Year: 1887

page_text: I PERCY HENRY NEWILL of 38 Hanover Gardens Kennington Park in the County
of Surrey Solicitor do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of the invention is to produce a firmer more durable and efficient
connection between a book and its cover by methods, the advantages of which are
most completely realized in case-binding, but which are also applicable to other classes
of bookbinding.
In carrying out the invention according to one method the boards intended to form
the cover are provided with loops or other equivalent contrivances of suitable shape
and material fastened thereto in any convenient manner so as to reach up to or a little
beyond the back edges thereof at points corresponding with the positions of the cross
cords or tapes to which the signatures are sewn.
In case-binding the boards are now made up into a finished cover and the same is
afterwards fastened to the book by passing the cross cords or tapes through or under
the loops or their equivalents and fastening their loose ends to the inside of the cover
boards or otherwise in any convenient manner.
I sometimes make these loops of short pieces of untwisted hempen string or cord
doubled in the middle to form the loop and with the two loose ends of each scraped out
flat so as to form a somewhat fan shape. These I glue upon the outsides of the cover
boards, on which in consequence of their fan shape they have a considerable holding
surface and lie very flat. The book is then attached to the boards, either before or
after they are made up into a finished cover, by passing the cross cords through the
loops and gluing them to the inside of the boards, after first scraping their loose ends out
into a flat fan shape so as to lie flatter and hold more securely. One of the advantages
of this particular arrangement is that the strain on the fastening can only act in
directions in which the same is best able to resist it.
To enable the cords to be passed through the loops more readily and without injury

page_text: to the outside finish of a case binding, nicks slots or holes may be made in the boards;
or little flaps may be formed therein which would be glued or otherwise fastened back
in place after the cords have been passed through the loops.
The following is an example of an equivalent contrivance for use instead of loops.
Longitudinal pieces of wire or metal are fixed to the back edges of the cover boards
by loops of hempen string metal connections or otherwise, and the cross cords or tapes
are passed under the said wire or metal and held against the said edges thereby. In
this case a separate piece of wire or metal is provided for each cord or tape; or single
wires or strips of metal, fastened at intervals, are passed along nearly the whole length
of the said edges.
The said loops or their equivalents serve to hold the cords or tapes against the back
edges of the cover boards, and they may be so adjusted as to hold them firmly against
the outside of the said edges; thus producing close firm hinges similar to those in
covers to which the cords or tapes have been laced or secured before finishing, and
also thus preventing the said cords or tapes from breaking away from the said back
edges and forming loose hinges equal in width to the depth of the backing grooves; a
contingency which would otherwise happen as soon as a strain was put upon the
binding.
The textile fabric or webbing used to unite a book to its cover may in a similar
manner and with the same object be secured against the outside of the back edges of
the cover boards by means of wide loops, longitudinal wires or equivalent devices
suitably adjusted for that purpose, and under or through which the webbing would be
passed.
Another method of preventing the looseness consequent upon the portions of the
webbing tapes or cords which lie against the said back edges breaking away therefrom,
is to stiffen and strengthen those portions in any suitable manner, such as for example
by pasting or gluing to them a piece or pieces of millboard linen, parchment leather
or other suitable material. These pieces of material may be made wide enough to be
fastened to and extended wholly or partially across the backs of the sewn signatures.
Another method of fastening the cords or tapes is to connect them to pieces of metal,
which in their turn are in any suitable manner secured to the cover boards, as for
example by pushing them into or connecting them to slots or other metal contrivances
attached to the boards, and securing them in position by catches or detents, or by
doubling over a portion of the metal or otherwise. These metal contrivances are
preferably so designed as to hold the cords or tapes against the outside of the back
edges of the boards as in previous cases.
The textile fabric or webbing cords or tapes, by which books are fastened to their
covers, may also be securely connected to the cover boards at the outside of the back
edges thereof in the following manner. The back edges of the boards are bevelled from
the inside leaving the outsides flat. The webbing cords or tapes are glued or otherwise
fastened upon these bevelled edges and may be further secured in the required position
by gluing or otherwise fixing over them strips of millboard or other material similar
in shape to the picces cut off in bevelling the boards. When cords or tapes alone are
employed small portions of the boards only need be bevelled. A similar result may be
obtained by fastening the webbing cords or tapes under flaps so cut in the boards that
the webbing cord or tapes when fixed will issue from the outside of the said back edges.
When cords or tapes only are used a succession of smaller flaps may be provided.
Instead of the ordinary textile fabric used for attaching book covers, I may use a
loose fabric formed in one direction of strands of hemp (preferably flat and without twist
in order to lie more smoothly), but in the other direction formed of thin fragile threads
which need only be strong enough to keep the hempen strands in place. This fabric
is applied in such manner that the strong hempen strands form the hinge between the
book and its cover, and in order that it may lie flatter the thin threads may be pulled
out of the portions thereof to be attached to the cover boards. A similar result may
be produced by gluing across the back of the sewn signatures a series of parallel
hempen strands at regular intervals, and afterwards fastening their loose ends to the
boards as before.

page_text: With the object of preventing the threads cutting through the backs of the
signatures at the beginning and enil of a book and so loosening the cover, a piece of
strong linen parchment leather millboard or the like may be glued to the backs of
the sewn signatures and completely round the backing ridges or over the back edges
of the outside signatures, the cords or tapes being passed through apertures in the said
materials made in suitable positions for that purpose.
Some of the principal advantages of the invention are those which result from
securing the cords tapes textile fabric or webbing against or so as to issue from the
outside of the back edges of the cover boards for the purposes above indicated.
Dated this 9th day of December 1887.

page_text: I PERCY HENRY NEWILL of 38 Hanover Gardens Kennington Park in the
County of Surrey Solicitor do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :—
The object of the invention is to produce a firmer more durable and efficient
connection between a book and its cover by methods, the advantages of which are
most completely realized in case binding, but which are also applicable to other classes
of bookbinding.
In carrying out the invention according to one method the boards intended to form
the cover are provided with loops or other equivalent contrivances of suitable shape
and material fastened thereto in any convenient manner so as to reach up to or a
little beyond the back edges thereof at points corresponding with the positions of the
cross-cords or tapes to which the signatures or sheets are sewn.
In casebinding the boards are now made up into a finished cover and the same is
afterwards fastened to the book by passing the cross-cords or tapes through or under
the loops or their equivalents and attaching their loose ends to the inside of the cover-
boards in any convenient manner.
I sometimes make these loops of short pieces of untwisted hempen string or cord
doubled in the middle to form the loop. These I glue upon the outsides of the cover-
boards at the same time scraping them out into a somewhat fan shape so that they
will have a considerable holding surface and lie very flat. In Fig. 1 is shown such a
hempen loop fastened to the board as described. Fig. 2 is an inside view of
portion of a finished casebinding showing the loops slightly projecting from the
back edges of the boards b. The latter may be slightly cut away or have nicks
formed therein as shown to allow the cross-cords to be passed through the loops more
readily and without forming lumps. The book is attached to the boards either before
or after they are made up into a finished cover in the manner shown in Figs. 4, 6, & 7,
(Fig. 7 being a section of Fig. 4 on line, and Fig. 6 an enlargement of part of
Fig. 7). The cross-cords ce are passed through the loops 11, pulled tight, and pasted
to inside of the boards, their loose ends being at the same time scraped flat as shown
on left hand side of Figs. 4 & 7, so as to lie more smoothly and hold more securely.
In this arrangement the strain on the fastening can only act in directions in which the
same is best able to resist it.
To successfully carry out my invention when the hempen loops 17 are used, the
appliance shown in Fig. 24 must be employed to attach them to the cover-boards.
This consists of a flat board T provided with a channel N, in which slide the blocks k
equal in thickness to the depth of the channel N, and capable of being clamped in any

page_text: required position by nuts a and bolts a passing through slot d. An enlarged
perspective view of one of the blocks k, which are all alike is shown in Fig. 25. r is
an upright spike fixed to front edge of k by small staple ². is a looped piece of
spring wire passed through and clenched to k and curved so that its free end presses
lightly against spiker as shown. The cover-board to be operated upon is placed with
its edge close against spikes r, and is prevented from slipping by sharp metal
points nn slightly projecting from board T. and glare two raised guides to ensure
cover-boards being placed correctly. The guide g¹ can be clamped nearer or farther
from g to suit different sized cover-boards by means of slot e and thumb screw e¹,
which works in either of the screw holes ee.
The blocks being arranged in correct positions, and the cover-board placed as
above directed, the short lengths of hempen string to form the loops are doubled
round spikes r, and are lightly retained with their loose ends lying on the cover-board
by the springs. The said ends are then scraped flat and pasted down. This may
be done with a scratch brush made of stiff bristles or wires or a mixture of both.
Finally the cover-board with loops attached is carefully lifted off spikes r, and left
to dry.
I will give a few examples of equivalent contrivances for use instead of the hempen
loops, without however intending to limit myself to those described. Longitudinal
wires fixed to the back edges of the cover-boards by loops of hempen string in a
similar manner to that shown in Figs. 14, 15 and 20 may be used, and the cross-cords
or tapes will then be passed under the said wires and be held against the said edges
thereby. In this case a separate piece of wire may be provided for each cord or
tape, or single continuous wires such as that shown in Figs. 14, 15, and 20 may be
adopted.
A modification of this last method is to use the kind of hempen fringe shown in
Fig. 17, and in enlarged section in Fig. 18, which consists of a stiff wire w, with
hempen fibres pasted round it as shown. Convenient lengths of this fringe are cut
off and glued or pasted to the backs of cover-boards in manner illustrated in Fig. 21,
a suitable aperture or slit being made to allow cross-cord tape or webbing to pass
under the wire. A substitute for the hempen fringe and one, which would be used
in a precisely similar way, is the woven tape shown in Fig. 22 and in enlarged
section in Fig. 23, which is exactly like ordinary woven tape except that it has a
wire or strong string or thread w occupying the place of one of the outside warp
threads.
The hempen fringe just mentioned is to be made by aid of the appliance shown in⚫
Figs. 27 & 29 (Fig. 29 being a section on line y2 y2). It consists of a strip of metal M
with pieces of wire soldered to it. A length of wire w is laid along edge of M and
between tt as shown, and the hempen fibre is wound in a thin layer round both the
wire and the strip M. The wire w, with the hemp enveloping it, is next secured
in a vice with long jaws formed by preference as shown in section in Fig. 28, the
fibre is cut along outer edge of strip M so releasing the latter, and the fibre is pasted
together to retain the wire w in position. Finally the finished fringe is taken from
vice and laid aside to dry.
Fig. 12 is a plan and Fig. 13 a sectional view on line a¹¹ of a wire loop w², which
as shewn in Fig. 13 is passed through back of cover-board and clenched inside.
This modification is suitable for fastening either tapes cords or even webbing.
Fig. 10 is a plan view, Fig. 9 a side sectional view, and Fig. 11 an end view of a
wire loop w³, which being of corkscrew shape is screwed into board as shown. This
loop could be fastened to an already finished cover.
A special needle consisting of two springy metal strips of somewhat curved section,
and preferably roughened inside, and which are connected together at one end and
provided with a point, may be used for passing the cross-cords through the hempen
loops or their equivalents; an operation which would otherwise be extremely
troublesome. In Fig. 26 is illustrated such a needle formed of two springy metal
strips pp brazed or soldered round a solid point pl, and afterwards sharpened as
shown. To use the needle, the end of cross-cord having been placed between

page_text: strips pp, the latter are pressed together between the thumb and finger and the
whole needle is pushed through the loop carrying the cross-cord with it.
The said loops or their equivalents serve to hold the cords or tapes against the
back edges of the cover-boards, and they may be so adjusted as to hold them firmly
against the outside of the said edges as shown in the drawings, thus producing close
firm hinges similar to those in covers to which the cords or tapes have been laced or
secured before finishing and also thus preventing the said cords or tapes from breaking
away from the said back edges and forming loose hinges equal in width to the depth
of the backing grooves, a contingency which would otherwise happen as soon as a
strain was placed upon the binding. It is the liability to form such wide loose hinges,
and the consequent transverse play thereby allowed to the cover, which is one of the
chief causes of the weakness of the ordinary casebindings.
The textile fabric or webbing used to unite a book to its cover may in a similar
manner and with the same object be secured against the outside of the back edges of
the cover-boards by means of longitudinal wires, wide metal loops or equivalent
devices suitably adjusted for that purpose and under or through which the webbing
would be passed. Figs. 14, 15, and 20 show such a longitudinal wire attached to
board by hempen loops, Fig. 15 being a plan and Fig. 14 an end view thereof
and Fig. 20 an enlarged section on line y y. The board is slightly cut away as
shown to allow wire to lie more compactly. Fig. 16 and Fig. 19, which is an
enlarged section of Fig. 16 on line y¹ y¹, show how webbing of the book B is passed
under wire w before pasting it to board b.
The textile fabric or webbing, cords or tapes may also with same object be
connected to the cover-boards at the outside of the back edges thereof in manner
shown in section in Fig. 3. The back edge of the cover-board 6 is bevelled from the
inside leaving the outside flat and the webbing cords or tapes c are glued upon this
bevelled edge. c¹ may also be further secured in required position as shown in
Fig. 5 by gluing over them a strip of millboard or other suitable material m; in
which case it is best that the board should only be bevelled to within about half
an inch from each end. The strips m may be the pieces cut off in bevelling the
boards. When cords or tapes alone are employed small portions of the boards only
need be bevelled.
Another method of preventing the looseness and consequent weakness, resulting
from the portions of the webbing tapes or cords, which lie against the said back
edges, breaking away therefrom, is to stiffen and strengthen those portions by pasting
or gluing to them a piece or pieces of thin millboard, linen, parchment, leather or
other suitable material. These pieces of material may for convenience be made
wide enough to be fastened to and extended wholly or partially across the backs
of the sewn signatures. This method is illustrated by Fig. S in which is one of the
cover-boards, the ordinary webbing cords or tapes, and s the strengthening material
attached to the portions of c², which lie against the back edges of the boards. For
sake of clearness the thickness of material s is exaggerated in the drawing and the
outside cloth or leather in omitted.
Instead of the ordinary textile fabric or webbing used for attaching book covers I
may use a loose textile fabric formed in one direction of strands of hemp (preferably
flat and without twist to lie more smoothly), but in the other direction formed of
thin fragile threads which need only be strong enough to keep the hempen strands in
place. This fabric is applied in the same way as the fabric now used, but in such
imanner that the strong hempen strands form the hinge between the book and its
cover. In order that this improved webbing may lie flatter, the thin threads may be
pulled out of the portions thereof to be attached to the cover-boards. A similar
result may be produced by gluing or in some like manner securing across the back of
the sewn book a series of parallel hempen strands at regular intervals and afterwards
attaching the cover by gluing their loose ends to the boards.
Some of the principal advantages of the invention are those which result from
securing the cords tapes textile fabric or webbing against or so as to issue from the
outside of the back edges of the cover-boards for the purposes above indicated.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is
1. In Bookbinding the method of securing books to their covers by passing the
cross-cords tapes or webbing, before they are attached to the inside of the cover-
boards, through or under hempen loops, longitudinal wires, or other suitable equivalent
contrivances therefor (whether metallic or otherwise) connected to the cover-boards
at their back edges.
2. In Bookbinding the use of hempen loops, longitudinal wires, or other equivalent
contrivances therefor (whether metallic or otherwise) fastened to the cover-boards at
their back edges for the purposes described.
3. In Bookbinding the use of the loops substantially as and for the purposes
described.
4. The manufacture and use in Bookbinding severally and respectively of the
metal loops 2 and 3 both substantially as and for the purposes described.
5. The manufacture and use in Bookbinding severally and respectively of the
fringe shown in Figs. 17 and 18, and the woven tape herein described with reference
to Figs. 22 and 23 both substantially as and for the purposes described.
6. In Bookbinding the use of the arrangement shown in Figs. 14, 15 and 20
substantially as and for the purposes described.
7. In Bookbinding the methods of attaching the webbing cords or tapes to the
cover-boards at, or so as to issue from, the outside of their back edges substantially as
and for the purposes herein described with reference to Figs. 3 and 5.
S. In Bookbinding the method of strengthening the hinges of the covers by
attaching a piece or pieces of thin millboard, linen, parchment, leather or other
suitable material of a similar kind to the portions of the webbing tapes or cords
which lie against the back edges of the cover-boards substantially as and for the
purposes described.
9. The manufacture and use in Bookbinding of the textile fabric formed in one
direction of strands of hemp substantially as and for the purpose described.
10. In Bookbinding attaching the covers by means of a series of hempen strands
glued or in some like manner secured across the backs of the books substantially as
described.
11. The manufacture and use in Bookbinding of the needle consisting of two springy
metal strips connected together at one end and provided with a point substantially
as and for the purpose described.
12. The manufacture and use in Bookbinding of an appliance or tool comprising
the spiker and spring or any mechanical equivalent therefor, for the purpose of
retaining the loops in position while they are being attached to the cover-boards.
13. The manufacture and use in Bookbinding of the appliance substantially as and
for the purpose herein described with reference to Figs. 24 and 25.
14. The manufacture and use in Bookbinding of the appliance illustrated in
Figs. 27 and 29 substantially as and for the purpose described.
Dated this 8th day of September 1888.