Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1894-11-17
WOMAN'S NEW VOCATION.
Amateur Bookbinding n New Source q
Pleasure and Profit.

Amateur Bookbinding New Source OF
Pleasure and Profit.
Amateur bookbinding Is a new spe-
cies Of employment suggested to those
who are weary of fancy work or to
women who endure the enforced les-
ure of tedious convalcscence, says Il
writer in the London Queen. 1t was
recommended by IL physician as an
employment that would occupy The
patients mind without overtaX:ng her
strength The girl describes her work
as follows: 81 have had several pu-
pills. and have found them, nearly all,
fully as enthusiastic on the subject as
| am myself. We are always on the
lockout now for suitable books to put
into pretty covers. The old Tauch-
ntZ editions have been unearthed and
made beautiful forever, or. at least,
for Il much longer time than if they
had fallen into the cheap binders
hands.
My binding is done in simple
fashion in my own morning room,
with no tools save sharp penknlfe,
q steel foot rule end wooden T.
square, costing altogether about IS.
Cd. If there is no linen press avail
able. | must add to this short Est q
press of some kind; though l have
seen one or two very preSentaDle
hooks that have had no pressure but
that arrived at through dumb-bells,
flat-ironS. etc. A good strong press,
however. is really necessary. If 1t
is important to reduce the expenditure
as much as possible, it is easy to PICK
up secondhand iron press, such as
IS used in copying letters. There Is al
ways endless work to be found in
making tidy volumes Of our music
and magazines, and in renovating the
books on our shelves. We shall not
spend the less on books for taking an
intelligent interest in their covers, and
shall be the more willing to pay for
good binding when we realize the
amount of work it entails. OF course,
one could not expect. without years of
experience. plenty of appliances and
probably special aptitude, to turn out
such specimens as an expert workman.
The great majority of bindings are
cheap and exceedingly bad. If the
',p,k is new. it will not stay open on Il
table: the leaves flap together with az
:rrhyat;ng promptitude when you take
y'1r hand from them.
"lf the book should have passed
through many hands. the sharp rim
NJ the side OF the back will have worn
>h lbhy. the corners will be turned in
:nI rntdy. and probably the front
.."vrr viii be half off the back of the
hook As it is at first only Joined to
Wy IL strip to thin muslin and one
-" Two th:cknesseS of paper to form
~" hinge. it cannot stay in its place
i,l- In amateur work you can avoid
al these faults. Your books will lie
inv,t.ngly open. and will stand plenty
Of wear and tear without coming to
pieces They can be made pretty, too,
with careful combinations of color in
hlckram cloth and paper. Without
rnnlS and scrolls. lines or gilded Orna-
nrntat:ons that one generally sees on
cloth covers cannot be managed. but,
nevertheless. homemade bindings are,
- I rule. far more attractive than or
inary shop work, because more at
t"Ar.nn s paid to color. There is room,
I",, for Il little artistic talent in the
lettering. which is done with an etcn-
.n~ pom. and either colorcd inks or
water colors. For those who are not
gifted with Il straight eye, the fact
that irregular letters are much used
now in artistic printing has d.S-
t;nct valle. But practice makes per-
fec: and there are few who cannot, in
Il short time put this finishing touch
t, their handiwork with sufficient pre-
r'S'on and neatness Schoolboys ara
often particularly apt at lettering"