ABC of Leather Bookbinding: A Manual for Traditional Craftsmanship

by Edward R. Lhotka

First Edition. This work is an illustrated manual that shows step-by-step the art and science of fine leather bookbinding. The author learned the ancient craft from one of England's foremost binders, Alfred de Sauty. In this important work, he takes the reader through the intricacies of traditional leather binding. SALES RIGHTS: Worldwide except in the UK; available in the UK from The British Library.

142 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2000

Reviews

[Daryl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Might be useful to someone who knows enough not to need this book, or as a classroom resource. But as a "learn to" book it is not very helpful. Well illustrated.

[knoba · Rating 4 out of 5]

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Contents
List Of Illustrations
Preface
1. Collating
2. Taking The Book Apart
3. Separating Sections
4. Removing Backbone Adhesive
5. Repairing Folios
6. Reassembling Folios
7. Cleaning Book Edges
8. Pressing The Book
9. Paper Grain
10. End Sheet Construction
11. Mounting End Street Folios
12. Mark-Up For Sewing
13. The Sewing Frame
14. Cord Material And Preparation
15. Sewing The Book
16. Attaching Additional Thread Lengths
17. Fraying Lacing Cords
18. Reducing Backbone Swelling
19. Securing End Sections
20. Cover Board Selection
21. Lining Cover Boards
22. Trimming And Rounding: Machine Trimming
23. Plough Trimming
24. Rounding The Back
25. Backing Boards
26. Backing The Book
27. Determining Board Size
28. Preparing Boards For Lacing
29. Lacing The Boards
30. Securing The Lacing
31. Cleaning The Backbone
32. Aligning Bands And Pressing
33. Headband Materials And Tools
34. Headband Preparation
35. Sewing Headbands
36. Protective Jacket
37. Lining The Backbone
38. Measuring Leather Cover
39. Marking Paring Positions
40. Paring Equipment
41. Edging Technique
42. Spokeshave Paring
43. Cover Paring Positions
44. Paring Technique
45. Covering Preparation
46. Applying Paste To Leather
47. Turning-In Leather Margins
48. Shaping The Corners
49. Working Sides And Backbone
50. Forming Head And Tail Caps
51. Drying The Book Under Weight
52. Tie-Up Drying Method
53. Opening The Book After Drying
54. Trimming Inner Margins
55. Inner Margin Decisions
56. Decorating Tools
57. Tooling Leather Margins
58. Outer Cover Decoration
59. Design Decoration
60. Blind Tooling
61. Inlay Designs
62. Gold Tooling
63. Hand Tooling Technique
64. End Sheet Trimming
65. End Paper Paste-Down
66. Spine Lettering
67. Final Pressing
Glossary
Suppliers Of Bookbinding Materials
Historical Photos
Index