following page. To 
 denote the first and last word 
 in an encyclopsedia or other 
 book of reference. 
 
 Centre Tools.— Independent 
 tools cut for the ornamenta- 
 tion of the centre of panels 
 and sides. 
 
 Clasp. — The hook or catch 
 used for fastening the boards 
 together when the book is 
 closed ; used formerly on al- 
 most every book. 
 
 Clearing-out. — Removing the 
 waste-paper, and paring aAvay 
 any superfiuous leather upon 
 the inside, preparatory to 
 pasting doAvn the end-papers. 
 
 Cloth. — Prepared calico, some- 
 times embossed with different 
 patterns, used for cloth bind- 
 ings. 
 
 Collating.— Examining the 
 sheets by the signatures after 
 the volume has been folded, 
 
GLOSSARY. 
 
 175 
 
 to ascertain if they be in cor- 
 rect sequence. 
 
 Combs. — Instruments with wire 
 teeth used in marbling. 
 
 Corners. — The triangular tools 
 used in finishing backs and 
 sides. The leather or mate- 
 rial covering the corners of 
 half-bound books. The metal 
 ornaments used usually in 
 keeping with clasps. 
 
 Crorped. — When a book has 
 been cut down too much it is 
 said to be cropped. 
 
 Cut down. — When a j)lough- 
 knife dips downward out of 
 the level it is said to *' cut 
 down"; on the contrary, if 
 the point is out of the level 
 upwards it is said to ' ' cut 
 up." 
 
 Cut up. — Same as the last ex- 
 planation. 
 
 Divinity calf.— A dark brown 
 calf used generally for re- 
 ligious books, and worked 
 in blind or antique. 
 
 Dentelle. — As the word ex- 
 presses. A style resembling 
 lace work, finished with very 
 finely cut tools. 
 
 Doubled. — When in working 
 a tool a second time it is in- 
 advertently not placed ex- 
 actly in the previous impres- 
 sion, it is said tobe " doubled. " 
 
 Edge - rolled. — When the 
 edges of the boards are rolled, 
 either in blind or in gold. 
 
 End-papers.— The papers 
 placed at each end of the 
 volume and pasted down upon 
 the boards. 
 
 Fillet.— A cylindrical tool 
 used in finishing, upon which 
 a line or lines are engraved. 
 
 Finishing. —The department 
 that receives the volumes 
 after they are put in leather. 
 The ornaments placed on the 
 volume. The i)erson who 
 works at this branch is termed 
 a finisher. 
 
 Finishing press. — A small 
 XH'ess, used for holding books 
 when being finished. 
 
 Finishing stove.— A heating 
 box or fire used for warming 
 the various tools used in 
 finishing. 
 
 Flexible.— When a book is 
 sewn on raised bands, and the 
 thread is passed entirely round 
 each band. It is the strongest 
 sewing done at the present 
 time. This term is often mis- 
 used for limp work, because 
 the boards are limp or flexible. 
 
 Folder.— A fiat piece of bone 
 or ivory used in folding sheets, 
 and in many other manipula- 
 tions ; called also a folding 
 stick. A female engaged in 
 folding sheets. 
 
 Folding machine.— A ma- 
 chine invented to fold ifeheets, 
 generally used in newspaper 
 offices. 
 
 Foredge.— The front edge of a 
 book. 
 
 Forwarding.— The branch 
 that takes the books after 
 they are sewed, and advances 
 them until they are put into 
 leather ready for the finisher. 
 The one who works at this 
 branch is called a forwarder. 
 
 Full-bound. — When the sides 
 and back of a volume are 
 covered with leather it is said 
 to be full-bound. 
 
 Gathering. — Collecting the 
 various sheets from piles when 
 folded, so that the arrange- 
 
17G 
 
 BOOKBINDINa. 
 
 nient follows the sequence of 
 the signature. 
 
 Gilt. — Applies to both the 
 edges and to the ornaments in 
 finishing. 
 
 Glaire. — The white of eggs 
 beaten up. 
 
 Gold cushion.— A cushion for 
 cutting the gold leaf on. 
 
 Gold knife. — The knife for 
 cutting the gold; long and 
 quite straight. 
 
 Gouge. — A tool used in finish- 
 ing ; it is a line forming the 
 segment of a circle. 
 
 Graining boards. — Boards 
 used for producing a grain on 
 calf and russia books. Grain 
 of various form is cut in wood, 
 and by pressure the leather 
 upon which the boards are 
 laid receives the impression. 
 
 Graining plates.— Metal 
 plates same as above. 
 
 Guards. — Strips of paper in- 
 serted in the backs of books 
 intended for the insertion of 
 plates, to prevent the book 
 being uneven when filled ; 
 also, the strips upon which 
 plates are mounted. 
 
 Guides. — The groove in which 
 the plough moves upon the 
 face of the cutting press. 
 
 Guillotine. — A machine used 
 for cutting paper. 
 
 Guinea-edge.— A roll with a 
 pattern similar to the edge of 
 an old guinea. 
 
 Half-bound.— When a volume 
 is covered with leather upon 
 the back and corners ; and the 
 sides with paper or cloth. 
 
 Hand -LETTERS. — Letters fixed 
 in handles ; used singly for 
 lettering. 
 
 Head and tail.— The top and 
 bottom of a book. 
 
 Head-band.— The silk or cot- 
 ton ornament worked at the 
 head and tail of a volume, as 
 a finish and to make the back 
 even with the boards. 
 
 Imperfections. — Sheets re- 
 jected on account of being in 
 some respect imperfect, and 
 for which others are required 
 to make the work complete. 
 
 In boards. — When a volume is 
 cut after the mill-boards are 
 attached, it is said to be cut 
 in boards. 
 
 Inset. — The inner pages of a 
 sheet, cut off in folding cer- 
 tain sizes ; to be inset in i he 
 centre of the sheet. 
 
 Joints. — The projection formed 
 in backing to admit the mill- 
 boards. The leather or cloth 
 23laced from the projection on 
 to the mill-board is called a 
 joint. 
 
 Kettle - stitch. — The chain- 
 stitch which the sewer makes 
 at the head and tail of a book. 
 A corruption of either chain- 
 stitch, or catch-up stitch. 
 
 Keys. — Little metal instru- 
 ments used to secure the 
 bands to the sewing press. 
 
 Knocking - down iron. — - A 
 piece of iron having a small 
 leg in the centre by which it 
 is secured in the lying jDress. 
 When fastened there it is 
 used to pound or beat with a 
 hammer the slips into the 
 boards after they are laced in, 
 so that they do not show 
 when the book is covered. 
 
 Laced in.— When the mill- 
 boards are attached to the 
 volume by means of the slips 
 being passed through holes 
 
GLOSSARY. 
 
 177 
 
 made in the boards, they are 
 said to be laced in or drawn 
 in. 
 
 Law calf. — Law books are 
 usually bound in calf left 
 wholly uncoloured, hence the 
 term for white calf. 
 •Lettering block. — A piece of 
 wood, the upper surface being 
 slightly rounded, upon which 
 side labels are lettered. 
 
 Lettering box.— A wooden 
 box in which hand -letters are 
 kept {see Hand-letters). 
 
 Lining-papers. — The coloured 
 or marbled paper at each end 
 of the volume. Called also 
 end-papers. 
 
 Marbler. — One who marbles 
 the edges of books and paper. 
 
 Marbling. — The art of floating 
 various colours on a size, from 
 which it is transferred to 
 paper or book edges. To 
 stain or vein leather like 
 marble. 
 
 Marking-up.— When the back 
 of a book is being marked for 
 flexible sewing. 
 
 Mill-board. — The boards that 
 are attached to the book. 
 Various kinds are in use now ; 
 the most common is made of 
 straw, the best of old naval 
 cordage. 
 
 Mitred. — When the lines in 
 finishing meet each other at 
 right angles without overrun- 
 ning each other, they are said 
 to be mitred. Joined at an 
 angle of 45°. 
 
 Mutton-thumping. —A term 
 used in bygone days, indi- 
 cating the common binding 
 of school books in sheep-skin. 
 
 Mutton -THUMPER. —An old 
 term indicating a bad work- 
 man. 
 
 Off-set. — Tlie impression made 
 by the print against the oppo- 
 site page, when a book has 
 been rolled or beaten before 
 the ink be dried. {Also Set- 
 off.) 
 
 Out of boards. —When a 
 volume is cut before the 
 boards are aftixed, it is done 
 out of boards. Nearly the 
 whole of common work is 
 done out of boards. 
 
 Out of truth.— When a book 
 is not cut square. 
 
 Overcasting.— An operation 
 in sewing, when the work 
 consists of single leaves or 
 plates. Over-sewing. 
 
 Pallet. — The tools used for 
 
 finishing across backs. 
 Panel. — The space between 
 
 the bands. 
 Papering-up. — Covering the 
 
 edges after they are gilt, to 
 
 protect them while the volume 
 
 is being covered and finished 
 
 {see Cap). 
 Paring. — Reducing the edges 
 
 of the leather by forming a 
 
 gradual slope. 
 Paring knife.— The knife used 
 
 for paring. 
 Paste -WASH. —Paste diluted 
 
 with water. 
 Peel. — A wooden instrument 
 
 used to hang up damp sheets 
 
 for drying. 
 Pencil. — A small brush of 
 
 camel's hair used for glairing. 
 Pieced. — Any space that has 
 
 another leather upon it, as a 
 
 lettering piece. 
 Plough. — The instrument used 
 
 for cutting the edges when 
 
 the book is in the lying 
 
 press. 
 
 Plough knife. — The knife at- 
 tached to the plough. 
 
 N 
 
178 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 Polisher. — A steel instniment 
 for giving a gloss to the lea- 
 ther after finishing. 
 
 Press. — Of various kinds, viz. : 
 lying, cutting, standing, 
 blocking, finishing, etc. 
 
 Press pin.— A bar of iron used 
 as a lever for standing presses ; 
 a smaller kind for lying 
 presses. 
 
 Pressing blocks.— Blocks of 
 wood used for filling up a 
 standing press Avhen there are 
 not enough books. 
 
 Pressing boards. — Boards 
 used for pressing books be- 
 tween. 
 
 Proof. — The rough edges of 
 certain leaves left uncut by 
 the plough, are proof " that 
 the book is not cut down (see 
 also Witness). 
 
 Basped. — The sharp edge taken 
 off mill-boards. 
 
 Kegister.— The ribbon placed 
 in a volume for a marker. A 
 list of signatures attached to 
 the end of early-printed books 
 for the use of the binder. In 
 printing — when on looking 
 through a leaf the print on 
 the recto and verso is not ex- 
 actly opposite, it is said to be 
 out of register. 
 
 KoLLiNG Machine. — A ma- 
 chine introduced to save the 
 labour of beating, the sheets 
 being passed between two 
 revolving cylinders. 
 
 HOLLS. — Cylindrical ornamen- 
 tal tools used in finishing. 
 
 KUNNER. — The front board 
 used in cutting edges. 
 
 KUN-UP.— When the back has 
 a fillet run from head to tail 
 without being mitred at each 
 band, it is said to be run- 
 up." 
 
 Sawing-IN.— When the back is 
 sawn for the reception of the 
 cord in sewing. 
 
 Sawing machine.— A machine 
 for sawing the backs of books 
 quickly. 
 
 Setting the head -band. — 
 Adjusting the leather in 
 covering so as to form a kind 
 of cap to the head-band. 
 
 Sewer. — The person who sews 
 the sheets together on the 
 sewing press — generally a fe- 
 male. 
 
 Sewing machine.— A recent 
 invention for the sewing of 
 books with wire and thread. 
 
 Shaving tub.— The paper cut 
 from the edges of a volume 
 are called shavings. The re- 
 ceptacle into which they fall 
 while the forwarder is cutting 
 is termed the shaving tub. 
 
 Shears, — Large scissors used 
 for cutting up mill-boards. 
 
 Sheep.— An old term for all 
 common work covered in 
 sheep-skin. 
 
 Signature. — The letter or 
 figure under the footline of 
 the first page of each sheet, to 
 indicate the order of arrange- 
 ment in the volume. 
 
 Size. — A preparation used in 
 finishing and gilding, formerly 
 made with vellum, but can 
 now be bought ready for use. 
 When used on paper a thin 
 solution of glue. 
 
 Slips. — The pieces of twine that 
 project beyond the back of 
 the volume after it is sewn. 
 
 Squares. — The portions of the 
 boards that project beyond 
 the edges after the book is 
 cut. 
 
 Stabbing. — The term used for- 
 merly for piercing the boards 
 with a bodkin for the slips to 
 I pass through ; more generally 
 
GLOSSARY. 
 
 179 
 
 known now as 'Mioleino." 
 
 The operation of piercing 
 pamphlets for the pur^DOse of 
 stitching. 
 
 Stabbing machine. — A small 
 machine used for making the 
 holes through the backs of 
 pamphlets. 
 
 Standing press. — A fixed 
 heavy press with a perpendi- 
 cular screw over the centre. 
 
 Start. — When any of the 
 leaves are not properly se- 
 cured in the back, and they 
 project beyond the others, 
 they are said to have started. 
 When the back has been 
 broken by forcing the leaves 
 they start. 
 
 Stiffener. — A thin mill-board 
 used for various purposes. 
 
 Stitching. — The operation of 
 passing the thread through a 
 pamphlet for the purpose of 
 securing the sheets together. 
 
 Straight-edge. — A small 
 board having one edge per- 
 fectly straight. 
 
 Stops. — Small circular tools, 
 adapted to ''stop" a fillet 
 when it intersects at right 
 angles ; used to save the time 
 mitring would occupy. 
 
 Tenon saw. — A small saw used 
 by bookbinders for sawing 
 the books for serving. More 
 strictly speaking a carpen- 
 ter's tool. 
 
 Title. — The space between the 
 bands upon which the letter- 
 ing is placed. The leaf in 
 the beginning of a book de- 
 scribing the subject. 
 
 Tools. — Applied particularly 
 to the hand stamps and tools 
 used in finishing. 
 
 Trimming.— Shaving the rough 
 edge of the leaves of a book 
 that is not to be cut. 
 
 Trindle.— A thin strip of wood 
 or iron. 
 
 TURNING-UP. — The process of 
 cutting the foredge in such a 
 manner as to throw the round 
 out of the back until 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 the operation. 
 
 Tying-up. — The tying of a 
 volume after the cover has 
 been drawn on, so as to make 
 the leather adhere better to 
 the sides of the bands ; also 
 for setting the head-band. 
 
 Type.— Metal letters used in 
 printing and lettering. 
 
 Type-holder.— An instrument 
 for holding the type when 
 used for lettering. 
 
 Varnish. — Used as a protection 
 to the glaire when polished 
 on the covers of books. 
 
 Whipping. — Another term for 
 overcasting, but when longer 
 stitches are made. 
 
 Witness. — When a volume is 
 cut so as to show that it has 
 not been so cut down, but 
 that some of the leaves have 
 still rough edges. These un- 
 cut leaves are called "Wit- 
 ness " (see Proof). 
 
 Wrinkle. — The uneven surface 
 in a volume, caused by not 
 being properly pressed or by 
 dampness, also caused by im- 
 proper backing. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Acids, effect of, on leather, 133. 
 Advantage, comparative, of 
 
 paste and gfue, 93. 
 
 of flexible binding, 28. 
 
 of graining calf, 144. 
 
 of vinegar over paste 
 
 water when finishing, 127. 
 Albumen, 171. 
 Antique finishing, 122. 
 tools, method of working, 
 
 122. 
 
 Arming press, 117. 
 Artificial heat, 46. 
 Artists' vellum, 147. 
 Athenseum letter on trimming, 
 43. 
 
 Azure tools, 113. 
 
 Back, calf, polishing a, 140. 
 
 finishing a (cut), 130. 
 
 full gilt, 129. 
 
 mitred, 129-139. 
 
 run up, 129-140. 
 
 Backs, flat, 48. 
 
 suitable for calf work (cut), 
 
 138. 
 Backing, 48. 
 
 (cut), 49. 
 
 hoards (cut), 48, 50. 
 
 flexible work, 50. 
 
 hammer (cut), 49. 
 
 machines, 50. 
 
 Band nippers (cut), 93. 
 Bands, putting on, 88. 
 Bar roll, 133. 
 
 Bath, efiect upon stains of 
 
 wrong, 158. 
 Beating, 9. 
 
 hammer (cut), 9. 
 
 gold books, 10. 
 
 Beating stone, 9. 
 
 Bibles, etc., edges of, 122. 
 
 end papers for, 33. 
 
 finishing of, 122. 
 
 Bindings, monastic. 111. 
 Blind finishing, 122. 
 
 beauty of, 125. 
 
 colour of, 122. 
 
 Blocking, 149. 
 
 calf, 153. 
 
 cloth, 153. 
 
 in gold, 153. 
 
 morocco, 153. 
 
 old method of, 116. 
 
 press, 150. 
 
 sides, 151 
 
 silk, 146. 
 
 velvet, 146. 
 
 Blocks, 151. 
 
 Blood stains, removing, 163. 
 Board, backing, 48. 
 
 cutting, 54. 
 
 trimming, 41. 
 
 Boards, cutting in, 64. 
 
 cutting out of, 64. 
 
 made, 55. 
 
 for photographs, 170. 
 
 Bolt knife (cut), 61. 
 Books, enemies of, 166. 
 Book- worms, 167. 
 
 to kee]3 away, 168. 
 
 Brass type, 129. 
 Bread, cleaning with, 161. 
 Bronze end paper, 34. 
 Brush, finger, 68. 
 
 sprinkling, 68. 
 
 Burnishers, 79. 
 
 edge (cuts), 81. 
 
 Burnishing edges, 81. 
 marbled paper, 73. 
 
182 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 Barnt documents, decipliering, 
 166. 
 
 Burr on knife, 79. 
 
 Calf, back polishing, 137. 
 
 blocking, 153. 
 
 Cambridge, 104. 
 
 • colouring, 100. 
 
 ■ colouring, preparing for, 
 
 102. 
 
 colouring, black, 101. 
 
 colouring, brown, 102. 
 
 colouring, yellow, 102. 
 
 covering in, 94. 
 
 dabbing, 106. 
 
 ■ effect of glue on, 89. 
 
 extra, 142. 
 
 finishing, 135. 
 
 graining, 144. 
 
 graining, advantage of, 144. 
 
 green and light, 139-141. 
 
 handling, 94. 
 
 lettering, 140. 
 
 marbling, 105. 
 
 marbling, preparing for, 
 
 104. 
 
 ■ neat, 137. 
 
 pasting down, 99. 
 
 sides, finishing, 141. 
 
 sides, polishing, 142. 
 
 work, backs suitable for 
 
 (cut), 138. 
 
 sprinkling, 103. 
 
 sprinkling, emblematic, 
 
 103. 
 
 sprinkling, preparing for 
 
 103. 
 
 Cambridge calf, 104. 
 Capping up edges, 82. 
 Cat's paw, 106. 
 
 Charcoal fire for finishing, 121. 
 Chemical colouring of leather, 
 133. 
 
 Chloride of lime solution, 159. 
 Chlorine, restoring writing 
 
 effaced by, 165. 
 Cleaning, 157. 
 
 off stick, 58-59. 
 
 removing single leaf for, 
 
 162. 
 
 Cleaning silver mountings, 172. 
 
 sponges, 172. 
 
 with india-rubber, 161. 
 
 with bread, 161. 
 
 Cloth blocking, 153. 
 
 covering with, 95. 
 
 joints, 38. 
 
 smooth, 95. 
 
 Cobb paper, 33. 
 Collating, 13. 
 Colour of blind work, 122. 
 Colours for books, suggested, 
 96. 
 
 for marbling, 69. 
 
 for sprinkling, 68. 
 
 Coloured edges, fancy, 69. 
 
 paste paper, 35. 
 
 plates, 17. 
 
 Colouring calf, 100. 
 
 calf preparing for, 102. 
 
 calf, black, 101. 
 
 calf, brown, 102. 
 
 yellow, 102. 
 
 Colouring edges, 67. 
 
 of leather, chemical, 133. 
 
 plain, for edges, 69. 
 
 Comb marble, 72. 
 
 Cord, sizes of, 22. 
 
 Cords, lay, 23. 
 
 Cotton wool, 120. 
 
 Covers, cutting leather, 90. 
 
 Covering, 90. 
 
 half bound work, 96. 
 
 preparing for, 87. 
 
 with calf, 94. 
 
 with cloth, 95. 
 
 with morocco, 90. 
 
 with parchment, 94. 
 
 with roan, 95. 
 
 with russia, 94. 
 
 with satin, 95. 
 
 with silk, 95. 
 
 with vellum, 94. 
 
 with velvet, 95. 
 
 Cut against, 54. 
 
 true, to tell if boards are, 
 
 56. 
 
 to tell if book is, 64. 
 
 Cushion, gold, 78. 
 Cutting, 59. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 183 
 
 Cutting in boards, 64. 
 out of boards, 64. 
 
 board, 54. 
 
 foredge, 62. 
 
 gold leaf, 80. 
 
 head, 61. 
 
 leather covers, 90. 
 
 machines (cuts), 65, 66. 
 
 mill-board, 52. 
 
 press and plough (cut), 60, 
 
 tail, 62. 
 
 Dabbing calf, 106. 
 Damp stains, 162. 
 
 repairing books damaged 
 
 by, 162. 
 
 Deciphering burnt documents, 
 166. 
 
 Dentelle border, 132. 
 Derome tools (cuts), 115. 
 Dibdin, Dr, 95. 
 
 Disadvantage of backing ma- 
 chines, 51. 
 
 flat backs, 48. 
 
 lettering pieces, 136. 
 
 wire sewing, 30. 
 
 Dishes for washing, 159. 
 
 Documents, deciphering burnt, 
 166. 
 
 Double, 132. 
 
 Down, pasting, 97. 
 
 Dragon, gum, 70. 
 
 Drawing in, 57. 
 
 Drawings, fixing, 165. 
 
 preserving, 165. 
 
 Dry preparation, 145. 
 
 making, 145. 
 
 Drying, artificial heat in, 46. 
 
 Duplicate sheets, 19. 
 
 Dust, removing, 161. 
 
 Dutch marble paper, 34. 
 
 Edge burnishers (cuts), 81. 
 Edges of bibles and religious 
 books, 122. 
 
 of boards, finishing, 132. 
 
 burnishing, 81. 
 
 . capping up, 82. 
 
 coloured, fancy, 69. 
 
 coloured, plain, 69. 
 
 Edges, colouring, 67. 
 
 gilding, 80. 
 
 gilt, 78. 
 
 gilt, dull, 81. 
 
 gilt, painted, 82. 
 
 gilt, on red, 82. 
 
 gilt, in the round, 81. 
 
 gilt, solid, 81. 
 
 gilt, tooled, 82. 
 
 — — marbled, 69. 
 
 marbled, paper, transfer 
 
 ring to, 74-75. 
 
 marbling, 73. 
 
 marbled, on gilt, 78. 
 
 marbled, under gilt, 78, 
 
 sprinkled, 67. 
 
 sprinkled marble, 67. 
 
 transferring marbled paper 
 
 to, 74-75. 
 uncut, 41. 
 
 Effaced by chlorine, restoring 
 writing, 165. 
 
 by oxy muriatic acid, re- 
 storing writing, 165. 
 
 Emblematic sprinkling, 103. 
 
 tooling, 117. 
 
 End papers, 33. 
 
 papers, bronze, 34. 
 
 papers, cobb, 33. 
 
 papers, coloured paste, 35. 
 
 papers, making, 35. 
 
 papers, marbled, 33. 
 
 papers, printed and fancy, 
 
 34. 
 
 papers, putting on, 38. 
 
 papers, surface, 33. 
 
 papers, for bibles, etc. , 33. 
 
 papers, for school and pub- 
 lic library books, 41. 
 Ends, sewing (cut), 40. 
 Enemies of books, 166. 
 Extra, calf, 142. 
 
 Faded MSS., restoring, 165. 
 
 writing, restoring, 165. 
 
 Fat stains, removing, 164. 
 Fillet (cut), 118. 
 Filling up, 137. 
 
 up, saw cuts, 89. 
 
 Finger brush, 68. 
 
184 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 Finger-marks, 163. 
 
 • removing, 163. 
 
 Finishing, 111. 
 
 ancient, 117. 
 
 • a back (cut), 130. 
 
 ■ a back, calf, 135. 
 
 a back, full gilt, 137. 
 
 a back, run up, 139. 
 
 blind, antique or monastic, 
 
 122. 
 
 blind, tools for, 122. 
 
 calf sides, 141. 
 
 charcoal fire for, 121. 
 
 • edges of boards, 132. 
 
 extra calf sides, 142. 
 
 flexible work, 124. 
 
 . gold, 125. 
 
 gold, tools for, 122. 
 
 half morocco book, 127. 
 
 inside of a book, 132-141. 
 
 medium, 126. 
 
 medium, importance of 
 
 proper, 126. 
 
 morocco sides, 131. 
 
 morocco imitation, 133. 
 
 paper, 144. 
 
 press (cuts), 121-122. 
 
 religious books, 122. 
 
 roan, 133. 
 
 russia, 145. 
 
 sides calf, 135. 
 
 sides calf extra, 142. 
 
 sides morocco, 131. 
 
 sides, morocco imitation, 
 
 133. 
 
 silk, 146. 
 
 stove (cuts), 120. 
 
 taste in, 117. 
 
 tools, 118-122. 
 
 tools, heat for, 128. 
 
 vellum, 147. 
 
 ' velvet, 146. 
 
 with dry preparation, 145. 
 
 Fixing drawings, 165. 
 Flat backs, 48.' 
 
 Flexible binding, advantages of, 
 28. 
 
 how to tell, 29. 
 
 not to show, 29, 89. 
 
 Flexible work, backing, 50. 
 
 Flexible work, cleaning off, 59. 
 
 work, covering, preparing 
 
 for, 89. 
 
 work, finishing, 124. 
 
 work, gluing up, 45. 
 
 work, marking up, 20. 
 
 work, mock, 90. 
 
 work, sewing, 23. 
 
 work, sewing (cut), 27. 
 
 Folding, 3. 
 
 stick, 4. 
 
 machine (cut), 7 
 
 maps, 15. 
 
 Folio, 4. 
 
 For edge, cutting, 62. 
 Forwarding, 33. 
 Fox-marks, 163. 
 
 marks, removing, 163. 
 
 French, dab, 106. 
 
 method of pressing, 19. 
 
 method of trimming, 42. 
 
 paring knife (cut), 90. 
 
 paring knife, method of 
 
 using (cut), 91. 
 Full gilt back, finishing, 137. 
 
 Gall, ox, for marbling, 71. 
 Gascon, 115. 
 
 tools (cuts), 114. 
 
 Gathering, 8. 
 
 machine, 8. 
 
 German, method of gluing up, 
 45. 
 
 paring knife (cut), 91. 
 
 paring knife, method of 
 
 using (cut), 91. 
 Giggering, 124. 
 Gilding edges, 80. 
 Gilt back, full, 129. 
 
 edges, 78. 
 
 edges, dull, 81. 
 
 edges, painted, 82, 
 
 edges, solid, 81. 
 
 edges, tooled, 82. 
 
 in the round, 81. 
 
 marbling on, 78. 
 
 marbling under, 78. 
 
 on red, 82. 
 
 top, 41. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 185 
 
 Glaire, 119. 
 
 how to make, 119. 
 
 water, 79. 
 
 Glue, 169. 
 
 comparative advantages of 
 
 paste and, 93. 
 
 eftect on calf of, 89. 
 
 rice, 169. 
 
 to tell good, 169. 
 
 Gluing up, 45. 
 
 up flexible work, 45. 
 
 up, German method of, 45. 
 
 Gold, blocking in, 153. 
 
 cushion, 78. 
 
 finishing, 125. 
 
 finishing, tools for, 128. 
 
 knife, 79. 
 
 leaf, 79-119. 
 
 leaf, cutting, 80. 
 
 Grain, treatment of straight, 92. 
 treatment of leather with 
 
 no, 92. 
 Graining calf, 144. 
 
 advantage of, 144. 
 
 Graining up, 92. 
 Grolier tools (cuts), 113. 
 Groove, 7. 
 
 Guarding plates, etc., 15, 
 Guards, object of, 16. 
 GumTragacanth(Gum Dragon), 
 70. 
 
 Half binding, 96. 
 
 binding, covering, 96. 
 
 binding, lining for, 53. 
 
 binding, pasting down, 100. 
 
 Hammer, beating (cut), 9. 
 Hand finishing, 116. 
 
 letters, 118. 
 
 Handling calf, 94. 
 Head band, setting, 93. 
 
 bands, stuck on, 80. 
 
 banding, 83. 
 
 banding (cut), 84. 
 
 banding on old books, 84. 
 
 of book cutting, 61. 
 
 Heat, artificial, 46. 
 
 for finishing tools, 128. 
 
 for polishing tools, 140. 
 
 Henry III., bindings of, 114. 
 
 Holes in back, filling up, 89. 
 Hollow backs, 87. 
 
 Imitation morocco, finishing, 
 133. 
 
 Importance of proper finishing 
 
 medium, 126. 
 Incombustible, to render paper, 
 
 166. 
 
 India rubber, 119. 
 
 rubber, how to use, 161. 
 
 Ink stains, removing, 163. 
 
 stains, marking, 164. 
 
 Inlaid work, 133. 
 Inlaying, 134. 
 
 Viennese method of, 135. 
 
 Insects, 166. 
 
 poison for, 168. 
 
 Inside of book, finishing, 132- 
 141. 
 
 Interleaving, 18. 
 
 Iron, knocking-down (cut), 6. 
 
 polishing (cut), 119. 
 
 Joint, 7. 
 
 Joints, cloth, 38-99. 
 morocco, 98. 
 
 Kettle stitch, 25-28. 
 Keys (sewing), 23. 
 Knife, bolt (cut), 61. 
 
 burr on, 79. 
 
 gold, 79. 
 
 paring, French (cut), 90. 
 
 paring, method of holding, 
 
 (cut), 91. 
 
 paring, German (cut), 91. 
 
 paring, German, method of 
 
 holding (cut), 92. 
 
 sliding (cut), 60. 
 
 trimming, 42. 
 
 Knocking down iron (cut), 6. 
 
 Lard, 124. 
 Lay cords, 23. 
 Lead type, 129. 
 Leaf, gold, 79. 
 
 gold, cutting, 80. 
 
 gold, thickness of, 80. 
 
 removing single, 162. 
 
186 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 Leather covers, cutting, 90. 
 
 kinds of, 90. 
 
 non-porous, 126. 
 
 porous, 126. 
 
 Leaves, re-sizing, 162. 
 Lettering, 117. 
 
 calf, 140. 
 
 pieces, 136. 
 
 pieces, disadvantages of, 
 
 136. 
 
 pieces, for vellum books, 
 
 148. 
 
 pieces, substitute for, 136. 
 
 Letters, hand, 129. 
 Lining boards, 55. 
 
 boards, half binding, 55. 
 
 boards, whole binding, 55. 
 
 paper for, 88. 
 
 up, 87. 
 
 Machine, backing, 50. 
 
 cutting (cuts), 65, 66. 
 
 folding (cut), 7. 
 
 gathering, 8. 
 
 mill-board cutting (cuts), 
 
 54. 
 
 mill-board cutting, steam, 
 
 (cut), 54. 
 
 rolling (cut), 11. 
 
 rounding (cut), 47. 
 
 sawing in (cut), 22. 
 
 sewing (cut), 31. 
 
 sewing, 32. 
 
 sewing wire, 32. 
 
 Machines, to prevent, rusting, 
 
 171. 
 
 Making end papers, 35. 
 Maps, mounting (cut), 14. 
 
 throwing out, 13. 
 
 Marble comb, 72. 
 
 edges, sprinkled, 67. 
 
 nonpareil, 72. 
 
 shell, 72. 
 
 Spanish, 72. 
 
 spot, 72. 
 
 tree, 105. 
 
 Marbled edges, 69. 
 
 paper, 33. 
 
 paper, burnishing, 73. 
 
 paper, old Dutch, 34. 
 
 Marbled paper, transferring to 
 
 edges, 74-75. 
 Marblers, mechanical (cuts), 75. 
 Marbling, 34-71. 
 
 ancient instructions for, 76. 
 
 calf, 105. 
 
 colours for, 69. 
 
 edges, 73. 
 
 edges, on gilt, 78. 
 
 — — edges, under gilt, 78. 
 
 ox gall for, 71. 
 
 paper, 73. 
 
 preparing for, 104. 
 
 requisites for, 69. 
 
 set, 77. 
 
 size for, 70. 
 
 trough (cut), 70. 
 
 Margins, 3-43. 
 
 Marking ink stains, removing, 
 
 164. 
 — up, 20. 
 
 Mechanical marblers (cuts), 75. 
 Medium for finishing, 126. 
 
 importance of proper, 126. 
 
 Mill-board, cutting, 52. 
 
 cutting machine (cut), 53. 
 
 cutting machine, steam, 
 
 (cut), 54. 
 
 shears, 52. 
 
 Mill-boards, 51. 
 
 made, 55. 
 
 name of, 51. 
 
 ■ sizes of, 52. 
 
 price of, 51. 
 
 Missing sheets, 19. 
 Mitre piece (cut), 131. 
 Mitred back, 129. 
 Mock flexible binding, 90. 
 Monastic, bindings, 111. 
 
 finishing, 122. 
 
 tools (cuts), 112. 
 
 Morocco, blocking, 153. 
 
 imitation, finishing, 133. 
 
 joints, 98. 
 
 pasting down, 97. 
 
 sides, finishing, 141. 
 
 Mosaic work, 133. 
 Mounting, maps, 15. 
 
 photographs, 171. 
 
 Mountings, cleaning silver, 172. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 187 
 
 MSS., preserving, 165. 
 
 restoring faded, 165. 
 
 Mull, 89. 
 
 Mud stains, 162. 
 
 removing, 162. 
 
 Neat, calf, 137. 
 Nippers, band (cut), 93. 
 Nitric acid, efiect upon leather, 
 133. 
 
 Nonpareil marble, 72. 
 Non-porous leathers, 126. 
 
 Object of guards, 16. 
 
 of trimming, 42. 
 
 Old books, beating, 10. 
 
 head-banding in, 84. 
 
 sewing, 25. 
 
 Old writing, reviving, 164. 
 Opening books, care in, 169. 
 Overcasting, 18. 
 Oversewing, 18. 
 Ox gall for marbling, 71. 
 Oxford vellum, 147. 
 Oxymuriatic acid, restoring 
 writing effaced by, 165. 
 
 Painting covers, 133. 
 Pallet (cut), 118. 
 
 using the, 123. 
 
 Paper, bronze end, 34. 
 
 burnishing marbled, 73. 
 
 Cobb,^ 33. 
 
 finishing, 145. 
 
 for lining up, 88. 
 
 incombustible, to render, 
 
 166. 
 
 marbled, 33. 
 
 marbled, old Dutch, 34. 
 
 marbling, 73. 
 
 paste, 35. 
 
 printed and fancy end, 34. 
 
 surface, 33. 
 
 waterproof, to render, 165. 
 
 Papers, end, 33. 
 
 ■ end, making, 35. 
 
 Parchment, 147. 
 
 . covering with, 94. 
 
 vegetable, 147. 
 
 Paring, 91. 
 
 knife, French (cut), 90. 
 
 knife, French, method of 
 
 using (cut), 91. 
 
 knife, German (cut), 91. 
 
 knife, German, method of 
 
 using, 92. 
 Paste, 170. 
 
 and glue, comparative ad- 
 vantages, 93. 
 
 for white morocco, 94. 
 
 for paper, 35. 
 
 rice, 169. 
 
 to prevent, moulding and 
 
 souring, 170. 
 water, effect upon leather,. 
 
 127. 
 Pasting, 36. 
 
 calf, 99. 
 
 down, 97. 
 
 down half bindings, 100. 
 
 Russia, 99. 
 
 single sheets, 17. 
 
 up, 36. 
 
 Peel, 159. 
 
 Photographs, boards for, 170. 
 
 mounting, 171. 
 
 removing, 170. 
 
 Pieces, lettering, 136. 
 
 ■ lettering, disadvantages of, 
 
 136. 
 
 lettering, substitute for,. 
 
 1.36. 
 
 Plates, 14. 
 
 coloured, 17. 
 
 guarding, 15. 
 
 Plougli, round, 42. 
 
 Polishing calf back, 140. 
 
 calf sides, 142. 
 
 heat for, 140. 
 
 Polishing iron (cut), 119. 
 
 Porous leathers, 126. 
 
 Preparation, dry, 145. 
 
 Preparing for covering, 87. 
 
 ! for covering flexible worky 
 
 I 89. 
 
 j for covering flexible work,. 
 
 I not to show, 89. 
 
 I for covering mock flexible 
 
 j work, 90. 
 
188 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 Presei ving drawings, MSS. , etc. , 
 165. 
 
 Press, arming, 117. 
 
 blocking, 150. 
 
 cutting (cut), 60. 
 
 finishing (cut), 121-122. 
 
 lying, 7, 37. 
 
 sewing (cut), 24. 
 
 • standing, 18. 
 
 • standing, American (cut), 
 
 19. 
 
 Pressing, 58, 143. 
 
 Parisian, mode of, 19. 
 
 ■ various sized books, 58. 
 
 Proof, 57. 
 
 Public library books, 41. 
 Pulling, 5. 
 
 Putting on bands, 88. 
 on end papers, 38. 
 
 Refolding, 5. 
 Register, 3. 
 
 Religious books, edges, 122, 
 
 books, end papers, 33. 
 
 books, finishing, 122. 
 
 Removing blood stains, 163. 
 
 dam]3 stains, 162. 
 
 dust, 161. 
 
 fat stains, 164. 
 
 ' finger-marks, 163. 
 
 fox-marks, 163. 
 
 ' ink stains, 163. 
 
 marking ink stains, 164. 
 
 mud stains, 161. 
 
 single leaf for cleaning, 162. 
 
 j^hotographs, 171. 
 
 water stains, 161. 
 
 writing, 163. 
 
 Repairing books damaged by 
 
 damp, 162. 
 Re -sizing leaves, 162. 
 Restoring faded MSS., 165. 
 writing effaced by chlorine, 
 
 165. 
 
 writing effaced by oxy- 
 
 muriatic acid, 165. 
 writing effaced by sea 
 
 water, 165. 
 
 writing faded by time, 165. 
 
 Reviving old writing, 164. 
 
 Rice glue or paste, 169. 
 Roan, covering with, 95. 
 
 finishing, 133. 
 
 Roll, bar, 133. 
 Rolling, 10. 
 
 Rolling machine (cut), 11. 
 Round plough, 42. 
 Rounding, 46. 
 
 machine, 47. 
 
 Roman vellum, 147. 
 Runner, 54. 
 Run up back, 129, 139. 
 Russia, finishing, 145. 
 
 imitation, 96. 
 
 pasting down, 99. 
 
 treatment of, 94. 
 
 Rusting, to prevent, tools, etc., 
 171. 
 
 Satin, covering with, 95. 
 Saw cuts, depth of, 22. 
 
 cuts, filling up, 89. 
 
 marks (cut), 21. 
 
 tennon, 21. 
 
 Sawing in, 21. 
 
 in machine (cut), 22. 
 
 School books, end pa^Dcrs for, 41, 
 Scrapers, 79. 
 Set, marbling, 77. 
 Set off, 12. 
 
 Setting head band, 93. 
 Sewing, 23. 
 
 disadvantage of wire, 30. 
 
 ends, mode of (cut), 40. 
 
 flexible (cut), 27. 
 
 flexible work, 23. 
 
 keys, 23. 
 
 machine, 32. 
 
 machine (cut), 31. 
 
 old books, 25. 
 
 ordinary (cuts), 26. 
 
 press (cut), 24. 
 
 thread, 27. 
 
 wire, 30. 
 
 machine, 32. 
 
 Shears, mill-board, 52. 
 Sheets, 3.^ 
 
 duplicate, 19. 
 
 missing, 19. 
 
 Shell marble, 72. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 180 
 
 Sides, blocking, 151. 
 
 calf, finisliing, 141. 
 
 calf, extra finisliing, 142. 
 
 calf, polishing, 142. 
 
 morocco, finishing, 131. 
 
 siding, 142. 
 
 tooling, 125. 
 
 Sieve, sprinkling, 68. 
 Signatures, 4. 
 Silk blocking, 146. 
 
 covering with, 95. 
 
 finishing, 146. 
 
 Silver mountings, to clean, 172. 
 Single sheets, pasting, 17. 
 Size, 74-79, 160. 
 
 for marbling, 70. 
 
 Sizes of books, 4-5. 
 
 of cord, 22. 
 
 of mill -boards, 52. 
 
 Sizing, 74-159. 
 Siding sides, 142. 
 Sliding knife (cut), 60. 
 Smooth cloth, covering with, 95. 
 Spanish marble, 72. 
 Sponges, 119. 
 
 cleaning, 172. 
 
 Spot marble, 72. 
 Sprinkled edges, 67. 
 
 marble edges, 67. 
 
 Sprinkling brush, 68. 
 
 calf, 103. 
 
 calf, fancy, 103. 
 
 calf, preparing for, 103. 
 
 colours, 68. 
 
 sieve, 68. 
 
 Stains, blood, removing, 163. 
 damp, 162. 
 
 effect of wrong bath upon, 
 
 158. 
 
 fat, removing, 164. 
 
 ink, removing, 164. 
 
 mud, removing, 162. 
 
 removing, 158. 
 
 removing, different, 158. 
 
 water, how to tell, 161. 
 
 water, removing, 161. 
 
 Stamps, 151. 
 Standing press, 18. 
 
 press, American (cut), 19. 
 
 Steel-faced backing boards, 50. 
 
 Stick, folding, 4. 
 
 cleaning off, 58, 59. 
 
 Stone, beating, 9. 
 
 Stove, finishing (cut), 120. 
 
 Straight grain leather treat- 
 ment, 92. 
 
 Stuck on head bands, 86. 
 
 Substitute for lettering pieces, 
 136. 
 
 Surface paper, 33. 
 Swelling, 27. 
 
 Tail, cutting, 62. 
 Taste in finishing, 117. 
 Tennon saw, 21. 
 Thread, sewing, 27. 
 Throw up backs, 89. 
 Throwing out maps (cut), 16. 
 Thumb marks, removing, 163. 
 Time, restoring writing faded 
 
 by, 165. 
 Title, 128. 
 Tools, Derome, 115. 
 
 finishing, 118. 
 
 for antique finishing, 122. 
 
 for gold finishing, 122. 
 
 Grolier, 113. 
 
 Le Gascon, 114. 
 
 monastic, 112. 
 
 to prevent, rusting, 171. 
 
 Venetian (cuts), 113. 
 
 Tooled gilt edges, 82. 
 Tooling, emblematic, 117. 
 
 sides, 125. 
 
 Top, gilt, 41. 
 Tree marble, 105. 
 Trimming, 41. 
 
 board, 41. 
 
 French method of, 42. 
 
 knife, 42. 
 
 letter on, 43. 
 
 machine, 44. 
 
 macliine (cut), 42. 
 
 object of, 42. 
 
 Trindles, 62. 
 
 Trough, marbling (cut), 70. 
 
 two sheets on, 29. 
 
 Type, 118-128. 
 — —brass, 129. 
 
190 
 
 BOOKBINDING. 
 
 Type holder (cut), 118. 
 lead, 129. 
 
 Uncut edges, 41. 
 Unsized paper, to tell, 80. 
 
 Varnish, 120. 
 Varnishing, 143. 
 
 object of, 120. 
 
 Vegetable parchment, 147. 
 Vellum artists, 147. 
 
 binding, lettering pieces, 
 
 149. 
 
 binding, old, 94. 
 
 covering with, 94. 
 
 finishing, 147. 
 
 Oxford, 147. 
 
 Eoman, 147. 
 
 Velvet, blocking, 146. 
 
 covering with, 95. 
 
 finishing, 146. 
 
 Venetian tools (cuts), 113. 
 Viennese method of inlaying, 
 135. 
 
 Vinegar, advantage of, 127. 
 
 Washing, 158. 
 
 dishes for, 1 59. 
 
 requisites for, 159. 
 
 Water, glaire, 79. 
 
 stains, how to tell, 161. 
 
 stains, removing, 161. 
 
 Waterproof, rendering paper, 
 165. 
 
 White morocco, paste for, 92. 
 Whole binding, lining boards 
 
 for, 55. 
 Wire sewing, 30. 
 sewing, disadvantage of, 
 
 30. 
 
 sewing, machine, 32. 
 
 Writing effaced by chlorine, 
 restoring, 165. 
 
 effaced by oxymuriatic 
 
 acid, restoring, 165. 
 
 faded by sea water, re- 
 viving, 165. 
 
 faded by time, reviving, 
 
 165. 
 
 removing, 164. 
 
 reviving old, 164. 
 
 Wrong bath, effect upon stains 
 of, 158. 
 
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 volume, which v,^ell maintains its ground against all rivals on its own lines. The 'defini- 
 tions ' or more properly 'explanations of meaning* in 'Webster' have always struck me 
 as particularly terse and well put ; and it is hard to see how anything better could be done 
 within the limits.'* 
 
 Professor JOSEPH WRIGHT, M.A., Ph.D., D.C.L., LL.D., Editor of the English 
 Dialect Dictionary : — " The new edition of Webster's International Dictionary is undoubtedly 
 the most useful and reliable work of its kind in any country. No one, who has not 
 examined the work carefully, would believe that such a vast amount of lexicographical 
 information could possibly be found within so small a compass." 
 
 Dr. T. J. MACNAMARA, M.P., says :—•* I have had it at my elbow during six weeks* 
 bard labour — professional and literary. How I got on without it before I can't imagine. 
 I have found it absolutely impregnable to the critical investigator anxious to detect short- 
 comings. It is simplv abreast of every development, whether in the field of literature, 
 
 science, or art. No school and no teacher can afford to be without it." 
 
 Sen I for ILLUSTRATED PAMPHLET, containing hundreds of other 
 Testimonials, and also Specimen Pages, Prices in all Styles of Bindings S^. 
 LONDON: GEORGE BELL & SONS 
 
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