- visions and innovations for the traditional book   Prev | Next | Three Bookbindings Three Bookbindings: Part 4     Sewn Boards Binding   8. "The Lessons of History & Experience in the Design of Conservation Bindings", Des Moines, Iowa, August 7-9, 1987.   Experiences with paper binding, kozo lining and unsupported sewing were with me at the exciting 1987 Library Binding Service conference.8 At that meeting it occurred to me that a modern binding could be based on an unsupported sewing that included the covers as outer sections of the text. Such a binding would follow in principle the form of the earliest codex binding of North Africa and elsewhere. The distinguishing features would be unsupported sewing, boards sewn to the book as if they were outermost sections and a squareless cover. I described such a binding at the meeting. Then I began to make them.   9. The terms cased and laced refer to methods of cover manufacture in the bindery, but such distinctions can also relate to the point of attachment between cover and text. The latter is an action based distinction because the cover influences the text in one way or another. With case construction, the point of attachment between cover and text is set back from the fold of the endpaper, while in laced construction it is not. Laced case construction is a combination structure. For example, the historical limp paper and vellum bindings have a cover to text attachment intermingled both at the set back joint crease and at the endpaper fold and spone crease positions. Another example is the edition binding of the sewn boards binding which has a spine wrapper that acts like a case cover. Here bothe laced and cased structures exist independently in one book. Cased and laced are traditional names. The trade distinctions can contradict themselves as there are forms of cased books built in boards and forms of laced books produced with covers made off the book. Yet all books can be directly observed in terms of their opening action and the positon of the cover to text attachment. In my view, bindings with a conventional tube hollow are laced and those with a natural hollow are cased. In trade terms a tube hollow can be applied to case binding, but this does change the opening action and the position of the cover to text attachment.   There is another distinguishing feature of this binding type. The sewn boards binding is a laced-in, not a cased, construction binding. 9 The laced construction feature takes on meaning as you move into in-boards work and begin to learn its skills and bindery interactions. Such production experience is also part of the revival of this historical form. The attributes of historical binding types do not necessarily make them practical models for current work. At least six historical prototypes have proven directly useful in book conservation practice. But library and limited edition binding, the last remnants of the hand binding trade, are dominated by the grooved cover, case binding. Because of this lack of diversity, the sewn boards form offers an unusual direction for production hand binding. In many historical prototypes for this binding the boards are sewn to the text as if they were outermost sections of the book. This is typical of the Ethiopian binding where the wooden board sewing passes through a tunneled lacing path which produces an action and connection identical to sewing through the fold of a section. With the modern sewn boards binding the board is a twenty-point card folio sewn to the text as an outer section. The card folio is used either to produce a simple two-ply board, or additional plys of board can be tipped into the folio. Unsupported, thread-only sewing and a squareless cover-to-text relation are also features of the sewn board structure, both old and new. Diagram of the historical and modern sewn boards binding. Beginning with these basic characteristics, I developed sewn board binding models adapted to conservation rebinding, library binding and limited edition binding. It was very easy. Three types of sewn board constructions: conservation (top), library (middle) and edition. Conservation Rebinding My proposed conservation form of sewn boards binding has single station chains of stitches conforming to existing holes or kerfs with shoulder seated boards mounted into the outer card folios. This binding offers a graceful alternative to conventional sewing on cords, thongs or tapes. The specification also has an attractive combination of the features of all three bindings discussed in this booklet. Following models from the Eastern Orthodox church region, it provides shoulder seating bevels and could literally use wooden boards. It also provides the full height linen lining carried onto the boards as in historical work. With careful control of the covering, the board will transmits its leverage in relation to the pliancy of the sewn text. This is a promising model with a quiet and docile action well suited to the drape of rag papers. The model also opens up the resource of historical unsupported sewn, wooden board structures to the practice of conservation rebinding. A particular innovation of this conservation binding form is the seating and sealing of the beveled board into the sewn card folio. No time consuming and structurally extraneous lacing is needed. Library Binding The library binding industry in the United States has left the oversewn volume and moved to using adhesive leaf attachment. A possible library binding connection with a sewn board idea follows the paperback model with squareless covers that offer attractions in relation to adhesive leaf attachment. An added sewn board feature of a cover spine free of the text back that is better in terms of titling, library labeling and opening action. 10   10. In the twelve years since the original discussion the revolution in "library" binding has occurred but paper wrapped books did not appear. The revolution has been case bound books produced "on-demand". This hybrid technology has migrated into the library binderies where it now streams out short run and single copy printing to the automated bindery line. Library binders can now print the books they bind.   Will such a paperback model actually influence library binding? Well, beyond the apparent convergence of cold emulsion adhesive and in-line mechanization, there is the convergence of library binding and edition binding toward flat back texts. This is a natural outcome of the conversion of both industries from sewn forms to adhesive leaf attachment and the natural propensity of adhesive binding toward an unbacked forwarding. Adhesive binding has special characteristics in relation to text shaping and some unsatisfactory reactions to traditional forwarding methods developed for sewn texts. The spine wrapper free of the text back gracefully accommodates the slight concavity naturally formed by use. Instead of returning itself to a closed form, it remains slightly opened. Profiles of a sewn book (top), adhesive bound paperback (middle) and an Otabind book. Limited Edition Binding The sewn boards concept can be applied to limited edition binding. A number of edition projects have been completed and the structure has been taught in many workshops The features of this type of edition binding include: a linen spine wrapper with turn-ins, a spine inlay one millimeter taller than the text, a composite sewn board, the board cloth, text and boards trimmed together, cover inserts of two or four-ply board, outside filler card to match the thickness of the spine wrapper, sewn board folios, paired station edition sewing with a linking web pattern and use of double faced tape to tack on the gloved spine wrapper. Diagram of a sewn boards limited edition binding. The sewn board design for limited edition work is best suited to books of two to eight sections. A production modification in the sewing is the use of paired stations that produces a web pattern instead of a chain. This is the same pattern used for link stitching across linen tapes. It stitches quicker than single station chains and speeds tension pulling. Now let's make a modern sewn boards binding. An endpaper folio is tipped to the outermost sections prior to sewing. For this reason a self ending printer's blank is the best typographical design for a sewn boards production. The tipped end folio is a colored sheet chosen in coordination with the board cloth. The fold of the endpaper folio should be positioned very slightly ahead of the fold of the outer section to assure freedom of the board opening in the finished binding. Remember that the boards, or card folios, are sewn on first and last, over the endpapers. Following sewing, an additional two or four-ply board can be bonded into the outer card folio by stippling adhesive in the gutter margins only. Set this mat board down directly behind the stitches. A nip with the book bottomed out in a small lying press on the bench will seal the mat boards into the sewn board folios. Then an additional filler card is tipped onto the exterior at a position to match the butt of the cloth spine wrapper. This card is set back twice the width of the text back. One half this measurement is lapped over by the board cloth. Notice now that the board plys are not bonded together overall and freely fan open from the fore-edge. Neither will the board coverings be bonded down except at the gutter margin and turn-ins, or will the pastedowns be sealed down except at their perimeter. This drummed construction assures a flat board, minimizes adhesive application time and almost eliminates pressing and seasoning time. The sewn book is knocked up flat to the back and square to the head and carefully positioned in a finishing press for lining. Use a folder to smooth out the back and soften hard edged section folds. A thin lining of kozo fiber paper is used with one or two linings depending on book size. The lining is bonded down with PVA adhesive applied to the book back with a small foam rubber roller. The dry lining strip is positioned and stippled on with a stiff brush. The books can be taken out of the lining press immediately to form neat stacks of lined books. Trimming is a central step in the production of a sewn boards edition. The three edges are trimmed using a freshly sharpened blade on the guillotine. Cut the fore-edge first, then cut the tail placing the head against the back gauge. Finally, cut the head to the finished book size. (Of course the positioning of the kettle sewing stations took this trimming into account.) Although the books are now "bound", we proceed to covering just as in the historical work. The cloth spine wrapper, with inlay and turn-ins, is made up as a separate component. Cut the spine inlay one millimeter greater than the book height to ease the wrapper positioning and assure a visual cap head and tail. Seal the turn-in on either side of the inlay while producing a slight downward glance to the turn-in on either side. I use strips of double-faced tape applied to the side margins of the wrapper between the turn-ins to tack it into position as the spine wrapper is gloved onto the book. However, for those not ready for self-adhesive binding methods, masked PVA tips will work as well. Almost done now, no cover making or casing-in for this job! The board cloths are applied, setting them back the width of the text and tipping them on. A jig, carefully set up and carefully used, is needed to get the board cloths pitched on symmetrically. Then, working flat to the bench, open the book between the pastedown and board, and apply adhesive to the turn-ins. Bring over the turn-ins, putting them down with simple miters. Finally, the pastedowns from the tipped-in endpaper folios are bonded down, using perimeter adhesion only. Put moisture wick sheets in the board openings and pile the books into stacks for drying. As for finishing, the spine wrapper can be stamped before installation or paper labeled after. For board panel labels it is necessary to consider the drummed construction. Blind stamped recesses for a paper board label should be provided with an underlying swatch of PVA applied to the bare board before covering. The heated recess die will then seal the cloth so that an adhered label will not distort the drummed cloth. Or, if a titled board paper is to be used, this can be stamped prior to its installation. The adaptation of the sewn boards binding to limited edition book work eliminates case making and casing-in. Eliminated also is rounding and backing. The contrasting spine cloth and board cloth, the elegant squareless array of book edges and the interesting reveal of the board laminations at the visual site of the traditional endband decoration, are all attributes of the appearance. The finished book exhibits a docile, opening that lies flat, combined with cover-to-text attachment strength and a delicate flow of motion and forces through the book. The binding has a graceful action which is visually elucidated as the spine wrapper moves off the book during opening and reading.   Prev | Next | Three Bookbindings   BookLab II Information News & Links Custom Housings Limited Edition Bookbinding Library Conservation Portfolio Contact BookNotes Three Bookbindings Production Sequences On Being a California Poet Community Links Blue Oak Bindery Bookbinding Model Collection Future of the Book Hands On Bookbinding Handpress The Heyeck Press Iowa Book Works Midnight Paper Sales Old Ways Moving Parts Press Pergamena Handmade Parchment The Red Butte Press Timeless Tech © Copyright 2003-2008 BookLab II Last update: Saturday, March 12, 2005 at 5:45:57 PM.