BOOK-BINDING, the art of sewing together the sheets of a book, and securing them with a back and side boards. Binding is distinguished from stitching, which is merely sewing the leaves, without bands or backs ; and from haY'binding, which consists in se curing the back only with leather, the -pasteboard sides being covered with blue or marbled paper ; whereas, in binding, both the back and'sides are co vered with leather.
At what time the art of book-binding was first in vented it is impossible to ascertain ; but Phillatius, a learned Athenian, was the first who pointed out the use of a particular kind of glue for fastening the leaves of a bdok together ; an invention which his countrymen thought of such importance as to entitle' him to a statue. The most ancient mode of binding consisted in gluing the different leaves together, and attaching them to cylinders of wood, round which they were rolled. This is called Egyptian binding ; and continued to be practised long after the age of Augustus. It is now wholly disused, except in ori ental countries, and in the Jewish synagogues, where they still continue to write the books of the_law on slips of vellum sewed together, so as to form only one long page, with a roller at each extremity, furnished with clasps of gold or silver.. The square form of binding which is now universally practised, at least in Europe, is said to have been first invented by one of the kings of Pergamus, the same to whom we owe the invention of parchment. See BOOK.
Book-binding, according to the present mode, is performed in the following manner :—The sheets are first folded into a certain number of leaves, according to the form in which the book is to appear; viz. two leaves for folios, four fur quartos, eight for octavos, twelve for duodecimos, &c. This is done with a'slip of ivory or bdxwood, called a folding stick ; and in the arrangemeni of the sheets, the workmen are di. rectcd by the catchwords and signatures at the bot tom of the pages. When the leaves are thus folded and arranged in proper order, they are beaten on a stone with a heavy hammer, to make them solid and smooth, and then they are pressed. After this pre paration, they are sewed in a sewing press, upon cords or packthreads called bands, which are kept at a proper distance from each other, by drawing a thread through the middle of each sheet, and turning it round each band, beginning with the first and pro.
ceeding to the last. The number of bands is gene rally six for folios, and five for quartos, or any small er size. The backs are now glued, and the ends of the bands are opened, and scraped with a knife, that the pasteboard sides may be more conveniently fixed ; after which the back is turned with a hammer, the book being fixed in a press between boards, called backing boards, in order to make a groove for admit ting the pasteboard sides. When these sides are ap plied, holes are made in them for drawing the bands through ; the superfluous ends are cut offs and the parts are hammered smooth. The book is next press ed for cutting ; which is done by a particular ma chine called the plough, to which is attached a knife. It is then put into a press called the cutting press, betwixt two boards, one of which lies even with the press, for the knife to run upon ; and the other above, for the knife to cut against. After this, the paste boards are cut square with a pair of iron shears; and, last of all, the colours are sprinkled on the edges of the leaves with a brush made of hog's bristles ; the brush being held in one hand, and the hair moved with the other.
Different kinds of binding are distinguished by .different names, such as law binding, marble binding, French binding, Dutch binding, &c. In Dutch bind ing, the backs are of vellum. In French binding, a slip of parchment is applied over the back between each band, and the ends arc pasted on the inside of each pasteboard. This indorsing, as it is called, is peculiar to the French binders ; who arc enjoined, by special ordonnance, to back their books with parchment. The parchment is applied in the press, after the back has been grated to make the paste -take hold. The Italians still bind in a coarse thick paper, and this they call binding alla rustica. It is extremely inconvenient, as it is liable to wear without particular care.