HUGH OWEN, ESQ., F.S.A.,

AS A SLIGHT ACK­NOW­LEDG­MENT OF HIS COUN­SEL AND FRIEND­SHIP, AND IN AD­MIR­A­TION OF HIS KNOW­LEDGE OF

BOOKBINDING.

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.

The first edition of this book was written for the use of amateurs, but I found that amongst the members of the trade my little volume had a large sale, and in a short time the edition became exhausted. Repeated applications for the book have induced me to issue this second edition. I have adhered to the arrangement of the first, but a great deal of fresh matter has been added, which I trust will be found useful. Should any of my fellow-workmen find anything new to them I shall be satisfied, knowing that I have done my duty in spreading such knowledge as may contribute towards the advancement of the beautiful art of bookbinding.

I have to record my obligations to those gentlemen who have assisted me by courteously describing the various machines of their invention with which the book is illustrated. The object, however, of illustrating this work with engravings of machines is simply to recognize the fact that books are bound by machinery. To a mechanical worker must be left the task of describing the processes used in this method.

CONTENTS.

PART I.—FORWARDING.

PAGE
CHAPTER I. Folding: Re­fold­ing — Ma­chines — Gath­er­ing[3–8]
CHAPTER II. Beating and Rolling: Machines[9–12]
CHAPTER III. Collating: Interleaving[13–19]
CHAPTER IV. Marking up and Sawing in[20–23]
CHAPTER V. Sewing: Flexible — Ordinary[23–32]
CHAPTER VI. Forwarding: End Papers — Cobb Paper — SurfacePaper — Marbled Paper — Printed and other FancyPaper — Coloured Paste Paper[33–36]
CHAPTER VII. Pasting up[36–37]
CHAPTER VIII. Putting on the End Papers[38–41]
CHAPTER IX. Trimming[41–44]
CHAPTER X. Gluing up[45–46]
CHAPTER XI. Rounding[46–48]
CHAPTER XII. Backing[48–51]
CHAPTER XIII. Mill-boards[51–57]
CHAPTER XIV. Drawing-in and Pressing[57–59]
CHAPTER XV. Cutting[59–66]
CHAPTER XVI. Colouring the Edges: Sprinkled Edges — Coloursfor Sprinkling — Plain Colouring — Marbled Edges — SpotMarble — Comb or Nonpareil Marble — SpanishMarble — Edges — Sizing[67–77]
CHAPTER XVII. Gilt Edges: The Gold Cushion — GoldKnife — Burnishers — Glaire Water or Size — Scrapers — TheGold Leaf — Gilt on Red — Tooled Edges — PaintedEdges[78–83]
CHAPTER XVIII. Head-Banding[83–86]
CHAPTER XIX. Preparing for Covering: lining up[87–90]
CHAPTER XX. Covering: Russia — Calf — Vellum orParch­ment — Roan — Cloth — Vel­vet — Silkand Satin — Half-bound Work[90–97]
CHAPTER XXI. Pasting Down: Joints — Calf, Russia, etc.[97–100]
CHAPTER XXII. Calf Colouring:Black — Brown — Yellow — Sprinkles — Marbles — Tree-marbles — Dabs[100–108]

PART II. — FINISHING.

CHAPTER XXIII. Finishing: Tools and Materials required for Finishing — Polishing Irons — Gold-rag — India-rubber — Gold-cushion — Gold Leaf — Sponges — Glaire — Cotton Wool — Varnish — Finishing — Morocco — Gold Work — Inlaid Work — Porous — Full Gilt Back — Run-up — Mitred Back — Pressing — Graining — Finishing with Dry Preparation — Velvet — Silk — Vellum — Blocking

[111–153]

GENERAL INFORMATION.

CHAPTER XXIV. Washing and Cleaning: Requisites — Manipulation — Dust — Water Stains — Damp Stains — Mud — Fox-marks — Finger-marks, commonly called “Thumb-marks” — Blood Stains — Ink Stains (writing) — Ink Stains (Marking Ink, Silver) — Fat Stains — Ink — Reviving Old Writings — To Restore Writing effaced by Chlorine — To Restore MSS. faded by time — To Preserve Drawings or Manuscripts — To fix Drawings or Pencil Marks — To render Paper Waterproof — To render Paper Incombustible — Deciphering Burnt Documents — Insects — Glue — Rice Glue or Paste — Paste — Photographs — Albumen — To Prevent Tools, Machines, etc., from Rusting — To Clean Silver Mountings — To Clean Sponges

[157–172]
GLOSSARY[173]
INDEX[181]

INTRODUCTION.

Bookbinding carries us back to the time when leaden tablets with inscribed hieroglyphics were fastened together with rings, which formed what to us would be the binding of the volumes. We might go even still further back, when tiles of baked clay with cuneiform characters were incased one within the other, so that if the cover of one were broken or otherwise damaged there still remained another, and yet another covering; by which care history has been handed down from generation to generation. The binding in the former would consist of the rings which bound the leaden tablets together, and in the latter, the simple covering formed the binding which preserved the contents.