An Essay in the History of Gold-Tooled
Bindings by Herbert P. Horne
London 1894
Part I
the title page of his admirable work, Les Relieurs Francais: and which, in a particular sense, is
abundantly true. In France, alone, has bookbinding been continuously practised, and
encouraged, as a fine art, since the Revival of Learning: and in that country, alone, does there
exist any considerable literature upon its history and methods. In this sense, bookbinding is an
art almost peculiar to France: and yet not to France, but to Italy, must be conceded, both the
introduction of gold-tooling into Europe, and the origin of the taste, which determined the
nature of the designs used upon European tooled bindings, for nearly a century. Indeed, it
might be questioned, whether early Italian bindings have yet been surpassed in beauty and
decoration, by those of other times or countries: but be this as it may, the literature of the art
remains wholly in the hands of the French. The Italians have neither collected nor written
anything considerable upon this subject; the Germans, as their fashion is,-have been more
industrious than discerning: while English works are, perhaps, numerous enough, but not
always very critical, or very conclusive. Some exceptions, however, are to be made in the case"
of a few scattered essays on particular subjects, and, especially, in regard to Miss Prideaux's
excellent Bibliography of Bookbinding, London, 1892, which, as she very properly observes in
her preface, is the first step towards the methodical study of this subject. But a general history
and criticism of the art in Europe still remains to be written: and before this can be done with
any completeness, the documents, which relate to English, and especially, to Italian, binders
and binding, omitting those of other European countries, must be collected and examined, with
the same diligence and judgment, as the documents, which relate to the French binders.
In writing the first and last chapters of the present essay, which chiefly treat of the technical
methods of bookbinding, I have used a number of authorities. The earliest technical works upon
Bookbinding are not easily accessible, and are chiefly known on account of an allusion to them in
a later work, entitled: L'Art du Relieur-doreur de Livres. This treatise was written by M.Dudin, at
the request of the Academie Royale des Sciences to be included in their Description Generale
des Arts et Metiers, and was published at Paris, in 1772. 'J'avouerai cependant,' says the writer
in his preface, 'qu'il m'auroitete impossible de joindre cet art a ceux de l' Academie, si, aux
lumieres que j'ai tin~es, d'un Manuscrit de M. Jaugeon, appartenant a I'Academie, & 'du petit
ouvra§e de M. Gauffecourt de Lyon, je n'avois eu Ie secours de M. Ie Monnier Ie jeune, -Maitre
Relieur, & Relieur de S. A. R. Mgr. Ie Duc d'OrIeans.' Three copper plates, in large folio, had been
engraved for the work of M. J augeon, which still remains in manuscript; and these were used by
M. Dudin, being severally numbered 8, 10, and II, in his treatise, and are signed with the name
of Ludovicus Simonneau, and dated "1694-7. This manuscript, which is preserved in the
Bibliotheque Nationale [Fr. 9157 and 9158], was intended by the Academie des Sciences, to
have formed the last part of a work entitled: Description et Perfection des Arts et Metiers; a
design, which was afterwards accomplished by that body, in the Descn'ption Glnerale, the first
portion of which was published in 1761.