Now we have a pile of books, without covers, to be sure, but even at this stage they are more available than if they are not bound at all. However, we provide covers without expense. We use old paste-board boxes for this purpose, cutting them a little larger than the volume they are intended for. We lay these covers in place, cover and fasten them by gluing the edges of the strips of cloth upon the outside smoothly; the cover goes as far back as the cloth will permit. Then we make a cover of cloth for the back, usually using black or brown cambric, or selesia. The back cloth is always at best an inch longer than the covers, and about three inches wider than the back; we cut coarse twine into bits a trifle longer than the book is thick, using as many as we may choose.
FIG. 3.
We dip these twines in paste, one at a time, and lay them crosswise of the cloth, one at each end, at least, and just as far apart as the covers are long ([fig. 3.]), laying the others between. Then we cut a strip of strong paper as wide as the cords are long, and just as long as the covers, and paste it over the cords, and then we paste the cloth down on the paper at the ends, and pin the completed back tightly around a stick—a broom handle is good—and let it remain there to dry. When we take it off we slip it over the back corners of the covers and fasten it strongly down with glue.
After this the covers may be finished as elaborately as you may choose; we bind the edges of most of ours with cloth, and then trim off the edges of some of the front covers of the magazines and paste them on. We make a pretty inside finish by laying in a double leaf of manilla paper, one half pasted to the inside of the cover the other being left as fly-leaf.
The freshly bound books should be piled with plenty of paper between them to absorb the moisture, with weights atop, until they are wholly dry. Shabby books may be made almost as good as new by smoothing the leaves, rebinding and recovering; and it is surprising to see how pretty bits of wrapping paper, and bits of brown, black, or gray cloth can be made to serve in this work; bits of leather may be used on the corners of covers. Sabbath-school papers, Lesson Quarterlies, etc., may thus be made into pretty volumes very easily. Five cents’ worth of glue will bind a great many volumes, and the gluing is a much easier and better way than sewing.