- A patent was obtained in 1799, by Messrs John and Joseph Williams, stationers in London, for an improved method of binding books of every descrip tion. The improvement consists of a back, in any curved form, turned a little at the edges, and made of iron, steel, copper, brass, tin, or of ivory, bone, wood, vellum, or in short of any material of sufficient firmness. This back is put on the book before it is bound, so as just to cover without pressing the edges ; and the advantage of it is, that it prevents the book, when opened, from spreading on either side, and causes it to rise in any part to nearly a level surface. In this method of binding, the sheets are prepared in the usual manner, then sewed on vellum slips, glued, cut, clothed, and boarded, or half boarded ; the firm back is then fastened to the sides by vellum drawn through holes, or secured by inclosing it in vellum or ferret wrappers, or other materials pasted down upon the boards, or drawn through them.
A patent was likewise obtained in 1800, by Mr Ebenezer Palmer, a London stationer, for an impro ved way of binding books, particularly merchants account books. This improvement has been describ ed as follows : Let several small bars of metal be pro vided about the thickness of a shilling or more, ac cording to the size and thickness of the book ; the length of each bar being from half an inch to several inches long, in proportion to the strength required in the back of the book. At each end of every bar let a pivot be made of different lengths, to correspond to the thickness of two links which they are to receive. Each link must be made in an oval form, and contain two holes proportioned to the size of the pivots ; these links to be of the same metal as the hinge ; and each of them nearly equal in length to the width of two bars. The links are then to be rivetted on the pivots, each pivot receiving two of them, and thus holding the hinge together, on the principle of a link-chain or hinge. There must be two holes or more of different sizes, as may be required, on each bar of the hinge or chain ; by means of these holes, each section of the ,book is strongly fastened to the hinge, which operates with the back of the book, when bound, in such a manner as to make the differ ent sections on a parallel with each other, and thus admit writing. without inconvenience on the ruled
lines, close to the back.
The leather used in covering books is prepared and applied as follows : Being first moistened in wa ter, it is cut to the size of the book, and the thick ness of the edge is pared off on a marble stone. It is next smeared over with paste, made of wheat flour; stretched over the pasteboard on the outside, and doubled over the edges. within. The book is then corded, that is, bound firmly betwixt two boards, to make the cover stick strongly to the pasteboard and the back ; on the performance of which, the neatness of the book in a great measure depends. The back is then warmed at the fire to soften the glue, and the leather is rubbed down with a bodkin or folding stick, to set and fix it close to the back of the book. It is now set to dry, and when dry the boards are removed ; the book is then washed or sprinkled over with a little paste and water, the edges and squares blacked with ink, and"then sprinkled fine with a brush, by striking it against the hand, or a stick ; or with large spots, by being mixed with vitriol, which is called marbling. Two blank leaves are then pasted down to the cover, and the leaves, when dry, are burnished in the press, and the cover rolled on the edges. The cover is then glazed twice • with the white of an egg; then filleted, and last of all polished by passing a hot iron over the glazed colour. For farther information on book.hinding, see Dudin, Art du relieur doreur de livrcs. Encyclopedie Metho dioue, art. RELIEUR. Williams's Patent for Book binding, in the Repertory of Arts, vol. xiv. p. 89. Palmer's Patent for binding Books with Hinges of Metal, in the Repertory of Arts, vol. xiv. p. 305 ; and Hardy's new Cutting Press for Bookbinders, in the Transactions of the Society for the Encourage ment of Arts, Scc. vol. xxiv. p. 116. (k) BOOK•C.AsEs. An account of a new and im. proved bolt for book-eases, invented by Mr Herbert, will be in the Transactions of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, vol. xxiii. p. 313. (w)