The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1859-10-15

THE MARVELS OF I3OOK-MAKikG.

bookstore is-thAt brown. stoHe temple on
Broadway 30 difficult TO pass without
going in; but very few are coarerssns
with the mysteries Of the great "hot-
house, Gf We may uso the term IN
Franklin Street, where all book -harvest
springs up. by hundreds and thousands
dOfeour.e we followed the wise old max
iul; "begin. at the bcginning.' and de-
scended firstinto the snbterraneanrcg
of the vast building. where an immense
steam engine, gfoaning and clanking like
some captive monster with lungs Of fire,
supplied motive power 70 the whole es-
tablishmentl This underground room,
extending out usder the pavement some
distance, was almost dark except for the
lurid glare of a gigantic furnace, and we
could no help wondering if tho goood
people above would walk the street SO
eomposcdly, were they aware Of the glow
Of white aud scarlet fires, and the ciattcr
ofthe iron and steeiribhe ,Gcnia, under
their feet! #3
From this apartment We passed into
a series Of deep stone cells, sixteen IN
number, separated by a vide vaulted
aisle, and reminding us irresistibly OF the
Bastile, or the foundations of an old
Gothic stronghold. In these deep fire.
proof vaults are preserved stereotype and
clectro.ypc plates, d. picates Of those in
use, 50 that in case Of Gre above, the loss
will not be irrcparsblc. I
We don't belong to the nervous class,yet
it certainly was relief t get out Of these
dung con like arches Of heavy stone into
the room above, filed with books in en-,
bryo, towering packages Of printed sheets
and piles on piles of bound volumes =
One In particular, an actual mountain Of
'CornelI's Geography contained, we
are afraid to say how many thousan! vol,
umcs -Four stcan- n-prcsses are kept con
stantly running to supply the imnsence
demand for this popular schcol-book.
The next room was full Of printing
presses, hummin. and buzzin- away, as
the wet broadsiAcs showered down from
their iron fingers "a, the rate OF six hun
,ircd sheets am hour for each These
presses are mostly in charge of women,
We are happy to say A 'hey come
drmp from 'he press, these sheets aro
dried by means of an apparatus for the
purpose. One press in use here is quite
curiosity, both from the fact OF its print
ing bon sides Of the. sheet at Que time,
and from its being the only one Of that
kind now in ne Only two OF these
presses have been manufactured IN the
United States, one OF " hieh We beEeii,
anI tho other "as recently destroyed at a
iy4 IN Spruce S,r4ct Anothtr interost
iug association connected with this press
il. that It has never printed anything but
the good old. fashioned w bster Spell
ing Baok-that dear little blue. covered
volume, hieh is rs assent'tsl to Childhood
a. flowers and green heds---throwiu oti
the time honored pages with lightning
spaed--ttro thoeaad shtets per ioug -
Eyen after we have reached the age Of the
ponderous qnartos and gilt edged octavos,
there isno volume We regard With more sat.
fec.ionate rememberanee than Webster S
Spelling Book .z5# asat a@
After the sheets are dried, the opera,
ton Of pressing follows, which Is pencr
ally done by four pro~erfui hydrurlie
presses, and then comes folding. This
process is much expediated by the use
of machinery. The component parts OF
the book are next gathered and arranged
in their proper order, or, = use the tech
MICA! term, coliat,d, and IL book is i'm,
pa'cd on huge needles, and "sewed. =
Our book begins to look quite eotunst-ttE'
by this time, oaly the edges of the leaves
are rough aud aneyen. This, however
is soon. set right by a vast machine
whose wide, glittering knife .glides nj
and down with a noisely strength mol
unlike the deadly instrument Of thc
French guillotine. .ar.a. g"@e ..4~E
Perhaps the most curious process of al
is marblng the edges and fly leaves o.
books. We have often admired the beau
tiful wavy ripplcs and delicate colors OF
these marbled edges and wondered how
it was done, and the very simplicity O
the process is its most attractive feature
A broad, shallow receptacle is filed will
solution of gum arabic and water, anc
the operator, standin. In the midst of
number of little pots Of brilliant vate
colors, dips small brush into each, al.
by giving the brush what the ladies cal
a "firt," sprinkIes the collors all over thu
surface, ia successive little showers 0
raiubow drops Perhaps the brush i
first dipped in scarlet, and an archipelag'
." bright scarlet islets floats on the sola
f;on hen, perhaps, blue rain follows
or pa oranas sprinkling, producing Tia
richest possible eject Of color. Al IN
strumcnt ike large co,,'b is then draw
through the floating strata OF eoiors u
wayy lines, forming a strange, s"lsn
mosaic. The book is then dipped quIek,j
in, a,akes bath" as far az its edges al
concerned, and comes out a. we see it IL
the library, with marbled front.
The operation of gliding the backs il
equally beautiful. III places to be gid
cd are brushed over with = THU soia;lo;
OF the white ot an egg, on wich 9o!d.fei
is afterward laid. 4 press, eontalnin!
the letters and da~igned to b. made !,
yllt. kept hot, is brou-hs to bear uPp'
| az foil. aud the gold which comqs i
con,act with the hot iron is inlellbl.
stata ed d-burl.d iu, as it were. Tai
| pra.e-s il confined to those covers whic'
.are stalupqI betore beingPu on the books
aud slich are called eases Thpse beaa
tiful devices WHICH saem Ike .smaH ars
/ lesoues, and interlacing threads Of sol
on tho backs aud covers Of books, af
made by laying On gold -fail, and s'agpIn
in the patterns, ID this manner. W deb
cate little instruments Of, various pat
terms, something like a hpusehecper.''
..iggcring irons,"'r which are c2nstant'
kept heated. The spperauous foil