Library Bookbinding

er is not readily apparent. The only excuse the writer has to offer for discussing the matter of processes at any length is that there seems to exist nowhere any description of

ral processes that have been in vogue for years; the modifications used in library binding are not touched upon. In other words the wor

as they are carried out in the best library binderies. Explanations of the techni

ect on its durability. Especial emphasis must be laid upon strength after folding, for it must be remembered that it is through the fold that the book is sewed. If a crease or a fold in a piece of paper weakens that piece of paper, it will be impossible to make a strong book by sewing in t

in bitterly of the impossibility of binding it properly. The librarian, however, should know the way in which it can be bound to give the m

o the prejudices of the different men, the following descripti

king

apart carefully and all old threads, glue, paste, etc., removed from the back. If the book is in a regular machine sewed publisher's cover

the rest of the volume. If it is still held by glue and there is danger of injuring the back of the signature, a bone folder is used. If the book had a tight back and the leather, back-lining paper

olla

ontents, are in proper place. In the case of periodicals they do not always discover the fact that certain parts, not included in the main paging, are missing. Their collation is that of main paging only. Periodicals must

ockin

en to have a clean hammer and to let it fall evenly on the paper. If the backs are not properly pounded down there is likely to be too much swell in the ba

knife and entirely cut off, leaving single leaves instead of folded sections. If it is not pounded it cannot be cut properly. The success

Men

ld not, however, expect binders to mend books which have a

Glu

are slightly glued to hold the leaves together. A sufficient number

Leaves

the folded fly-leaf covering about one quarter of an inch on each side. When the book is sewed the needle passes through the cloth as well as the paper. Different binders use different materials for guardi

structed, will simply fold a piece of paper, and tip it on to the first and last signatures with paste, thus forming an element of weakness

tions

and last signatures of books which are to be sewed in

nvariably first gives way at the first and last signatures. Guarding with jaconet prevents the threads which lie in the middle of the signatures from pulling t

trations

paper, not with cloth. The guard folds around

Saw

k is sewed. Grooves for three bands must be made for books eight inches high, four for twelve-inch books and five for fifteen-inch books. For fiction two bands

rk it is necessary to measure the book carefully and mark with a pencil; but in most library work measurement by the eye alone is sufficient. In

nds. Such binders will at this point saw all books. There are also some good library binders wh

d Pape

for fly-leaves. Some binders have special papers made to order with a design which serves as a trade mark. End papers, in the same way as fly-leaves, are prepared with guards in quantity and simply n

Se

"bands" as they are commonly called) are stretched taut on the sewing bench

g bench showing

ustration in Report of the Committee on Bookbi

far side of the first band, along the inside of the section to the second band, where the process is repeated; and so on, bringing the needle out in the far kettlestitch. (Fig. 2.) The thread is pulled tight at each stitch and about two inches of thread is allowed to hang from the first kettlestitch. In some few cases it may be advisable to bring the needle out on the far side of the band and in again on the near side, thus entirely encircling the band with the thread. The next section (i. e. the fly-leaves) is then laid on and th

.-Kettle

from the sewing-bench. If the back swells unduly the sections can be pounded down with a piece of wood, care being taken not to drive them inward. The sewing should be neither too loose nor

es the needle into the corresponding sawcut of the signature above and sews through to the other end. This always leaves an end of a signature unsewed. This way of sewing

e process thoroughly in mind for it is the most important single process in the making of a book. Such sewing will be used on a large number of books which have to b

n overcasting takes away much of the flexibility of a book and that books once sewed in this way can never be rebound. It is true that an oversewed book is not as flexible as one sewed through the signatures, yet most of them are more flexible tha

ion was then sewed in the same way, but it was not joined in any way to the section beneath except by the kettlestitch and occasionally by a little paste. When sewed in this way the leaves inside of each arbitrary section would open only as far back a

whipstitching. Each sect

e many points of resemblance between them, and few points of difference. In actual wearing qualities the sewing of one seems as good as that of ano

ions are first perforated by a machine to facilitate the work of the sewer and to insure that all stitches shall be equidistant from the back of the book. So far as is known no machine for this purpose is on the market. It is certain, however, that the best b

ch. There are others equally good. Note th

ith sewing processes. The reader will be helped by looking closely at Figure 5 while reading the following des

certain number of stitches are also made which connect the second section with the first. In the same way the third section is sewed to the second and so on through the book, so that when the book is finally sewed it is tight and compact; its wea

ic Library Books and Their

hes. Based on illustration in Report of the Committee on Leat

possible in a section. The more careful binders, however, regulate the number of leaves in a section according to the kind of paper in

8.-St

receive. If it will not receive hard usage sew through the signatures; otherwise over

n Figure 7. Sewing on tapes makes a book much more flexible than it can be made any other way except by sewing on raised bands. Music should always be sewed in this way. Until recently it was supposed that tapes added strength, but it is certain that they d

opens all the way to the back while inside the section it opens only as far as the threads, is equally applicable to a stitched book. Any one who has read a book sewed in this way will remember how difficult it was to hold in the hands. Stitching makes a stron

er will insist that all books must be sewed on bands. When the backs of sections are very badly worn he will agree to whipstitch, but will use the old method. The librarian will insist not only that nine-tenths of fiction and juvenile books must be overcast, but that a special

WAR

h the book passes through between sewing and finishing. Forwarding includes trimming, gluing, roundin

Leaves

y-leaf. When it is remembered that both end papers and fly-leaves are guarded with cloth,

ands

at the end and pasted to the end papers. The fraying is done so that they will paste do

Trim

possible must be trimmed, but binders find that if less than an eighth of an inch is cut the cutting machine do

Spri

om showing dirt. It cannot be expected on cheap work. The process was formerly done by hand, using a brush and shaking the coloring matter on the book. It can now

s being rebound. When this occurs it is not a process to which the libr

Gl

ery hot and quite thin, and must be thoroughly worked into the

Roun

is placed on the table with the fore edge toward the workman who then hammers the part of the back lying uppermost in such a way as to force the upper part of the book t

Ba

and the sides of the book forced down over the edge of the press to form a projection against which the edge of the board for the side rests, forming the joint. In hammeri

book rounded

way the backs of the signatures may be crushed in, the stitches broken, or the paper or bands cut. In any case the book is mat

ack L

best material is canton flannel cut in strips wide enough to cover the back of the book and also to project about one inch on each side. The back of the book is glued, while the nap or fuzzy side of the canton flannel is pasted and then put o

he glue have dried, the canton flannel shrinks tight to the back and adds materially to the st

as possible, the flesh side of a piece of split goat skin can be used for back-lining, coveri

his one item of back-lining. In the old methods the binders depended for strength largely upon th

Reba

k open more easily. When the canton flannel dries it may pull the back somew

Boar

hat the boards must project an eighth of an inch on all edges (except the back) forming what is called the

Clot

ther backs are to be used the covering material consists of two pieces o

Loos

se paper is cut the size of the book from joint to join

king t

h, with the back toward the middle of the case, leaving enough cloth projecting on all sides to turn in. The other side of the case is then drawn up over the board on top and pressed down firmly enough so that when it is laid back again, the board which has been uppermos

r is pasted and the book is then laid on the leather in the right position so that the rest of the leather can be pulled up over the back on the

g of a Fr

ce between the boards and the back is creased with a bone folder

ng Down E

that the bands projected beyond the sides and were pasted to the end papers, and that the canton flannel also projected beyond the sides and was pasted to the end papers. Therefore, wh

ave always been considered stronger than others, and because they have always been laced-in to the boards (see page 42) before the leather has been put on, a prejudice against ca

Pres

which fit into the French joints. They should be left twelve hours at least, longer if necessary. After pressing, the book goes through a general cleaning process. In applying the glue or past

ISH

Gi

y the size of the owner's pocketbook or by his taste.[1] In library binding gilding is confined to the furnishing of necessary information. Tooling of all kinds, with the possible exception of that which divides the b

the back. (b) In gold on panels which have been stained black. (c) In black ink directly on the back. The first two methods make more attractive-looki

anything, to the librarian's ability to criticize properly the work being done by his binder.[2] In som

rary binding. There are, however, several additional points rel

nt description of tools, materials and processes will be foun

r about type, space, lettering, e

ED B

thin recent years for individuals, one will find many that have the back divided by ridges. These are known as "ra

of the band and in at the far side, thus going around the band on the back of the book; or it may come out at the far side and in at the near side, thus entirely encircling the band. In either case

stitches. Based on illustration in Report of the Committee on L

advisable, however, to use them occasionally on a few large reference books such as dictionaries, where great flexibility com

ey are sewed in the ordinary way, with false raised bands pasted on the

ING

turned over and other holes are punched about half an inch from the first ones. It is generally desirable to cut a groove in the board from the first holes to the edge of the board, for the bands to lie in, so that there will not be an unsightly protuberance when the book is bound. The bands which have been frayed out are then threaded through the first holes from the outside of

n illustration in Report of the Committee on Leather fo

ge this method is satisfactory. As soon, however, as the leather begins to disintegrate more strain is placed upon the bands. When the leather breaks completely the bands bear the entire burden at the joint, and eventually break. With the process as outli

actual work the back-lining

T BO

ands (or tapes) are inserted in boards which have been split, or between two thin boards glued together with a space left unglued for this purpose. The covering material is put on after the book is in boards and

ND LOOS

e those in which the material used for covering the book is pasted or glued to the back. Loose backs are those which, by means of folded paper or

concave instead of convex, and the appearance of the book is seriously marred. Also the constant creasing of the back tends to erase the gold lettering, so that it becomes indi

ight back an

e inside may be so badly worn that the book should be withdrawn. The strain, however, always

book would be the stronger, but as a matter of fact in actual wear loose-back books seem to hold their own with the others. In fact when the soft, spongy papers are used the l

IN

e from head to tail. In the French joint the strain is distributed over a much greater area. In regular joints the leather is sometimes pared at the joints to permit of easier opening of the book. In French joints the full thickness

of a joint may be found on page 51 of Dana's

board open shows that the creasing of

ver a great surface, and so enables sufficient flexibility to be obtai

he Committee on Leathers for Bookbinding.

RN

corners are peculiar to library binding. As a rule they are not made by cutting off a corner of the board, but by turning in the cloth diagonally from the corner and

le vellum is used to make the corners hard and prevent them from breaking or showing signs of wear. While both serve the purpose for which they ar

IM

to have wide margins, because the text will remain legible for a longer period of time if protected by a margin from the contact of hands. Non-fiction books which are lik

publishers follow the pernicious practice of continuing regular articles on advertising pages. Covers and advertising pages are generally printe

DBA

and very little to the beauty of the book. When silk headbands are carefully sewed on they add both strength and beauty. An exc

GNIZE A WEL

r the use which the book is to receive and in such a way as to give the maximum amount of service. It should also be as attractive in appearance as

evidence of neat and

leather is essential; if occasionally

pers and fly-leaves guarded with cloth. If sewed regula

s should n

opened. (This is not always possible in the case of ov

d remain flat. When standing on end the sect

d feel firm and c

d not make a crackling noise du

back and the cover should fit well at t

Periodicals should not be trimmed so that pri

should have F

eparate easily from the bo

back should be legibl

ack should be perfectly smooth, showing t

ions, etc., should be so applied