#animalsinprint

We’ve finally arrived at the last stage of work to complete our facsimile. Here the pared leather is adhered directly to the spine with wheat starch paste, and turned-in around the board edges. This is what is referred to as a tight-back binding, in which the leather will flex along with the spine as the book is opened and closed. As the leather is applied to the spine, it is stretched around the raised cords creating that familiar look of raised bands often seen on older books. After the dampened leather has dried, the last of the vellum panel linings are adhered to the inner boards with adhesive, followed by the pastedowns. As the name suggests, the pastedown is the portion of the endpaper that is “pasted down” to the inner board. In this case our endpapers are made from the same sheets as the printed text. Once the pastedowns are dry the book is complete!

For more information on the Animals in Print Exhibit that featured in this facsimile, check out the digital exhibit created by Rare Books and Special Collections curators, Erika Hosselkus and Julie Tanaka.  

We hope you’ve enjoyed this look at the process of creating our Gothic-style facsimile.

adhering dampened leather onto the spine of the book

front board

spine

boards and headcap

title page

page spread

opening

endbands

With the wooden boards now attached, this project is finally starting to take shape as a complete book. The next step is to add the covering material. There are many variations for covering including different types of leather, as well as application. A book may have a partial covering extending just over the spine, or the boards may be covered in full, and feature elaborate tooling or decoration. Leather is a costly material that does require time and skill to apply properly. For our book, we decided to cover in quarter leather, meaning just across the spine and onto the boards. This method is less expensive in terms of time and material, but also allows our users to experience the beautiful wooden boards directly.

A variety of covering materials were used during this time period, including vegetable-tanned goat, sheep, and calf, and also alum-tawed skins. Here we are using a vegetable tanned skin and applying leather dyes that have been mixed to achieve this golden brown tone. After dying, the leather needs to be pared, removing excess thickness in areas before adhering to the book. This piece has been pared using a knife, and a spokeshave to thin the turn-ins, or leather that is folded over at the head and tail of the book. It is also pared to create a bevel along the edges so that there is a smooth transition of leather where it meets the exposed wooden boards.

We are nearing completion! Check back soon to see the final steps in this project.

dying the leather

before paring

paring knife

spokeshave

paired edges

after paring

To keep with the Gothic style of the binding, Renaissance chevron endbands were sewn onto the book block after the sections were assembled. (See last week’s post for details!) Endbands, also called headbands, are rarely found on modern bindings, and when they are, they are almost always ‘fakes’ glued onto the spine purely for decorative purposes. Historically, endbands were sewn to the head and tail of the spine to provide support when the book was opened and to help reinforce the board attachment.

Renaissance chevron endbands (not to be confused with Islamic chevron endbands!) were popular during the 15th and 16th centuries. The same cord and thread used to sew the bookblock was used to sew the primary endband. This is the structural portion of the endband which supports the binding. The chevron portion of the endband—the secondary sewing—is purely decorative and is woven around the primary sewing. This sewing was often done with either linen or silk threads, depending on the binding. We want our facsimile to look ‘upmarket,’ but I don’t have silk at home, so our chevrons are viscose. Viscose, like silk, is a protein-based fiber and has a similar sheen. Even Gothic bindings have to make sacrifices during a pandemic.

The process continues next week with board shaping. Stay tuned!

Primary Endband

Secondary Sewing

The wooden boards created for our facsimile are made from red oak. After experimenting with a few different types of wood, this hardwood was chosen as it is similar to what would have been used during the period. This red oak was easy to work with and shaped well, unlike some other boards that were initially tried.

The shape of these boards follows the Gothic style of binding (14th -17th C) in which the sewing supports are laced through channels, traveling from the outside of the boards to the inside. The boards are rounded along the outer spine edge to accommodate the laced supports, and beveled along the inner edges using a wood plane. As the laced cords are drawn tight when the boards close, this leverage pulls the spine into a slightly rounded shape giving the book a soft curve across the spine.

In this particular lacing pattern, the cords will travel back and terminate on the outer board. Here the ends of the cords are frayed out and pasted into a shallow recess that will be carved out of the board. This allows the cords to sit flush with the boards, unnoticeable beneath the leather covering.

Check back soon for more updates on the facsimile project!

Beginning to shape

working the bevels

parchment linings and pasted cords

rounded spine

trimmed and frayed cords