The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-10-22
The Origin Of Rookhindinr.


The necessity of protecting mann.
scripts from injury was practically rec
ognized in the earliest historic times
but IL was reserved for the Greeks, who
fastened the leaves and then encased
them IN plain leather, to lay the founda-
ton OF modern bookbinding. In Rome
the covering of manuscripts assumed a
more ornamental character. Cicero
taste IN this respect was particularly
extrayagant. Every scroll in his libra
ry at Iusculum had an imposing dress.
The pugillaria, few leaves of ivory or.
wood, were held together at the back
by rings, but were eventually arrayed
in leather and secured by clasps. Hor-
ace and others tell us that book-shon
was to be found in every large city. and
the binders CASUALLY. slaves) doubtless
became persons of some Importance in
the community. Another advance in
the art is shown in the ponderous col
lection of statutes which the Byzantine
Emperors of the fifth century, evident
y with an eye to effect, took with them
in their public professions. These vol
umes were bound in q leather of some
bright color, and were slightly orna.
mented. In the Middle Ages, when
many monks became binders for
amusement, the typical cover consisted
of two heavy boards in leather or vel.
lum, with corner-plates, bosses, thick
clasps and a tasteless profusion of
'enamels, gold ornaments and precious
stones. The Arabs at this period
showed more Judgment in work of the
kind, but if any examples of it found
their way to Western Europe the les
sons they taught were disregarded.
The invention of printing, joined to
the revival of letters, naturally led to a
revolution in bibliopegy. Books came
from the press SO quickly that less
expensive mode of binding them had to
be devised. The Italians at once solved
the problem in the most satisfactory
way. The unwieldy wooden boards
were laid aside in favor of pasteboard
with morocco or some other fine leath-
Ell spread over it, and blind or gold
tooling was substituted for enamels and
gems in ornamentaUion. The result
was a gain to art, especially as great
painters did not think it beneath their
dignity to occupy themselves with de.
signs for book covers. Most of the
Italian bindings united richness with
the purest taste, and it is not too much
to say that those turned out by Tom
maso Mailio have never been surpassed.
Before many years had elapsed a French
school of reliure was founded by Grolier,
the foremost book collector of his time
Modelling his style upon that OF the
Italians, he yet gave it independent
value and interest, and to the end OF
his long life was an enthusiast upon the
subject. 1t is worthy of note that he
was the first to put the title on the back
of a volume. In the, seventeenth cent
ury the art of binding declined in Italy,
but in France, as in Germany and
Flanders, it made good progress. How
ever prosperous its votaries may have
been, their lot was hardly an enviable
one, as they did not escape the response
bility attached to the printer. In 1894,
Mr.. Cundall informs us, one of them was
hung in Paris for having bound libel
on Louis XIV. Before the Revolution
broke out la reIiure in France shared
the fate of that of Italy, having become
clumsy IN form ana poor IN design
England had never possessed great
bookbinder, but towards the end of
the eighteenth century she found one
in Roger Payne, who by his keen sense
of artistic beauty and his technical
skill might have made a fortune if he
had not been over devoted to the bottle.
In his portrait he appears as ''a thin,
shabby old man, standing in little
room, books on the floor and a glue-pot
On the fire. In this place, which
stood in Leicester Square, ''were exc
cuted the most splendid specimens of
binding, and here upon the same shell
were mixed together old shoes and val
liable leases, bread and cheese, costly
manuscripts and early printed books. y
Mr.. Cundall does not tell us that Lady
Spencers French maid tainted on see
ing her mistress in conversation with
this unlovely individual, though the an
ecdote is related on good authority
London Times.