American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-10-24
Dressing a Book.

| THIS dressing takes place in 4 fifth
| story, and you'd never suspect it to be
clothing establishment, either. In fact
| il furnishes clothes to books only, and is
| called bindery.
Here are brought the loose sheets of
| printing, Just as they come from the
press. in bundles as big as rolls of car
peting. Funnylooking sheets they are,
too, covered with square blocks of print
| ing, arranged something ike the panes
! of glass in window-sash.
| If you'll take one of those newspapers
which need the leaves cut before you
can read them, open it wide and lay it
on the floor, you'll see just how the
| book-sheets look.
| The first thing to be done is to fold
| them into book shape, so that each block
of printing shall be page and have a
| margin. This is done by lively set of
| girls called folders" and then the sheets
| are run between hydraulic presses to
press them very close and fiat.
OF course there are a good many sheets
in each book, and they have to be care
full to get one of every kind in, and to
get them in the right order. If they
| left out one sheet it would spoil the
| book. So the sheets are laid in piles,
| and the books are made up by taking
one from each pile.
| Then they go to a Sewingmachine-
which does sound little like dress
| makers shop, don't it? But it don't look
| a bit like it, for it's the drollest sewing
machine you ever saw. In fact, the
stupid machine don't sew at ALT only
| holds three or four bands up tight while
| Il girl sitting before it sewS the leaves to
| the bands with needle.
Take nicely bound book-some big,
| heavy book from the library-and you'll
| find on it's back several ridges. They
stand up quite high, and are ornamented
| with gilt vine or something. These
ridges are to cover the bands that hold
the book together. In some books the
| bands don't stick out, because the pack
age of sheets folded for book went to a
saw and had notches cut in the back, and
the bands are drawn into the notcheS to
be sewed.
When all the leaves are sewed on, the
ends of the bands are left hanging to the
book.
Now the dressing really begins. First
the end papers are put on. Those are
the colOred leaves which line the cover
| and form the first and last pages of the
book.
The glue-pot is next called on, the back
gets a good coat of glue, and good
pounding to round it up. Then it goes
| into a press, between two boards, to dry.
next operation, and Il very fascinating
one to see. You feel, when you watch
it, as though you could stand all day and
see that sharp knife come down and cut
| through the whole at one blow. But
you can't for the poor book still has no
outside wrap, and we all know the out
side is extremely important.
After the leaves are squared oil the
| mill-board covers are glued on. Mill
board is what makes the covers stiff, and
| it is glued to the ends of the bands which
hold the leaves.
What sort of dress shall our new
book have? Shall it wear elegant mo-
rocco trimmed with Il beautiful pattern
III gilt? or shall it have morocco back,
and stylish paper over-skirts9 or would
| you like pretty colored cotton dress so
| daintily trimmed with black and gilt
| that you almost fancy it morocco?
Whatever it is, the edges of the leaves
must correspond. If the dress is moroc-
| CO, they must be gilded; if substantial
| marbled or cOlOred red or brown; but if
it's to be simple blue, green or red cot
| ton they can go white.
Before the dress goes on our book
| must have it's "head- bands That's "A
| little band across the top, just inside of
| the back of the book, and it hides the
place where the cover turns over. 1t is
put there to make neat finish; and in
| expensive books it is quite gorgeous,
| being made of card board worked over
| with silk.
| The leather, paper, or Cloth-which-
ever is used-is then cut to the proper
shape and covered with glue, for this
| book of ours don't button or hook its
clothes; it just CLUES them on, and saves
| trouble.
| The glue being spread evenly over the
| l.. - full 40
mill board sides, the edges turned over.
and the end papers glued down to hide
| the rough edges.
| Now the dress is fairly on, and it is
bound up between boards to dry.
But it isn't yet done. Who would be
| satisfied with a nice book dressed in the
| most elegant of morocco with not an or
! namcnt to its back? Absurd, isn't 1t,
girls?
There's one good thing about its trim
| mings-it don't take poor sewlng-glrl II
week to ornament their one dress by
no means! It's just stamped on at one
| blow, by hot brass stamp, III big
! stamping machine. If the trimmings
| are to be gilt, they first have Il coat of
olive oil and gold leaf, and when the
stamp comes down it stamps the figure,
and presses the gold leaf down so tight
it cant get off. The rest is brushed of,
and the beautiful new book is ready for
your library.
Don't YOU love a new book? Isn't the
delicious smell of it more delightful than
otto of roses2 Not because the smell Is
sweet but because it is suggestive. II
makes YOU think of the nice times you've
had with books and expect to have with
this.
You remember l told you about the
| old-fashioned Illuminated books made by
: the monks. and SO valuable that only the