History of the Book and Book Structures

1. History of the BookandBook Structures British Literature I April 22, 2013 Brittany Fay

2. Outline •History of the book -book structures -production methods •History of bookbinding -stab binding -Coptic -medieval -girdle books -case bindings •Interplay of book structure and content

3. Structures Codex -sewn binding -modern books are technically codices Tablet -clay or wax Scroll -papyrus, skin, or wood

4. Production Technology Moveable Type Printing Press Digital Imaging

5. Production Technology Woodblock and Woodcut Engraving and Etching Lithography Photography

6. Early Bindings •1st-4th centuries CE •limp covers, usually vellum or leather •vellum pages •often sewn through two stations

7. Coptic Binding •2nd-10th century CE •binding style originating in Egypt and surrounding area •exposed spine sewing •wooden boards sewn to textblock

8. Historic Long-Stitch •used through early 19th century •exposed sewing on spine •requires reinforced spine piece •decorative weaving sometimes added to exposed stitches

9. Girdle Books •13th-16th century •leather binding with long tail that could be attached to belt •most commonly used for religious texts

10. Medieval Binding •7th-14th century •wooden covers •text block sewn over cords which were then laced into cover •boards partially or fully covered in leather •clasps added beginning in 9th century

11. Medieval Binding Developments •15th-16th centuries -full leather bindings with tooling •16th-17th centuries -transition to paper boards -introduction of rounded-back structures

12. 18th and 19thCentury Bindings •introduction of half and quarter bindings •transition to case bindings •significant decrease in paper quality

13. Modern Decorative Bindings •use of everyday materials in bindings •binding integral to content of book

14. Book Structures How does the intended use of a book influence its structure?

15. Further Reading Internet University of Iowa Libraries Bookbinding Models http://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/binding/index.php Princeton University Hand Bookbindings http://libweb5.princeton.edu/visual_materials/hb/hb.html Graphics Atlas: information on different graphic techniques http://graphicsatlas.org/ Books Gaskell, Philip. A New Introduction to Bibliography. New York: Oxford University Press, 1972. Greenfield, Jane. ABC of Bookbinding: an Illustrated Glossary of Terms for Collectors & Conservators. New Castle, Delaware: Oak Knoll Press, 1998. Marks, P. J. M. Beautiful Bookbindings: A Thousand Years of the Bookbinder’s Art. New Castle, Delaware: Oak Knoll Press, 2011. Moran, James. Printing Presses: History and Development from the 15th Century to Modern Times. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1973. Nixon, Howard. Five Centuries of English Bookbinding. London: Scholar Press, 1978.