CLOTH
Cloth is fully as important as leather in the economy of binding. Several years ago it was the custom to bind periodicals and other books which were used comparatively seldom in leather, while fiction, juvenile and other books which wore out quickly were bound in cloth. Recently the opposite course has been more favored. Books which receive unusually hard usage and are in the hands of readers constantly are bound in leather; while those which are used seldom, including periodicals, are bound in some kind of cloth. Without doubt the change is a wise one. Even the best of leather disintegrates in time under the action of heat, gas, light, etc., and to-day many a volume bound in leather ten or fifteen years ago has parted from its sides, necessitating rebinding or recovering. Had it been bound in a good quality of cloth it would to-day be in good condition, and probably would remain in good condition for a hundred years. It requires considerable courage to change the binding of a good set of a standard periodical, such as the Atlantic or Harper's, from an attractive half morocco binding to an unattractive buckram. Unquestionably, if economy is an object, the change should be made, except possibly in the case of a library which uses these periodicals daily. Every librarian must decide each case for himself strictly according to the use the set is to receive, always bearing in mind the fact that leather disintegrates with time, whereas cloth does not unless exposed to excessive moisture.
No cloth which is suitable for library use is perfectly satisfactory because it has not the strength of good leather, cannot be used advantageously on very heavy books, soils easily and with use grows soft and flabby, especially along the joints. But on the other hand even those not suitable for libraries which are used by the publisher on cheap books are much better than poor grades of leathers, such as skiver, bock, buffing, etc.
The requisite qualities of a good cloth are:
(a) Endurance when folded back and forth in the same place, so that it may withstand the wear at the joint caused by opening the book.
(b) Smoothness, so that there will be a comparatively small amount of friction when withdrawing a book from between two others on the shelf.
(c) Ability to withstand constant rubbing back and forth on tables.
(d) Color that is fast when exposed to light; if possible it should be fast to water also, though this is less important.
(e) Color should be dyed in the piece, not pressed in by machinery.
Many cloths have some of these qualities but few have all of them. So far as is known to the writer only the grade of cloth described on page 77 has the last qualification.
Practically all cloth used in the United States is made of cotton. The best cloths are manufactured by The Holliston Mills, Norwood, Mass.; The Interlaken Mills, New York City; The Joseph Bancroft & Sons Company, Wilmington, Del., and by the Winterbottom Company and the Manchester Book Cloth Company in England. Since a number of grades are made in several different patterns and a great number of shades for each grade and each pattern, a variety of choice is permitted. As a matter of fact, however, most librarians select a good grade with a regular weave and confine themselves to a few standard shades, such as dark green, brown, red, dark blue, and tan.
Since the strength of the warp is much greater than that of the weft, it is advisable when possible to cover books with the warp running across the cover. This, however, may entail some hardship on the binder for it may frequently happen that in order to cut his cover economically he must make the warp run lengthwise of the book. If a strong cloth is used the advantage is not great enough to be insisted upon.
Each of the American firms mentioned makes three distinct grades, all of which libraries may use. Each firm uses a different name for each grade. In other words, there are no general names which can be used for the corresponding grade in all makes. Therefore for the purposes of this chapter these cloths will be considered under the heads of Grades 1, 2 and 3, but it must be remembered that this is an arbitrary designation not known to the trade. Under each grade will be given the specific names used by the three manufacturers.
Grade one of cloth, the cheapest that a librarian may use, is not made of the best quality of cotton thread and should never be used under any circumstances for full binding. It may be used on the sides of books bound in leather; if this be done the corners should be covered with vellum, for this cloth does not withstand hard usage and is likely to fray at the corners. It is a cloth commonly used by publishers, but should be used sparingly by the librarian. "Art vellum" made by the Interlaken Mills, "Aldine vellum" made by the Holliston Mills, and "Linen finish" made by the Joseph Bancroft & Sons Company, come within this grade.
Grade 2
(a) Grade two is made of a better grade of cotton and with a closer weave than the preceding, but is not sufficiently strong to be used for full binding. It can be used more satisfactorily than the preceding on the sides of books bound in leather or duck. In common with all cloths, except the buckram made according to the government specifications (which will be discussed later), the different colors are not made, as one might suppose, by dyeing the cloth after it is woven, but by mixing the color with the sizing or starch which is used in finishing the cloth, and pressing it into the cloth by machinery. As a natural result the color rubs off with wear and the natural gray of the original cloth as first woven appears. "Art canvas" made by the Interlaken Mills, "Classic buckram" made by the Holliston Mills, and "Polished buckram," by the Joseph Bancroft & Sons Company come within this grade.
(b) Buckram. Under the name of buckram various grades of cloth are manufactured which resemble to a greater or less degree those mentioned under Grade 2 (a). Generally it is a coarsely woven cloth stiffened with glue or sizing, and the term originally indicated that the cloth was made of linen. At the present time linen buckram made in England can be obtained, but all that is manufactured in the United States is made of cotton. Linen buckram costs much more than cotton and it is doubtful if it is any more serviceable. All of the three manufacturers mentioned make buckrams.
Grade 3
Prior to 1907 the Congressional set of government documents distributed to the depository libraries had been bound in sheepskin and the leather on the volumes had disintegrated so much as to make the set a hard one to care for. In 1907 the Congressional Printing Investigation Commission asked librarians of depository libraries to suggest, without considering cost, suitable binding materials for Government Documents. The number of replies received was 124, embodying suggestions as follows: full sheep, 11; half-russia, 78; cloth, 25; buckram, 70; linen duck, 20; canvas, 19. Some librarians expressed more than one preference, so that the total number of preferences was greater than the total of those replying. Most of those who favored sheep did so because of their desire for uniformity. Those who favored half-russia undoubtedly desired half American russia, or cowhide. 134 expressed preference for some form of cloth.
After receiving the replies from librarians the Printing Investigation Commission obtained samples of cloth from various cloth manufacturers in the United States and the Bureau of Standards made a series of chemical and physical tests to determine the durability of these cloths. Chemical tests were made to discover whether the colors were fast when exposed to light. It is to be regretted perhaps that no tests were made to determine whether the cloths were fast to water and that this qualification was not included in the final specifications. Admitting, however, that a cloth which is fast to sun and water both is a valuable cloth for bookbinding, it is evident that the quality of fastness to water is not a vitally important one for cloth used in the United States. The total number of books injured by water is so small as to make insistence upon this quality entirely unnecessary. If books become so soiled that they need to be washed they should be bound in waterproof cloth.
Because many volumes of Government Documents are sent to Porto Rico and the Philippines where insects eat almost anything of an animal or vegetable character, the desirability of the cloth as an article of diet for insects, was also tested.
The physical tests indicated:
a. Number of threads per inch of warp and weft.
b. Absorption of moisture.
c. Weight per yard.
d. Tensile strength.
e. Amount of stretch.
f. Amount of friction developed by rubbing two pieces of cloth together.
This test was made because the friction developed in taking a book from between two others is an important matter when a shelf is full of books. If the friction is great the wear on the back of the book is correspondingly excessive.
g. Endurance when folded back and forth in the same place.
h. Endurance under extraordinary conditions of rubbing.
Some of these qualities, such as tensile strength, amount of stretch, etc., were comparatively unimportant, but the tests for all were severe and contributed much to our knowledge of the qualities which should enter into the composition of durable book cloths.
After a very careful consideration of the results of the tests and a thorough examination of the samples submitted, a committee of librarians and government officials unanimously chose three samples as the best of all those submitted by the manufacturers. Of these three samples the cloth numbered 666 was considered the most satisfactory.
Although these three samples were excellent, they all had one defect—the color was pressed in by machinery, not dyed in the piece. After various experiments had been made by the manufacturers this defect was remedied. The Government Printing Office then advertised for bids on cloths which would meet the Specifications drawn up by the Bureau of Standards (See Appendix A). Since that time all the Government documents which continue the old sheep-bound set have been sent to depository libraries bound in cloth made according to these specifications.
This cloth is known sometimes as Government Specification Cloth, but is manufactured under the specific name of "Library buckram" by the Holliston Mills, "Art buckram" by the Interlaken Mills, and "Legal buckram" by the Joseph Bancroft & Sons Company. The first two are made in pieces about 40 yards long and 38 inches wide, the Bancroft cloth in pieces 43 yards long and 43 inches wide. It must be admitted that this cloth is not quite so attractive in appearance as some of the old cloths which are not so durable. Some binders claim that it is hard to use. On the whole, however, it supplies a long felt want and is the strongest cloth made that is at all attractive in appearance.
Duck
Duck or canvas, a rough, heavy cloth much the same in quality as sail cloth, is the strongest cloth used in binding, but has some very decided drawbacks which militate against its use, except when the question of strength overshadows all others. It always makes an unattractive-looking volume—some of the more fastidious librarians rebel against its use; and it readily absorbs dirt and moisture, making it disagreeable to handle if the book has been much used. Duck having a double twisted thread in the weft is much more compact and absorbs dirt and moisture much less rapidly than other kinds. It should be used on the backs (never for full binding) of newspapers and such periodicals as are too heavy to put in library or legal buckram.
Imperial Morocco Cloth
Imperial morocco cloth, manufactured by the Winterbottom Book Cloth Company in England, is made of linen thread and finished with a grain to resemble leather. The kind most used in the United States resembles a straight-grained morocco. It is an excellent cloth in appearance, as well as in durability, but its cost is 50% greater than that of the Government Specification Cloth. It may be used on semi-popular books which will not receive a great amount of use, but which should be as attractive in appearance as possible.
Water-Proof Cloths
There are several cloths which are waterproof and therefore easily cleaned when the covers become soiled. The best of these are durabline, used exclusively by Cedric Chivers; rexine and pluviusin, used almost exclusively in England; keratol, made in Newark, New Jersey; and fabrikoid, made by the du Pont Powder Company, Wilmington, Delaware. All of these cloths are said to be acid, alkali and germ proof, do not absorb grease and can be washed with soap and water. They are strong, durable cloths, but they have at first a disagreeable odor, are hard to work and hard to letter in gold. In the application of paste to most waterproof cloths, either in the process of binding or in attaching labels to the back, it is first necessary to break down the surface of the cloth or the paste will not hold. This disadvantage no longer exists in the case of fabrikoid. Keratol and fabrikoid are made to imitate leather and are frankly sold as such. Probably the use of these cloths in libraries will always be comparatively small. Because they can be easily cleaned they may be used on the sides of juvenile books, and in rare cases for full binding.