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The British Library Guide to Bookbinding: History and Techniques
Since the development of the codex book form in the first century AD, bookbindings have played a crucial role not only in protecting and preserving the texts which they contain, but also in the history of the book as an artefact. The artistic style, materials and techniques used in creating a bookbinding can offer fascinating insights into a whole range of historical and cultural issues, from the dating and placing of the material it contains, to the social standing of the book's owner. Historic bindings can provide evidence of trade routes, the spread of ideas and the significance of texts. They can also reflect contemporary taste and the availability of materials and technology at a given time.
In The British Library Guide to Bookbinding, P.J.M. Marks introduces the history of the craft bookbinding trade in the west from the introduction of the codex to the twentieth century, explains how bookbindings are structured and made, and gives an overview of the development of decorative techniques and artistic styles.
With over 75 colour and black-and-white illustrations, and a useful brief glossary of bookbinding terms, The British Library Guide to Bookbinding: History and Techniques is one of a series of titles providing accessible and lively introductions to the practical aspects of the history of books and how they are made.
In The British Library Guide to Bookbinding, P.J.M. Marks introduces the history of the craft bookbinding trade in the west from the introduction of the codex to the twentieth century, explains how bookbindings are structured and made, and gives an overview of the development of decorative techniques and artistic styles.
With over 75 colour and black-and-white illustrations, and a useful brief glossary of bookbinding terms, The British Library Guide to Bookbinding: History and Techniques is one of a series of titles providing accessible and lively introductions to the practical aspects of the history of books and how they are made.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
96 pages, Paperback
First published August 15, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 21, 2017
This short book gives a concise overview of the history and methods of bookbinding. It gives the history, the various techniques, the sort of material used, finishing which is the decorative additions to the cover and how to manage your own binding collection.
There are a lot of color and black and white photographs showing the different sorts of book bindings and also explanations as to the materials used. For instance, papyrus is prepared from a water plan in Egypt; parchment from animal skin; and paper. The author gives detailed information on the different types of animal skin that were used, which were preferred by which country.
For the finishing Marks gives an outline for each century and what sort of decorations they preferred on the cover. The covers were made of wood or leather and sometimes were inlaid with gold and jewels.
If you are interested in the art of bookbinding, this is an excellent resource.
There are a lot of color and black and white photographs showing the different sorts of book bindings and also explanations as to the materials used. For instance, papyrus is prepared from a water plan in Egypt; parchment from animal skin; and paper. The author gives detailed information on the different types of animal skin that were used, which were preferred by which country.
For the finishing Marks gives an outline for each century and what sort of decorations they preferred on the cover. The covers were made of wood or leather and sometimes were inlaid with gold and jewels.
If you are interested in the art of bookbinding, this is an excellent resource.
July 18, 2018
I'm using this book to write a research paper and I ended up reading the whole thing! I found the information in here to be super useful and easy to read. It's pretty straightforward without the frills and thrills, but I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the history of bookbinding from the techniques that were in style over the centuries to the types of paper that were used and the tools used for decoration. The text even mentioned many famous book binders of their times along with who they bound books for including royalty and people of high social status. There are also plenty of pictures and a "Further Reading" guide for those who are interested in learning more information about this unique skill. Bookbinding can be considered a craft, skill, trade, or a work of art! Thank you British Library for this publication!
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September 30, 2020One day and then you are going out for lunch today
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2016
Not a ton to say about this book, as it's a reference and historical work and sort of says what it is on the cover. It's a book about the history of book-binding. It's techniques, it's social dimensions. It's focus is on Europe, especially the period between the 13th and 19th centuries when craft book binding was at it's height. It does cover other area's(though Asian bookbinding is pointed out as a seperate subject and only briefly touched on). Materials used. Techniques. The transition of those techniques. The rise of various fashions and the complexities involved in identifying a bindings origins and period are all covered.
It's a specialized work, so if your not into esoteric cultural history or the particulars of the art of bookbinding, it wont' be an interesting read, and if you are, it will.
It's a specialized work, so if your not into esoteric cultural history or the particulars of the art of bookbinding, it wont' be an interesting read, and if you are, it will.
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August 23, 2007nonfiction,history,bibliography
May 17, 2007
Nice introductory text - not a lot of deep detail.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews