Fine Bindings - A Brief History

The world of literature and fine printing has long owed much to the acquisitiveness of the book collector. The bibliophile by indulging his passion for the rare and valuable, has ensured through the ages the preservation of many fine books that might otherwise have perished in less reverent hands. Guardianship of the printed word not only satisfies the aesthetic sense of the collector: it also honours authorship and preserves the crafts of fine printing.

The skill of the craftsman bookbinder has also contributed to the preservation of books. The purpose of binding is to hold the pages together in such a way that it can easily be opened for reading, and closed to protect the pages from damage: a simple purpose, but one that reveals, perhaps more clearly than any other aspect of book production, the vast differences between the old craftsmanship and modern machine binding.

The first book was the volumen, a hand-written roll or manuscript. Flat books replaced the rolls early in the Christian era, and the first bound books, covered with leather, appeared in the 4th century. Thereafter, bindings were frequently precious, inlaid with gold or silver and encrusted with jewels. Such bindings were made to order for the wealthy to enclose what were then treasures of immense value.

After 1445, when Johann Gutenberg revolutionised book production in Europe by setting up moveable metal type, the demand for the printed word grew rapidly; and as books became cheaper, sumptuous bindings became incongruous. By the end of the century, nine million printed books were in use.

But beauty does not lie only in expensive and rare bindings; design and craftsmanship count for much. Silk, satin, canvas, brocade and embroidery and other less precious materials came to be used. Henry VIII was very fond of velvet bindings; and in the time of Charles II, blind and gold-leaf tooling was a feature of the most beautiful work of Samuel Mearne. Throughout the reign of George III, books were bound in plain leather Ð calf or sheepskin. The more expensive books, for richer customers, were bound in full morocco with elaborate gold tooling. At this time, London attracted many German bookbinders, including John Baumgarten, Charles Hering, Charles Meyer and the partners Staggemeir & Welcher. Two of the most famous English binders also worked during this period: Edwards of Halifax, who specialised in such novelties as painted vellum bindings and Roger Payne, who is said to have been a drunkard but who nevertheless produced tooled designs of a beautiful simplicity.

In the 19th century came the introduction of cloth, often stamped to imitate a leather covering. As technical difficulties were overcome, the cloth was decorated more and more with colour, embossing and gold. When the machine binder came into use, bookbinding entered the age of mass manufacture. By the end of the century, the generally low standard of book production prompted a group of artist-craftsmen, led by William Morris, to set up their own private presses in an attempt to recapture the high standards of workmanship and materials. The books produced by Morris and would-be reformers were too expensive to be of practical value; but they exerted a strong artistic influence on commercial publishers.

Today, the hand-craftsman bookbinders, reduced in number but far from ousted by the modern machinery, offer a supplementary service to wealthy patrons, libraries and museums, private presses and the independent publishing houses, such as Genesis. Since the machine cannot cope with the production of limited editions or the restoration of historical documents, there will always be a place for the bookbinder whose craftsmanship and design give satisfaction to the eye and a finishing touch to the 'feel' of a good book.