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by Joseph W. Zaehnsdorf
3rd Edition Published in London 1897
should be covered with clean glue not too thick; first glue the
back of the book and let that set before the sides are put
down. The sides of the book should next be glued, and the
velvet laid down, and turned in with glue. The corners should
be very carefully cut or they will not meet, or cover properly
when dry. When the whole is dry the pile may be raised,
should it be finger marked, by holding the book over steam,
and if necessary by carefully using a brush.
Silk and Satin
should be lined first with a piece of thin paper cut to the size of
the book. The paper must be glued with thin clean glue,
rubbed down well on to the silk, and allowed to get dry, before
covering the book. When dry cover it as with velvet.
Dr. Dibdin, whose knowledge of libraries and great book
collectors must stamp him as an authority, says that: -
cardinal point, to which the tasteful collector does well to attend. You have a right to consider books, as to their
outsides, with the eye of a painter; because this does not militate against the proper use of the contents…. Be
sparing of red morocco or vellum, they have each so distinct, or what painters called spotty, an appearance, that they
should be introduced but circumspectly.”
I cannot agree entirely with the Doctor with regard to being sparing with the red morocco. A library without colour is
dark, dreary, and repulsive. The library should be one of the most inviting and cheery rooms in a house and even if
one cannot aspire to a room entirely devoted to literature and study, let the bookcase, whatever its position or
however humble, be made as cheerful and inviting as possible. What colour will do this so well as red? But it should
be judiciously dispersed with other colours.
If some standard colour were chosen for each subject, one might recognize from some little distance the nature of the
book by its colour. For instance, all books relating to the Military matters might be in bright red; Naval affairs in blue;
Botany in green; History in dark red; Poetry in some fancy colour, such as orange, light blue, light green, or olive,
according to its subject; Divinity in dark brown; Archaeology in dull red, and Law in white as at present. This would
give a pleasing variety, and a light and cheerful appearance to a library.
An imitation Russia leather is imported from America, of far greater strength than the real. It is made from buffalo
skins, and tanned in the same way as the Russia hides. This fact, combined with the price, has doubtless caused this
material to be received with favour in the English market. It is to be had from nearly all leather sellers.
Half-bound Work
The title speaks for itself, the book has its back, a part of the sides, and the corners covered the leather. The sides
are, after the leather is perfectly dry, covered either with cloth or paper according to fancy, turned over the boards as
with leather. The book is then to be pasted down. Before the paper is put on the sides, all unevenness of the
leather is to be pared away. This style has gained its reputation very much on account of its economy; the amount of
leather required is less, and the work is as strong and serviceable as in a whole-bound book. It will be better if the
back be finished before the corners are put on, as there is a great likelihood that the corners may get damaged to
some extent during the process of finishing. The outside paper may either match the colour of the leather, or be the
same as the edge or end papers. This, like many other rules in bookbinding, is quite a matter of taste.
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