The report for 1902 is similar, but the sum spent is £396 1s. 11d., and the work done was—

In 1903 we find an expenditure of £397 7s. 4d., and work done—

The increased cost in binding “is principally owing to extra labour incurred in preparing the books for sewing, necessary in consequence of the poor quality of paper on which books are now printed, and the method of sewing adopted by publishers.”

Here we begin to find the result of the bad paper of to-day, and we must also note the warning to publishers contained in the last paragraph. I can thoroughly endorse it, and I know that nine out of ten new books are so badly put together that it takes a long time and much trouble to pull them to pieces before they can be properly sewn.

For 1904 there is an expenditure of £416 16s. 6d., and the work done—4,352 volumes bound (average cost 1s. 8-1/2d. per vol.), and various items of mounting ordnance maps, always a very expensive operation, re-sewing, lettering, and miscellaneous repairs, all very necessary and, if sent out, very costly. It will be noted that the cost of binding per volume is steadily increasing, and this not because the work is better done, but because of the bad quality of the paper and sewing as sent out by publishers. Books are sent out fastened by little wire clips, which rust, and have to be very carefully extracted before a book can be properly sewn. These little clips are abominations, and the process of removing them, however carefully done, is likely to cause damage which must be repaired in its turn. Then machine sewing has not yet reached its final stage; there is a difficulty about the return of one of the threads, and it is clumsily brought back by tearing through the upper and lower extremities of each section. This damage is glued up and hidden by a head-band stuck on, but when the book is pulled so that it may be properly sewn, the torn parts have to be laboriously mended.

My thanks are due to Mr. William F. Lawton, the librarian of the Hull Public Libraries, who has most courteously given me the particulars I asked him for; and he tells me further that his books are all half-bound, mostly in sealskin—a very valuable leather; also that he is getting a far better binding both as regards the quality of the materials used and the highest average he mentions, 1s. 8-1/2d. per volume for a satisfactory binding must be something of a revelation to most librarians, whose average, even if they employ the cheapest binder in their neighbourhood, must be very much higher than this, and in all likelihood the work and materials not in any way near the same standard of excellence.

There is another point about an old library which is of much importance, and for which the services of a regular working binder are invaluable. This is the periodical cleaning and polishing of books. It is no use to try to clean old books with water; it will do more harm than good. But until some competent chemist chooses to suggest a proper dressing, it will be found that a good furniture polish is excellent for the purpose. Among the several skilled members employed in my library, one of the best is always cleaning and polishing old books; in fact, old leather really requires some sort of feeding to keep it in sound condition, and the state of perfect repair in which numbers of 15th century books and books of about that date still are is a remarkable testimony to the excellence of old systems of preparing leather and its permanence if carefully kept. Calf, vellum, and goat-skin all last splendidly, but all do better if kept in the dark and under glass; and it must never be forgotten that damp is one of the worst enemies of both paper and leather. Bookcases should never touch an outer wall, but a ventilation space should always be left between the wall and the back of the bookcase. This should even be done when the bookcase abuts on an inner wall. Bookshelves should never be cleaned or washed with water—only use furniture polish; and vellum books should be kept with their backs inwards, the title, if necessary, being written on the fore-edge. Old vellum books were usually kept so in olden times, as light makes vellum brittle like egg-shell.

Books should be close enough on a shelf to support each other; they should not be allowed to flop about; if they are there will be a tendency to fall away from the upper bands, especially in the case of large books. A simple angle iron, the lower wing being inserted under the last few books on a shelf not full, will enable the books to be kept always at the proper lateral pressure.