Bookbinding and The Care of Books

A Handbook for Amateurs Bookbinders & Librarians by
Douglas Cockerell with Drawings by Noel Rooke and other
Illustrations New York 1902

Bookbinding Chapter V Part 1

End Papers

If an old book that has had much wear is
examined, it will generally be found that the
leaves at the beginning and the end have
suffered more than the rest of the book. On
this ground, and also to enable people who
must write notes in books to do so with the
least injury to the book, it is advisable to put a
good number of blank papers at each end. As
these papers are part of the binding, and have
an important protective function to perform,
they should be of good quality. At all times
difficulty has been found in preventing the first
and lat section of the book, whether end papers
or not, from dragging away when the cover is
opened, and various devices have been tried to
overcome this defect. In the fifteenth century
strips of vellum (usually cut form manuscripts)
were pasted on to the back of the book and on
the inside of the boards, or in some cases were
merely folded round the first and last section

and pasted on the covers. The modern, and far less efficient, practice is to “overcast” the first
and last sections. This is objectionable, because it prevents the leaves from opening right to the
back, and it fails in the object aimed at, by merely transferring the strain to the back of the
overcast section.
In order to make provision for any strain there may be in opening the cover, it is better to adopt
some such arrangement as shown in fig. 19. In this end paper the zigzag opens slightly in
response to any strain.

The way to make this end paper is to take a folded sheet of paper a little larger than the book.
Then with dividers mark two points an eighth of an inch from the back for the fold, and paste
your paste-down paper, BB, up to these points (see fig. 19, II). When the paste is dry, fold back
the sheet (AI) over the paste-down paper, and A2 the reverse way, leaving the form seen in fig.
19, III. A folded sheet of paper similar to A is inserted at C (fig. 19, V, H), and the sewing
passes through this. When the book is pasted down the leaf AI is torn off, and B1 pasted down
on the board. If marbled paper is desired, the marble should be “made,” that is, pasted on to B1.
There are considerable disadvantages in using marbled papers, as if they are of thick enough
paper to help the strength of the binding, the “made” sheet is very stiff, and in a small book is
troublesome. On no account should any marble paper be used, unless it is tough and durable.
The quality of the paper of which most marbled papers are made is so poor, that it is unsuitable
for use as end papers. For most books a self-coloured paper of good quality answers well for the
paste-down sheets.
Paper with a conventional pattern painted or printed on it may be used for end papers. If such a
design is simple, such as a sprig repeated all over, or an arrangement of stars or dots, it may look
well; but over elaborate end papers, and especially those that aim at pictorial effect, are seldom
successful.
Ends may be made of thin vellum. If so, unless the board is very heavy, it is best to have leather
joints.
It is a mistake to leave end papers to be passed on after the book has been forwarded, as in the
case they have little constructive value. Every leaf of such an end paper as is described above
will open right to the back, and the zigzag allows play for the drag of the board.

Bookbinding Chapter V Part 2

Back to Chapter IV Part 4

B ack to Chapter Index