Bookbinding and The Care of Books
Douglas Cockerell with Drawings by Noel Rooke and other
Illustrations New York 1902
Bookbinding Chapter 1 Part 2
are given. The first is suggested for binding
books of special interest or value, where no
restriction as to price is made. A binding
under this specification may be decorated to
any extent that the nature of the book
justifies. The second is for good binding,
for books of reference and other heavy
books that may have a great deal of wear.
All features of the first that make for the
strength of the binding are retained, while
those less essential, that only add to the
appearance, are omitted. Although the
binding under this specification would be
much cheaper than that carried out under
the first, it would still be too expensive for
the majority of books in most libraries; and
as it would seem to be impossible to further
modify this form of binding, without
materially reducing its strength, for cheaper
work, a somewhat different system is
recommended. The third specification is
recommended for the binding for the
general run of small books in most libraries.
The fourth is a modification of this for
pamphlets and other books of little value,
that need to be kept together tidily for
occasional reference.
of a sound tradition for the best binding. The Report of the Committee appointed by the
Society of Arts to investigate the cause of the decay of modern leather bindings, should tend to
establish a sound tradition for cheaper work. The third specification at the end of this book is
practically the same as that given in their Report, and was arrived at by selection, after many
libraries had been examined, and many forms of binding compared.
Up to the end of the eighteenth century the traditional methods of binding books had altered
very little during three hundred years. Books were generally sewn round five cords, the ends of
all of these laced into the boards, and the leather attached directly to the back. At the end of the
eighteenth century it became customary to pare down leather until it was a thin as paper, and
soon afterwards the use of hollow backs and false bands became general, and these two things
together mark the beginning of the modern degradation of binding, so far as its utility as a
protection is concerned.
The Society of Arts Committee report that the bookbinders must share with the leather
manufacturers and librarians the blame for the premature decay of modern bindings, because –
“1. Books are sewn on too few, and too thin cords, and the slips are pared down unduly (for the
sake of neatness), and are not in all cases firmly laced into the boards. This renders the
attachment of the boards to the book almost entirely dependent on the strength of the leather.
“2. The use of hollow backs throws all the strain of opening and shutting on the joints, and
renders the back liable to come right off if the book is much used.
“3. The leather of the back is apt to become torn through the use of insufficiently strong
headbands, which are unable to stand the strain of the book being taken from the shelf.
“4. It is a common practice to use far too thin leather; especially to use the large thick skins very
much pared down for small books.
“5. The leather is often made very wet and stretched a great deal in covering, with the result that
on drying it is further strained, almost to breaking point, by contraction, leaving a very small
margin of strength to meet the accidents of use.”
The history of the general introduction of hollow backs is probably somewhat as follows:
Leather was doubtless first chosen for covering the backs of books because of its toughness and
flexibility; because, while protecting the back, it would bend when the book was opened and
allow the back to “throw up” (see fig. I, A). When gold tooling became common, and the backs
of books were elaborately decorated, it was found that the creasing of the leather injured the
brightness of the gold and caused it to crack. To avoid this the binders lined up the back until it
was as stiff as a block of wood. The back would then not “throw up” as the book was opened,
the leather would not be creased, and the gold would remain uninjured (see fig. I, B). This was
all very well for the gold, but a book so treated does not open fully, and indeed, if the paper is
stiff, can hardly be got to open at all. To overcome both difficulties the hollow back was
introduced, and as projecting bands would have been in the way, the sewing cord was sunk in
saw cuts made across the back of the book.
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