Bookbinding: its background and technique

Abstract

"Nearly one half of the encyclopedic volume is devoted to an overview of the historical development of bookbinding. The author shows how the codex form of the book became identified with the Christian era, how bookbinding became a craft and trade in the 15th century, and how the production and distribution of books shifted from the monasteries and universities to the illustrious printer-publishers of the 15th and 16th centuries. ... Edith Diehl then guides the reader through more than 400 profusely illustrated pages on the craft of hand bookbinding. She details and illustrates the steps involved in the nearly 30 necessary binding operations ..."--Page [4] of cover.

Contents

Volume 1. Primitive records and ancient book forms -- The book of the Middle Ages -- Renaissance and modern times -- Early methods of production and distribution of books -- Bookbinding practices -- National styles of book decoration -- Miscellanea -- List of references -- Selected list of books -- Glossary -- Index. Volume 2. Craftsmanship -- Workshop appointments, equipment and record keeping -- Flexible binding -- Guarding, mending, and mounting -- Folding and gathering -- End papers -- Forwarding -- Sewing -- Forwarding (continued) -- Miscellanea -- Materials -- Finishing -- Lettering -- Glossary -- Index.