Our own experience with art canvas and art vellum for full bindings on books much used seems to have been that of many other libraries. Popular books in these materials from about a dozen public libraries all seem to have worn poorly. The joints soon become soft and loose; the corners fray out and look ragged; the gold of the titles does not stand out well when first put on and rapidly grows dim.
Azure’ tools. Used in binding, where the heavy and wide marks, instead of being a solid mass, are made with horizontal lines.
Azured style. Ornamentations outlined in gold and crossed with horizontal lines in the manner of indicating azure in heraldry.
Back, tight and loose. Binding is said to be tight back when the leather, cloth or other material of the back is pasted or glued to the back of the book. This style of binding is commonly used in fine work. Most books, often quite large ones, were formerly bound in this way.
Binding is said to be loose back when the leather, cloth or other material of the back is fastened to the book only along the joints. To the question, which is the better binding for library books, no definite answer can be given.
Backing. Bending over the folds at the back of a book to form a ridge or projection called a joint.
(L) Backing Boards, Metal
(R) Backing Boards, Wood, Steel Faced
Backing boards. Used for backing or forming the joint. They are made of very hard wood or faced with iron, and are thicker on the edge intended to form the groove than upon the edge that goes toward the fore-edge of the book, so that when placed one each side of the book and all are placed in the laying press, the whole power of the press is directed toward the back.