BOOK′BINDING

(-bīnd-). Although a full description of the various operations of this well-known art, or handicraft, does not properly fall within the province of this work, a brief notice of them will probably, in many cases, prove useful to the amateur and the emigrant:— The proce of binding books is divided into several distinct operations, which, in large establishments, are usually performed by different persons; such a method being found to produce greater expedition, and better work, than when the whole is done by one person. The sheets received from the hands of the printer are— 1. Folded , which is done correctly by observing the ‘marks’ or ‘signatures’ at the bottom of the pages. As the sheets are folded they are laid upon each other in proper order, and are ready to undergo— 2. The operation of beating. This is performed by either laying them upon a large stone and striking them with a heavy smoothed-faced hammer, or by pa ing them through a rolling-pre . The former method is usually adopted in the small way, and the latter on the large scale. IMG:596405606043057898_i342.png: 3. The sheets are next fastened to bands, which is done by taking them up one by one, and sewing them to pieces of cord, stretched in a little frame screwed or fastened to the counter or table, called the sewing pre . (See engr. ) The number of bands used is generally 6 for a folio, 5 for a quarto, and so on proportionally, le than 4 being seldom employed even for small sizes. The ends of the cords being cut off to within about 2 inches of the back, the sheets are ready for— 4. Glueing. The back being knocked into shape with a hammer, and the sheets placed in the cutting-pre , which is then slightly screwed up, melted glue is thinly and evenly applied. After a short time, to permit it to become sufficiently set and hard, the book is removed from the pre , and the back properly adjusted with a hammer, when it is again put into the cutting-pre , where it is screwed up very tight, and is then ready for— 5. Cutting. The instrument employed for this purpose is of a peculiar shape, and called a plough or plough-knife, which consists of a stout flat knife, double-edged at the ‘cutting point,’ firmly set in a kind of frame, in which it may be adjusted by screws. 6. Affixing the boards. The bands are now scraped out fine at the ends, and fastened to the pasteboard intended to form the covers, which is then properly adjusted, and further shaped, if nece ary, with a large pair of shears. The edges now undergo the operation of— 7. Sprinkling , gilding , or other adornment. The first is performed with a stiff brush made of hog’s bristles, dipped in the colour; the brush being held in the one hand, and the hairs moved with the other, so as to scatter the colour in minute drops equally over the surface. 8. The external covering of leather, fancy cloth, or paper, is now applied, having been previously soaked in paste, to make it properly adhere. One or more of the blank leaves of the book are next pasted against the inside of the cover, to screen the ends that are turned over when the book is finished; or for choice work, is handed to a ‘finisher’ for— 9. Lettering , gilding , . Ordinary gold-leaf is applied by means of white of egg, the pattern being given by pre ure with heated bra tools, having the design or letters on their surfaces. The whole is then glazed over with white of egg and polished. 10. Burnishing book edges. This is performed with a wolf’s or dog’s tooth, or a steel burnisher. Place the books in a screw pre , with boards on each side of them, and other boards distributed between each volume. First rub the edges well with the tooth to give them a lustre. After sprinkling, or staining, or when the edges have become dry, burnish the front; then turning the pre , burnish the edges at the top and bottom of the volume. Burnish the gilt edges in the same manner, after having applied the gold; but observe in gilding to put the gold first upon the front, and allow it to dry; and on no account commence the burnishing until the gold is quite dry. The succe ion of the above operations sometimes slightly varies with the workmen, and with the nature of the binding. The examination of a bound book during their perusal will, however, render the whole quite familiar to the reader. There are several varieties of binding, of which only the following deserve notice here:— Boards. A book rather loosely done up, without cutting the edges, and covered with coloured paper or cloth, is said to be in ‘boards.’ Cloth, Cloth-binding. This is the style of binding in which the majority of works are now i ued. It admits of great neatne and even beauty, is cheap, and when well executed is very durable.—The prepared cloth (hard-glazed or varnished calico), cut by a pattern to the proper size, is pa ed rapidly between the engraved cylinders of a rolling-pre , by which the design is given to it. Paste is now applied to each piece of cloth, which is then placed over the volume previously prepared to receive it. In many cases the covers are prepared separately before being embo ed, and are afterwards fastened in the finished state to the book by means of a piece of canvas or calico previously affixed to its back for the purpose, when all that is required is to paste the ends of it to the inside of the boards, with the last blank leaf over it. Books in cloth are seldom cut at the edges, unle they are otherwise highly finished. Half-binding. Books forwarded in boards, and finished with leather backs and corners, are said to be ‘half-bound.’ Leather-binding. A book is only said to be ‘bound,’ or ‘fully-bound,’ when both its backs and sides are wholly covered with one piece of leather.—The leather is wetted by immersion in water, wrung or squeezed, stretched on a smooth board, cut to the proper size, pared thin on the edges, and covered with paste. It is then applied to the book (previously forwarded in boards, and cut), drawn tightly over it, turned down on the inside, rubbed smooth with a folding-stick, and otherwise adjusted; after which it is placed in some suitable situation, at a distance from a fire, to dry. Rough calf requires to be damped on the grain side with a sponge and water before pasting and covering. Ru ia-leather is well soaked in water for an hour, taken out, beaten, and rubbed; after which the paste is well worked into the flesh side before covering. Morocco is first ‘grained’ by rubbing it on a board, with the grain side inside, and, after being pasted, left to soak for about a quarter of an hour; after which it is drawn on with a piece of woollen cloth, to preserve the grain. Roan is either soaked in water, or left to soak when pasted. School-binding. Originally applied to school-books strongly sewn and ‘done up’ in sheep-skin, which was either left of a plain brown, or sprinkled or marbled with copperas water. Similar works of a cheaper cla are now often ‘done up’ in canvas, brown-holland, and even coarse and strong coloured glazed calico. Concluding Remarks. Numerous patents for improvements in binding books, several of which po e very great merit and usefulne , have been obtained during the last 30 years. Among these, one known as ‘Hancock’s Patent Binding,’ from its extreme novelty, simplicity, durability, and inexpensivene , deserves a pa ing notice here. By Mr Wm. Hancock’s method the sheets are folded in double leaves, and by being properly placed together and adjusted (by setting them vertically, with the edges forming the back of the book downwards, in a concave mould so formed that whilst giving shape it may leave the whole breadth, and nearly the whole length exposed), and firmly secured by a few turns of packthread, the book is subjected to the action of a pre , and a strong and quick-drying solution of india rubber is smeared over the back with the finger, when the whole is left for 3 or 4 hours, or longer, to dry. The operation is repeated as often as nece ary, after which fillets of cloth are cemented on with the same varnish, and the book is ready to have the boards attached. The sheets of books that cannot be folded in ‘double leaves’ may be strongly stitched through, separately, before adjusting them in the mould. In this way several of the usual operations of binding are dispensed with. We most willingly bear testimony to the strength and durability of this method, as well as to the great convenience it affords in allowing the books to open perfectly flat upon a table, or to be distorted in any po ible manner, without injury to their backs. It is, undoubtedly, the best way of binding books for travellers. The Editor of the last edition of this work once had a large trunk of books, among which was a ma ive volume bound on Hancock’s plan. All the rest were nearly torn to pieces by a few months’ journey, but this one remained uninjured even after five years, during which time it accompanied him in his travels, extending, collectively, to upwards of 23,000 miles. See Gilding , Marbling , Sprinkles , Stains , .