The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-02-24
BOOKS.
Something in Reference to
Their Origin and Present
Position.

The antiquity Of book binding is CO.
eval with the art Of composing
books, and is another illustration OF
the old adage that "Necess ty is the
mother of invention" Naturally
the fist thought was 60 write
the book, and second to devise
some mems whereby the diferen
paris could bs held toge her for fu-
ture use and reference. The books
of the ancie1ts being mostly COM
po. ed of wood, 81 tie, horn. plates of
horn and copper, and sometimes the
banks Of trees, one can imagine
there would be somewhat of diff
Guilty 10 BE- encountered in devising
means whereby they could be sc
cured together. 1t is said that the
art probably first consists d In fasten-
ing together sheets Of wood or metal
by means of hinges, and from this
rude method the art improved, upon
the introduction Of papyrus and
parchment, by the sheets being
fastened together at the edges, and
affixed at one end to scroll, around
which they were rolled. Didbin, on
the Authority Of .TrotZius, asserts
that Phiilatius was the first dis.
coverer of substance for making
the sheets adhere together, and that
for this simple Ito us) act the
Athenians erected statue 10 his
honor. 1t is also on record that
King Attslus, OF Pergamus, was the
first to order the sauaring OF books,
and this gave rise to the folding into
twos and tours, or folios and quartos
after the fold ng, gathering and
glueing of the book, the covers of
board, leather, or vellum, naturally
followed.
Bookbinding Is an art, it cannot
be ranked among the mechanics !;
for while requiring the incest OF
mechanical skill, the touch OF the
artist must be ever present, or the
work becomes unsightly and re-
pulsive, and although the ancients
were wise in their day, it Is ev dent
that they possessed mote love for
what We would now term "vulgsr
display" than for neatness and SUBS
stantiability IN their books. The
Cathedral of Milaa contains, in lis
treasury, the covering OF a book
dated prior 10 the twelfth century,
IA inches long AM II
inches wide. AID being profusely
decorated with encrnsted enamel,
and mounted with polished but UNI
cut precious stones of great value.
This mode of decoration, however,
was foreign to the book binders art
and was tue work of goldsmiths and
enamellers, although We opine it is
safe to say that from this ancient
idsa of book ornamentalion comes
our present use of gold-leaf for let
iering and finishing.
With the invention of printing
came a revolution in the art; books
and increased, and i'm
mense reductions in the price OF
them has materially followed.
France, England and America have
each contr .buted toward this i'm.
while Germany, where
printing was first invented, has
Jagged behind. And even in this
matter is shown the characteristics
of the three nations. French books
excel in taste and finish; English
in solidity and strength; while
(es indie I'D in nearly every
thing else leads the van for speed
in their production, although the
books lack in a measure the good
characteristics of the wo rk of the
two former nations.
Like every other art Of late years
the inventors brains have been as
siduously applied to the manufac-
ture of machinery to increase both
the quickness in which it can be
turned out as we'll as the general ap-
pearaucs of the work, until the
amount Of the machinery used in
the manufacture of a single book is
simply astounding. Realizing the
fact that this country demands
quicker and better work than 1t
has. been given ia the past The
HERALD has lately added to It's
many hundreds of dollars
worth of the latest improved and
fastest power machinery land is now
In q condition to compete with the
closest calculators, and to promise
the very best Of work at very mods
crate prices. You are respec fully in.
vited to submit these statement, to
q practical test.