The press load of books should be left in the standing press all night, and the next morning they will be ready for sewing.

The press is unscrewed by pulling the press pin round the contrary way, viz., from left to right, and the boards and books lifted out. The various portions of the books are then taken from between the boards and laid together in proper order, so as to form volumes.
The next operation is to saw the backs for sewing. If the reader will examine an ancient book, say, one bound 100 or 150 years ago, he will find the cords (" bands," they arc

called) upon which it is sewn project from the back. In process of time, however, this appearance of the bands came to be considered objectionable, and the adoption of the "open back," in place of the "tight back," rendered them inconvenient, and "kerfs," or channels were cut with a saw in the back of the book, to permit the bands to sink in. A "tenon" saw is used for this purpose. It should be kept sharpened and properly set. Several books of the same size are laid together, say, four octavos (Quarterly Review), with their backs and heads together (level), and an octavo pressing-board is placed at each side of the parcel. They arc then lifted in both outspread hands, as at Fig. 35, and brought down forcibly on the light-hand cheek of the laying press.

This is done several times to both the back and the head until all the sections are beaten up level at both places. This is termed" knocking up."

It may here be well to remind the reader that the four edges of a book or a leaf are termed: The top, "the head"; the front, the "fore-edge"; the bottom, the" tail"; the other edge being, of course, the "back."

When the books are knocked up level at the head and back, set the two boards, one on each side, about 1 1/2in. from the

back, lower the fore-edges into the laying press, and screw up with the hands.

Stand at the side of the tub, so that you face the side of the press, and, taking the tenon saw in the right hand, make a cut (or"kerf," as the carpenters call it) across the back, about an inch fro111 the head (as at Fig. 36).

This is to receive the top" kettle-stitch" (or "catch-stitch" ), so will not require to be very deep, about the sixteenth of an inch, 01' rather more if you arc going to sew the book with large thread. Next, make a corresponding kerf at about 1 1/2in, from the tail of the book. Then, supposing the book is an 8vo, with eight leaves to the section, measure with the end of the saw (as at X, Fig. 37) to find the centre between the two kettle - stitches. When found, make a saw-cut there.

With a book of 8vo size, it is usual to sew "two on" with good sized threads, so that three cords will be required; consequently, the distance between each of the kettle-stitches and the last cut made must be judged by eye, and another saw-kerf made between them. This process is shown at Fig. 37, where

A and B are the two kettle-stitches. Then the central sawkerf, C, is made; then D, between the head kettle-stitch and C; and, last, E, midway between the tail kettle-stitch and C.

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