The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1881-11-10
The Origin Of Bookbinding.

The Origin OF B00kbinding.
The necessity of protecting manu-
scripts from injury was practically rec
ognized in the earliest historic times
but it was reserved for the Greeks, who
fastened the leaves and then encased
them in plain leather, to lay the founda-
tion of modern bookbinding. In Rome
| the covering of manuscripts assumed a
more ornamental character. Cicero 8
| taste in this respect was particularly
extravagant. Every scroll in his libra
ry at Tusculum had an imposing dress.
The pugillaria. a 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 shop
was to be found in every large city, and
the binders USUALLY 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
ly with an eye to effect, took with them
in their public professions These vol
umes were bound in a 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 II 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-
er spread over it, and blind or gold
tooling was substituted for enamels and
gems in ornamentaGion. The result
was 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 French
school OF reisure was founded by Grolier,
the foremost book collector of his time.
Modelling his style upon that of the
Italians, he yet gave it Independents
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 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
hility attached to the printer. In 1894,
hIr. Cundall informs US. one OF them was |
hung in Paris for having bound a libel
on Louis XIV. Before the Revolution |
broke out la reliatre in France shared |
the fate of that of Italy, having become
clumsy in form and poor in design. |
England had never possessed a great I
bookbinder, but towards the end of I
the eighteenth century she found one /
IN Roger Payne, who by his keen sense |
Of artistic beauty and his technical
skill might have made fortune if he
had not been over devoted to the bottle.
In his portrait he appears as "a thin,
shabby old man, standing in a little
room, books on the floor and glue pot
On the fire." In this place, which
stood in Leicester Square. '.were exc
;nted the most splendid specimens of
binding. and here upon the same shelf
were mixed together old shoes and val
liable leases, bread and cheese, costly
manuscripts and early printed books.
Mr.. Cundall does not tell us that Lady
Spencer's French maid tainted on see-
ng her mistress in conversation with
his unlovely individual, though the an
,cdote is related on good authority
London Times.