The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1874-10-08
Dressing a Book.

THIS dressing takes place in fifth
story, and you'd never suspect it to be "A
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
pcting. Funny-looking sheets they are,
too, covered with square blocks of print
ing, arranged something ike the panes
of glass in a 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 a page and have
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 flat.
OF course there are II 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. II 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 sewing
which does sound little like II dress
makers shop don'tit? 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
a 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 a 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.
Cutting the edges of the leaves is the
next operation, and 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 off the
mill-board covers are glued on. Mill
| board is what makes the covers stiff, and
il 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 beautiful pattern
IN giltg or shall it have morocco back
and stylish paper over-skirtss or would
you like pretty colored cotton dress SC
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
calf or morocco and paper, they must be
marbled or colored red or brown; but il
it's to be simple blue, green or red cot
ton they can go white.
Before the dress goes on our book
must have its "head-bands." That's
little band across the top, just inside ol
the back of the book, and it hides thu
place where the cover turns over. 1t il
put there to make neat finish; and il
expensive books it is quite gorgeous
being made of cardboard worked owe
with silk
The leather, paper, or cloth-which
ever is used-is then cut to the prope
shape and covered with glue, for thi
book of ours don't button or hook II