A BIT ABOUT BOOKBINDING
The HANDBOUND BOOK SERIES is the first real challenge to our binding skills. Binding one-off books, or small series is a fairly easy task, even with simple basic tools: nipping press, paring knife, shears, waxed thread, bone folder, glue brush, craft knife, steel ruler, PVA glue, and pencil. In our new series, we have decided to case-bind 75 copies of each volume. Every book is as closely identical as we can be to the others in its volume, and each volume is unique whist fitting into a general template, the only rules of which are: that the size is 5.8" x 8.25 octavo, that each book is case-bound with an illustrated dustcover, and that the binding is created by hand. Where it is appropriate, we will use letterpress type, but where the texts are too long, or when the illustrations require it, we will use more modern printing methods.
(ABOVE) Stack of printed leaves for 'Mossycoat': folded on the left, unfolded on the right, and the tool of the trade, the bone paper folder.
The first three volumes, Something in the Woods, Sir Gammer Vans, and Mossycoat are all printed from electronic proofs by Adrian Lack at Senico Press in Charlbury. We have created the original art works (linocut prints and pen-and-ink drawings), and set the text using publishing software. Senico runs the final MS through its presses and returns bundles of raw printed text to us for binding. For the first three books, we are using Lambeth 130gsm paper, which is a very heavy and resilient printing paper ideally suited to the mixture of text and images we've used for these books.
First we cut the 2mm greyboard covers and spines to exactly the size required of the finished books. Then we cut linen spines, tapes, muslin, front and back covers. Having assembled and cut the necessary materials, we usually start by folding the raw MS sheets precisely using the bone folders, then assembling the folded sheets into sections, which we can then sew together using waxed bookbinding thread. Precision with every fold, every time is all that is necessary. The folding process is time consuming but strangely relaxing, and a good time to catch up on some audio books or language learning. Before we can sew the folded leaves into sections and the sections into books, we make a template of where each set of holes needs to be in order that the block of paper is perfectly square and aligned. Each hole in each page must then be pre-punched, which we do using a fine pointed awl. Having punched the holes for each of the stitches to go through (8 holes per folded page, 92 pages per book for Mossycoat), we sew the inner book together onto cotton tapes using waxed thread, kettle stitch, and a darning needle.
(ABOVE) Rosie sewing the sections together. Many light modern papers require a sewing frame for this process, but the 130gsm Lambeth is a sturdy paper which is readily sewn together into books.
When each book inner is sewn together, its time to knock down the swelling in the hinges which is caused by the volume of thread, and then to press the book in the nipping press, where we glue the spine, the muslin mull, and leave it to dry under pressure. While this is happening, we usually get on with the next book inner, and continue like this until all of the sewing, folding and gluing is completed.
(BELOW) The sewn, glued inner-book drying under pressure in the nipping press.
The hard-backed case is made separately. For this, we need two precisely matched 2mm grey bookboard covers and a spine, which allow 2mm overlap around three edges of the sewn inner book. We also cut to size the pre-printed coloured paper front and back cover, which wrap the grey boards, making the internal structure of the book invisible to the reader. We also cut a linen spine. The process of gluing the spine, front and back covers, and grey boards together into the case can only be achieved by infinite patience and a painstaking attention to repeatable precisely detailed work.
Likewise, once the case has been pressed and is dry, each inner must be mated with its own case-binding. Pencil marks, careful measuring and sparing glue allows us to join the inner book to its protective case. At this point, the French creases are boned in to the hinges of the case before each book is wrapped in waxed paper and presses as a whole, completed volume for the first time. It is left in the press until the glue is dry.
(BELOW) An inner waiting for its outer.
(ABOVE) Endpapers are pasted to the inner side of the case binding for Sir Gammer Vans.
The final part of the process is to fold and fit each dust jacket by hand. This is apparently the only it can be done, though I find difficulty in imagining that there isn't a machine that does this. Each dust wrapper spine-title has to align exactly over the spine of the book itself, which in practice is harder than you might think. Jackets on, we number and sign each copy and they are ready to sell. This description only gives a brief outline of the process of hand-binding a relatively straight-forward book. I haven't attempted a tutorial in bookbinding, but only hope to demonstrate the work that goes into each book we produce, in order that you better understand what fantastic material artifacts a properly bound book ought to be. The process of binding by hand and of using high quality materials results in books which happily should be useable several centuries on - which is one of the reasons why we choose to do things this way.
If you have any questions about the process, about our bookbinding courses, or our suppliers, do feel free to email me (Robin) at: info@flagtonepress.co.uk
(Above) The finished product.
