Library Bookbinding Part 8

3. The binder will be allowed to depart from any specification if it is desirable in the interests of good binding. He must, however, prove that he is justified in so doing.

4. Books must be paid for according to a schedule of prices agreed upon by the binder and librarian.

5. The size should be determined by measuring at the back of the volume after it is bound. It might be wiser, perhaps, to measure the book before the boards are put on, so that binders would be sure to trim the book as little as possible. It is the universal custom, however, to pay according to the measure of the book with the boards on. This may possibly tempt the binder to increase the square of the book just enough to group it with the next larger size so that he can charge more for it.

6. All items not covered in the schedule of prices may be charged for at the regular rates of the binder for such work.

7. All books not oversewed are to be sewed all-along with Hayes' Irish linen thread, suiting the size of the thread to the requirements of the book; No. 25 for light, No. 20 for medium and No. 16 for heavy sections.

8. Cloth must be used for sides of all books bound in half-leather or half-duck. Never use marbled paper except occasionally on newspapers.

9. Unless otherwise specified, cloth which conforms to the specifications of the Bureau of Standards, or Imperial morocco cloth, must be used for full binding. For sides of leather bound books a somewhat cheaper grade may be used.

10. Duck should have a twisted, double thread in the weft.

11. Moroccos or pigskins must be guaranteed by the manufacturer to be free-from-acid.

12. Glue must be best quality of binders' or flexible glue, and must be used sparingly.

13. Poor materials of any kind must not be used.

14. In taking books apart, all old glue, paste, back-lining, paper, etc., should be carefully removed.

15. The binder should expect to do a certain amount of mending of torn pages and guarding of weak signatures, but should be allowed to charge extra when the amount is excessive.

16. The text of all books must be collated by binder and imperfect books returned to the library. (See under Processes, Collation, p. 15).

17. All ill.u.s.trations of whatever character printed on single leaves must be guarded with thin, tough paper and the guard folded around the adjoining sections.

Some librarians and binders advocate the use of cloth guards but this seems hardly necessary. The cloth guards tend to swell the back of the book, especially if there be many plates, while the thin, tough paper is strong enough for ordinary books. Folded plates should never be sewed through the middle of the fold, but should be mounted on guards so that the plates will open out nearly flat when the book is opened. Folded maps, or other folded plates which may be consulted often should, unless otherwise specified, be guarded with cloth which is as wide as the book, so that they may be thrown entirely outside the book and lie flat on a table.

18. Ill.u.s.trations which are folded more than once, such as maps, should be carefully cut and mounted on thin cloth in such a way as to allow for the folding to come on the cloth alone, not on the paper.

19. St.i.tching (that is, sewing signatures lengthwise with a sewing-machine) or old-fashioned whipst.i.tching, is not permitted for any books; with the possible exception of newspapers.

20. In sewing three bands or tapes must be used for eight-inch books, four for twelve-inch, etc.

21. Tapes, or bands, and back-lining must project at least an inch and a quarter on each side of the book.

22. All books should be lined on the back with canton flannel as described in the chapter on Processes, except in a few cases where it may be advisable to use duck or a flesher. This eliminates lacing-on of boards.

23. Adjoining leaves of fly leaves and end papers must always be pasted together.

24. Books must be trimmed as little as possible.

25. All books should have rounded corners.

26. All books must have French joints.

27. All books, unless otherwise specified, will be fastened finally into the covers by pasting down end papers. Tight-back books will in addition have the back glued to the book.

28. Books should be loose-back unless otherwise specified.

29. Edges should be sprinkled unless the library specifies gilding on top. The color used may be varied to harmonize with the color of the book.

30. Books must be pressed until thoroughly dry.

31. Binders must keep a record of each book, whether periodical or not, which has a volume number.

This record, commonly known as a "rub" or "rub-off," shows the size of the book, kind of binding and exact lettering. Whenever other volumes of the same work or same periodical are received they will be bound according to this record, unless the librarian has specified a different material, or different lettering. In such a case the matter must be referred to the librarian before the book is bound. If a binder receives a book with a volume number and has no record of previous volumes, he should ask the librarian for a sample volume, unless it is obviously a book for which there could be no sample, such as the first volume of a periodical giving contemporary dates.

32. The binder is expected to paste in book-pockets and book-plates when furnished by the library but may charge extra for the work.

33. The best gold leaf must be used in lettering unless cover is light enough in color to take ink. Leather labels should never be used.

FICTION AND JUVENILE BOOKS

It seems to be fairly well proven that all fiction and juvenile books should be bound in some kind of leather, preferably cowhide.[5]

Objections to this are heard from time to time, but the objections come chiefly from the large steel towns where the sulphur in the air has a bad effect on leathers. In most communities leather will outwear cloth and in any event cloth becomes shabby, even when perfectly strong, much more quickly than leather. When the French joint is used the leather need not be pared and ordinarily will outwear the paper of the book.

Follow general specifications as outlined above, supplemented by the following:

1. Books should be bound in one-half cowhide (American russia). Roan may be used if the librarian is sure that it is good.

2. Fly-leaves should be made of white book paper, 70 pounds to the ream and guarded with jaconet.

It is apparent that when fly-leaves are guarded with cloth they are sewed as a separate section and not tipped on as is done in ordinary binding. Since practically all fiction and juvenile books are oversewed, it will not be necessary to carry the guard around to the inner side of the fold.

3. End papers may be made of paper specially made for the binder, but it should be equal in strength to an 80-pound manila paper and should be guarded with jaconet on the outside of the fold in the same way as fly-leaves.

4. If book is not oversewed the first and last sections must be guarded with jaconet.

5. Nearly all books should be sewed with some modern method of overcasting.

It is probable that in every lot of books sent to the binder there will be some fiction and juvenile books which could be sewed in the regular way through the signatures either on bands or on tapes, but the number is so small that the binder finds it easier to sew all the books alike.

In any event only those which have the backs of the sections unbroken the entire length and which, in addition, are seldom used, should be sewed in the regular way.

Footnote 5: See footnote, page 66.

NON-FICTION

1. Books should be bound in full cloth.

2. Books in which the backs of sections are not injured, or which cannot be easily mended may be sewed regularly. The rest must be oversewed.