Bookbinding and The Care of Books
Douglas Cockerell with Drawings by Noel Rooke and other
Illustrations New York 1902
Book binding Chapter XI Part 2
not too much to tie down every third time the
needle end of the silk comes to the back. To make
good headbands the pull on the silk must be even
throughout.
When the ends of the silk are pasted down, the
ends of the vellum slip are cut off as near the silk
as possible. The correct length of the headband is
best judged by pressing the boards together with
thumb and finger at the opposite ends of the band,
so as to compress the section into their final
compass. If the band then buckles
The medieval headband is best judged by pressing the boards together with thumb and finger
at the opposite ends of the band, so as to compress the sections into their final compass. If the
band then buckles in the least, it is too long and must be shortened.
The medieval headbands are sewn with the other bands (see fig. 32), and were very strong, as
they were tied down at every section. Modern worked headbands, although not so strong, are, if
frequently tied down, strong enough to resist any reasonable strain. There are many other ways
of head banding, but if the one described is mastered, the various other patterns will suggest
themselves if variety is needed. For very large books a double headband may be worked on two
pieces of gut or string – a thick piece with a thin piece in front. The string should first be
soaked in thin glue and left to dry. Such a band is worked with a figure of eight stitch.
Headbands may also be worked with two or three shades of silk. As vellum is apt to get hard
and to break when it is used for head banding, it is well to paste two pieces together with linen
in between, and to cut into strips as required.
Machine-made headbands can be bought by the yard. Such bands are merely glued on, but as
they have but little strength, should not be used.
Where leather joints are used, the headbands may be worked on pieces of soft leather sized
and screwed up. If the ends are left long and tied in front while the book is being covered, they
may be conveniently let into grooves in the boards before the leather joint is pasted down. This
method, I think, has little constructive value, but it certainly avoids the rather unfinished look of
the cut-off headband.
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