If illustrations in the form of full-page plates form part of the book they may be mounted on good stout hand-made paper and have the titles nicely written underneath. For writing the titles under illustrations a simple form of Roman script should be used, so as to be as much in keeping with the type as possible. It is not advisable to add any decoration to the page on which the illustration is mounted. The inscription alone is sufficient and should be nicely written in well-formed writing.
For the title-page of the book this may either be substituted by one entirely done by hand, or the printed one may be slightly decorated. It is best not to make this too elaborate, especially if the printed one is used. In fact it may be best to leave it practically plain, but this is a point that must be decided by one’s own good taste.
The opening page may be made important by using a fine initial letter. By the use of body colours it is possible to paint this in on top of the printed letter. The first word, which is generally printed in capitals, may also be painted in the same way, either in gold or colours. The decoration should be suited to the subject-matter of the book and should not be carried to excess. It is much better for the decoration to be somewhat too simple in character than for it to look too ornate and crowded.
The decoration should be kept quite free in character and every endeavour should be made to prevent it from getting hard and severe. All the poetry and sweetness possible should be put into it.
Every page should not be covered with decoration; this should not be attempted. All the variety possible should be got by making some pages quite simple in treatment, others may be more elaborate, while some may be left quite plain. Too many heavy borders should not be introduced.
The use of illuminated tail-pieces affords a good opportunity for the illuminator to add to the interest of the page, and there is generally plenty of scope for these at the end of chapters, etc.
Generally speaking, the printed book should not be used for illuminating when it is possible to write out the words, as a manuscript book is certainly preferable to a printed one. But in cases where a book is too long to be written out, the application of illumination to typography is certainly a great advantage if judiciously used.
At the end of the book the illuminator may add his colophon, stating that the illumination in the book was executed by himself, and giving the date of its completion and other interesting details.
A complete edition of the works of a favourite poet is a good example for illumination in this manner. It would take far too much time, as well as being too costly, for the modern illuminator to write out a large volume of poetry, but it might be nicely printed and illuminated in this way. By these means a beautiful book might be produced that ought to appeal to the lover of choice books.
Doubtless there will be many books that will suggest themselves for treatment in this manner, although it is to be feared that a great many of the books written in the present day are hardly suitable for illumination. No one would dream of illuminating a treatise on surgery to-day, and yet even this was done in the Middle Ages. There is in the British Museum an illuminated MS. of a French treatise on surgery of the thirteenth century which is quite charming in style. This kind of thing is, however, quite impossible to-day. Still, there is quite a large number of books that are suitable in every way for illumination.