BANK NOTES

On the 13th of January, 1819, Mr. James Fergusson, of Newman Street, Oxford Street, printer, sent to the Commissioners for inquiring into the Prevention of Forgery of Bank Notes, his plan for that purpose, of which the following is his published description.

“My plan is reared upon the solid foundation of putting it in the power of every individual to be certain whether a Bank-note is genuine or spurious by inspection. I propose, in order to form the ground-work of Bank-notes, to cast a fount, or several founts, of types, formed of such a peculiar shape, that, when printed from, the impression would appear, at first sight, like a line engraving; while, at the same time, when examined more closely, every part of it might be easily read. Although it is not in my power, without going to considerable expence, to produce a specimen of such types as ought to be made for this purpose, yet no one will deny that they may be obtained by means of punch-cutters and letter-founders. This being granted, let me suppose that I have got such types; I should then proceed to compose a page with them of the size of a Bank-note, consisting of such subject-matter as may be deemed advisable,—probably, an explanation of the way by which forgery could be detected. From this page of moveable types, I should make a stereotype plate; and I should then, by stamping or engraving upon the stereotype plate, put the promissory words of the Bank-note, with the addition of whatever ornamental lines might be thought proper. This stereotype plate, so formed, would give, by one pull at the letter-press, a completed Bank-note, unless it might be deemed requisite to add the numbering; and a signature or signatures, in writing. Having got one stereotype plate in the way I describe, I should use it for no other purpose than to obtain others; and from them I could easily make plates to any amount that may be necessary, all which would yield impressions obviously alike. As the promissory and ornamental parts of the note, in white, will purposely be made to intersect the words printed in black all over the surface of the note, the intersections will prove an infallible guide to distinguish a spurious note from a genuine one. This contrivance of intersections being the leading feature in my plan, I have denominated it The Intersection Plan.

“Individuals, when familiarized to notes issued upon this principle, would naturally select some portion to which they might easily refer, to ascertain the genuineness of a note. And, for further security, if necessary, the Bank might print what I may call Standards, for the use of the public, to be sold for a trifle, merely to insure their preservation. The Standards to be printed from the same plates as the notes themselves, but on paper quite of another texture and colour from the note paper, for the purpose of proving the correctness of the intersections.” See Forgery.


BANKRUPTS,

Scotland. 2 & 3 Vict. c. 41. “An Act for regulating the Sequestration of the Estates of Bankrupts in Scotland.

s. 143. “And be it enacted, That from and after the Commencement of this Act the Keeper of the Edinburgh Gazette shall on each Day of Publication furnish a Copy thereof to the Keeper of Edictal Citations and to the Bill Chamber Clerks, who shall keep the same regularly filed, and make the said Gazettes on all Occasions patent to the Lieges at Office Hours, on Payment of a Fee of Sixpence and no more.

s. 144. “And be it enacted, That no Advertisement inserted in the London Gazette or in the Edinburgh Gazette by virtue of this Act, or the said recited Act of the Fifty-fourth Year of the Reign of His Majesty King George the Third, intituled An Act for rendering the Payment of Creditors more equal and expeditious in Scotland, or an Act of the Sixth and Seventh Year of His late Majesty, intituled An Act for regulating the Process of Cessio bonorum in the Court of Session, and for extending the Jurisdiction of Sheriffs in Scotland to such Cases, shall be charged by the Keepers of the said Gazettes for Publication therein at a higher Price, nor shall a higher Price be paid for such Publication, than the Sums specified in the Schedule (L.) hereunto annexed.

s. 145. “And be it enacted, That from and after the Commencement of this Act all Conveyances, Assignations, Instruments, Discharges, Writings, or Deeds relating solely to the Estate belonging to any Bankrupt against whom Sequestration has been or may be awarded either under this or any former Act, and which Estate, after the Execution of such Conveyances, Assignations, Instruments, Discharges, Writings, or Deeds, shall be and remain the Property of such Bankrupt for the Benefit of his Creditors, or the Trustee appointed or chosen under or by virtue of such Sequestration, and all Discharges to the said Bankrupt, and all Deeds, Assignations, Instruments, or Writings for reinvesting the said Bankrupt in the Estate, and all Powers of Attorney, Commissions, Factories, Oaths, Affidavits, Articles of Roup or Sale, Submissions, Decrees Arbitral, and all other Instruments and Writings whatsoever relating solely to the Estate of any Bankrupt sequestrated as aforesaid, and all other Deeds or Writings forming a Part of the Proceedings ordered under such Sequestration, and all Notices or Advertisements inserted in the London and Edinburgh Gazettes relative thereto, shall be exempt from all Stamp Duties or other Government Duty.”

SCHEDULE (L.)

“Table of Prices payable for Advertisements in the London or Edinburgh Gazettes.

Bar. See Press Bar.

Public domain (Project Gutenberg, pre-1930 text)


bar roll

A ROLL (1) cut with a series of parallel raised lines at right angles to its sides.

Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: A Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology

US Government publication (Library of Congress), published openly in electronic edition by CoOL. Not a Gutenberg/pre-1930 public-domain text -- verify rights before reprinting rather than quoting.


barium carbonate

A white compound (BaCO3), insoluble in water. The use of BARIUM HYDROXIDE in the deacidification of paper results in the formation of barium carbonate as the alkaline reserve in the paper, due to the action of atmospheric carbon dioxide on the barium hydroxide.


barium hydroxide

A white, toxic alkali (Ba(OH)2), formed by the reaction of barium monoxide with water, or by the action of sodium hydroxide on soluble barium salts. It is one of the agents used in the non-aqueous deacidification of paper.


barium sulfate

A white, soluble, heavy compound (BaSO4), obtained either from the natural mineral barytes, or by chemical treatment of barium with sulfuric acid, and used both as a filler and coating pigment in paper manufacture, particularly photographic papers. It is used alone or in combination with other pigments. It has good affinity for ink, a bright color, and good opacity. It does not, however, produce a high finish. It is also used to form the pigment LITHOPONE. The artificial compound is also known as "blanc fixe."

Casey, James P. Pulp and pa per: chemistry and chemical technology. 2nd ed. New York. Interscience. 1960-61. 3 vol.


bark

1. The outer surfaces of trees and other woody plants. The inner side of the bark of certain trees, e.g., birch, has been used in the past as a surface for writing. Bark books were rather common in Central Asia and the Far East until comparatively recent times. Bark is vulnerable to dampness and curling in climates of high relative humidity and to cracking in dry areas. 2. See: VEGETABLE TANNINS.

Cunha, George Daniel Martin. Conservation of library materials. Metuchen, N.J. Scarecrow. 1967.


bark skiver

A vegetable (oak bark) tanned sheepskin, light tan in color, and used extensively in the 19th century as a covering material for law books. It is not considered to be either permanent or durable. See also: LAW SHEEP.


bark tanned

A general term used to indicate a leather that has been vegetable tanned mainly by means of tannins derived from the bark of trees as distinguished from mixed tannages. See also: VEGETABLE TANNINS.


barkometer

An instrument used to measure the weight of a vegetable tannin liquor per unit volume.


barm skin

The name given a leather apron sometimes worn by bookbinders.


barrier sheet

A leaf inserted in a book to prevent the transfer of ink (and possibly acid substances) from a plate or illustration to a facing page, as well at times to elucidate the plate or illustration it accompanies. The sheet may be a highly sized paper, so called acid-free paper, or, more often, glassine paper. It may be loose in the book, sewn in with the binding, or, in the usual case, tipped to the leaf it protects. Barrier sheets are frequently made of an inferior quality of paper, one which will eventually develop acidity that can in turn be transferred to the facing text leaves, weakening them. For this reason, they should be removed, or, if they bear letterpress and therefore must be retained, deacidified and buffered, strengthened (if necessary), and reinserted in the volume. See also: ACID MIGRATION.

Horton, Carolyn. Cleaning and preserving bindings and related materials. Chicago. American Library Association. (Conservation of library materials pamphlet no. l; Library Technology Project publications, no. 16). 1969.


Barrow, William J.

An American document restorer and former director of the W. J. Barrow Research Laboratory, located in Richmond, Virginia, at one time considered by many authorities to be the leading independent scientific center for research into paper and the deterioration of paper. Barrow developed a process for laminating brittle documents between tissue and cellulose acetate film, as well as a highly effective means of deacidifying paper. He demonstrated the actual facts of paper stability over the past four centuries and developed a durable paper having a high degree of permanence. Barrow was also involved in other investigations connected with paper and ink for a period of more than 30 years, and was probably the most important single contributor to the knowledge of methods of achieving permanence and durability of archival materials. The Barrow laboratory ceased operations in 1977. See also: DEACIDIFICATION; LAMINATION.

American archivist. Society of American Archivists. Washington, D.C.


Bartlett, Roger

An English bookbinder who was apprenticed to Samuel Satterthwaite in 1647, and was set up in his own business in London in 1654. He subsequently left London and set up business in Oxford some time after the great fire of 1666 and began producing the excellent gold-tooled presentation books for which he is well known. His bindings include certain distinctive features, including rows of floral volutes along cottage roofs, as well as swags hanging from the eves. Bartlett retired to his birthplace (Watlington in Oxfordshire) in 1711 or 1712, apparently having sold his bindery. The latest important binding executed by Bartlett is dated 1685, but records indicate that he continued binding thereafter.

Book collector. London. Queen Anne Press.

The library; a quarterly review of bibliography. London. Milford.

Oxford University. Bodleian Library. Fine bindings 1500-1700 from Oxford libraries: catalogue of an exhibition. Oxford. Bodleian Library. 1968. 254.


barytes

See: BARIUM SULFATE.


base

1. See: ALKALI. 2. A metal block on which a die or electro for stamping or embossing is mounted. 3. A prepared bed in a blocking press over which cases are fed, and which provides a solid foundation for producing sharp impressions.


base coat

The first of a multiple system of coatings. The base coat is frequently a relatively inexpensive filling material designed to prevent excessive penetration of subsequent and often more expensive coatings.


base fabric

In general, the basic cloth used for covering books, regardless of the final form it may take, i.e., coated, impregnated, or filled. Base cloths are usually of cotton, thoroughly cleaned, free from waste, evenly woven, with the warp yarns woven in pairs.

Library Association. Library Binding Institute standard for library binding. 5th ed. Boston. Library Binding Institute. 1971.


basic dyes

A class of dyes, usually synthetic, that act as bases, and which are actually ANILINE DYES. Their color base is not water soluble but can be made so by converting the base into a salt. The basic dyes, while possessing great tinctorial strength and brightness, are not generally light-fast; therefore their use in the dyeing of archival materials is largely restricted to those materials not requiring this characteristic. Basic dyes were at one time used extensively in dyeing leather, mainly because they are capable of combining directly with vegetable-tanned leather without the use of a mordant. See also: DYE,

American Paper and Pulp Association. The dictionary of paper, including pulp, paperboard, paper properties and related papermaking terms. 3rd ed. New York. American Paper and Pulp Association. 1965.

Britt, Kenneth W., ed. Handbook of pulp and paper technology. 2nd ed. New York. Van Nostrand Reinhold. 1970.


basic size

The sheet size of paper, determined by trade custom, as that agreed upon for calculating the BASIS WEIGHT of the paper. Initially it was the size which could be printed, folded and trimmed with the greatest economy. Some of the specifications for basic sizes in use in the United States are:

Type of paper    Size (in inches)

Bible               25 X 38

Blanks              22 X 38

Blotting            19 X 24

Bond                17 X 22

Book                25 X 38

Cover               20 X 26

Glassine            24 X 36

Gummed              25 X 38

Index           25 1/2 X 30 1/2

Ledger              17 X 22

Manifold            17 X 22

Manuscript          18 X 31

Mimeograph          17 X 22

Newsprint           24 X 36

Offset              25 X 38

Onionskin           17 X 22

Opaque              25 X 38

Poster              24 X 36

Tag             22 1/2 X 28 1/2

or           24 X 36

Text                25 X 38

Tissues             24 X 36

Vellum bristol  22 1/2 X 28 1/2

Writing             17 X 22

All are based on a ream of 500 sheets.

Stevenson, George A. Graphic arts encyclopedia. New York. McGraw-Hill. 1968.

Sutermeister, Edwin. The story of papermaking. Boston. Warren. 1954.


basil

A vegetable-tanned, sheep- or lamb-skin, producing a soft, smooth leather but with only moderately good wearing qualities. Its smooth surface lends itself well to graining in imitation of other skins, such as goat. There are several types of basil, including E.I. (East India), N. Z. (New Zealand) and Aus. (Australia), all of which are generally tanned with native or mimosa bark. Crust basils are tanned loose in pits and sold dry as taken from the drying sheds; strained basils are tanned as crust, but wet down, set out with a slicker, stretched and allowed to dry; tawed basils are sheepskins dressed with alum and salt and finished in a white or nut brown color; and organ basils are also tawed but with the salt removed. Diced basils are skins which have been dyed red, glazed, and embossed with a diced cross line. Because of their relatively poor wearing characteristics, basils are not often used today in bookbinding, although in the first half of the 20th century they were employed fairly extensively in binding cheaper blankbooks, and the like.

British Standards Institution. British standard glossary of leather terms. B. S. 2780: 1956. London. British Standards Institution.

Carter, John. A B C for book collectors. 5th ed. London. Hart Davis. 1972.

Vaughan, Alexander J. Modern bookbinding; a treatise covering both letterpress and stationery branches of the trade…New ed. London. Skilton. 1960.


basis weight

The actual weight of a ream of paper (normally 500 sheets, but at times 480 or 516), cut to its BASIC SIZE. The standard, or basic, size ream varies with different grades of paper. Some papers and boards are produced to a specified caliper (thickness), rather than to a specific weight; an example of this is heavy cover paper. The United States Government Printing Office uses a unit of 1,000 sheets, which is also used in the M.M. SYSTEM. In most foreign countries, as well as in certain domestic test procedures, the standard size is a square meter, with the weight being expressed in grams per square meter. The basis weight of board is commonly expressed in pounds per 1,000 square feet. Book paper basis weights are based on the 25 by 38 inch sheet size, while cover paper weights are calculated on a size of 20 by 26 inches.

Toldo, Vittorio de. The Italian art of bookbinding. London. Batsford. (Monographs of decorative arts, 3). 1925.


BASKET

In printing offices where there are large founts of letter, and the fount cases of any particular fount are not sufficient to hold the superfluous sorts, the surplus is put in coffins, and deposited in round baskets, till wanted.


basket cloth

A fancy weave of cloth, usually a better grade of buckram with a pattern similar to the wicker work in baskets. In the first decades of the 20th century it was used to some extent in edition binding.

Palmer, Elbridge Woodman. A course in bookbinding for vocational training. New York. Employing bookbinders of America. 1927.

Pleger, John J. Bookbinding. Rev. ed. Chicago. Inland Printer. 1924.


bast fibers

Strong woody fibers obtained from both the phloem and pericycle of various plants, and used in the manufacture of paper. Bast fibers, which include those of hemp, jute, mitsumata, and ramie, among others, are generally thinner than cotton fibers but their tubes have thicker walls than does cotton. Bast fibers are also generally stiffer and stronger than cotton fibers.

Battista, Orlando A. Synthetic fibers in papermaking. New York. Interscience. 1964.

Langwell, William Herbert. The conservation of books and documents. London. Pitman. 1957


Bastard title

A short title preceding the general title of a work.

The American Printer: A Manual of Typography


Bastard type

Type with a face larger or smaller than its regular body: as Nonpareil on Minion body, or Minion on Nonpareil body.


bathbrick

Powdered brick used in dusting the GOLD CUSHION before laying on the GOLD LEAF for cutting. Its purpose is to prevent the leaf from sticking to the cushion.

Fahey, Herbert, and Peter Fahey. Finishing in hand bookbinding…  San Francisco. The authors. 1951.

Town, Laurence. Bookbinding by hand, for students and craftsmen. New York. Pitman. 1950 (1951).


batik

A cloth consisting of a dyed fabric of which parts which are not intended to be colored are protected by wax, which is later removed. Batik is used for covering books, particularly in the area of Indonesia where the technique originated, and also as a novelty in other areas.

Thompson, Lawrence Sidney. Bibliopegia fantastica. New York. New York Public Library. 1947.


bating

A process which is usually defined as "reducing" or "removing." The basic purposes of DELIMING and bating are to remove calcium hydroxide (or other alkali) from the skin, to lower pH, and, of great importance, to treat the skin substance with proteolytic enzymes so as to obtain desired grain appearance in the finished leather. Bating also serves to impart softness, stretch, and flexibility to the leather, while at the same time providing the basis for a clean, smooth grain by loosening scud consisting of hair roots, pigment materials and grease. It also eliminates all traces of the firm, plumped, and swollen state of the skin induced by the alkaline unhairing liquors by bringing the skin into a soft, fallen condition. Today bating is employed mainly in tanning light leathers, such as those used in bookbinding, where drape, flexibility, and softness of handle are of primary importance.

The origin of bating is somewhat obscure but probably dates back to the time when LIMING was not a common practice. It may have been originated by a tanner who noticed that skins badly soiled with dung often produced a softer, stretchier, silkier leather.

As recently as the early years of the present century, the process of bating consisted of immersing the delimed skins in water at a temperature of 35-40° C., and then adding a liquid paste of pigeon or hen dung. The skins were run in this liquor until they acquired a particularly soft, flaccid and silky handle. The finished leather was found to have a very smooth, clean flat, flexible grain and was very soft and stretchy. Considerable variations in time, temperature and quantities were used for various types of leather. The effect of bating was produced by enzymes, which, under appropriate conditions of temperature and pH, are capable of dissolving and digesting some of the protein constituents of the skin. In a properly controlled process they are given only sufficient time for further removal of undesirable interfibrillary proteins, or to modify or weaken those fiber structures which, by binding the collagen fibers tightly together, would cause the grain to be wrinkled and the resultant leather to have no stretch.

Today bating is accomplished by the the use of enzymes extracted from animal tissue, e.g., the pancreas of swine or sheep, or from microorganisms such as molds and bacteria, called respectively pancreatic and bacterial bates.

O'Flaherty, Fred, and others, eds. The chemistry and technology of leather. New York. Reinhold. (American Chemical Society monograph series, no. 134. 1956-65. 4 vol.

Post, Daniel. Chemical treatment of hides and leather, by John Partridge. Park Ridge, N. J. Noyes Data Corp. 1972.

Reed, Ronald. Ancient skin, parchments and leathers. London. Seminar Press. 1972.

Sharphouse, John Henry. The leatherworker's handbook. London. Leather Producers' Association. 1963.

Wilson, John Arthur. Modern practice in leather 367. manufacture. New York. Reinhold. 1941.


BATTER

When the face of any letters gets injured in a form, it is termed a Batter.

This accident frequently occurs:—in the course of working at press a letter or letters will draw out in beating, and occasionally be left on the form without being perceived; this, when the next impression is pulled, injures the page on which it was left;—a pin, needle, or bodkin, used as pickers, will sometimes be laid on a page and forgot—and other small articles, which produce the same injury. It also happens with forms reared up at the ends of frames, where the faces of the letter in the forms are put to each other, with a quoin, or a piece of furniture, to prevent them touching, which being accidentally displaced, the letter gets injured. The only thing to be done when these accidents occur, is to replace the letters; this however is too frequently done without showing a revise to the Reader or Overseer; and thus errors creep into a work, which no care on the part of a Reader can prevent. To steady careful men these accidents seldom happen; and they ought to be guarded against, in as much as they cause loss of time to the workmen, and expense of materials to the master printer; and when letters or words must be replaced, the work should never be proceeded with at press, previously to its being examined.

When a fine engraving on wood is at press, the workman should be most particularly careful, as an accident might thus spoil an expensive work of art, which it might be impossible to replace.

When a Batter unfortunately happens at press in working stereotype plates, it is too frequently overlooked by the pressmen, and the work proceeds in a deteriorated state; while, generally speaking, if the same accident had happened to a form of moveable types it would have been set right. The reason is, that while in the latter case the accident could be remedied in a few minutes, the stereotype plate on the other hand would have to be taken out of the form and sent to the founders, and would not be repaired in less than five or six hours, during which time the pressmen would be unemployed, to their loss. This is one cause that operates against the more general use of stereotype plates.


BATTER

Types accidentally injured in a form.


batwing skiver

A bookbinder's expression for the thinnest SKIVER produced. It is made from the flesh split of sheepskin, and was at one time used for linings and title labels for law and similar books.

Conkey, W. B. Company. What a businessman should know about printing and bookmaking. Rev. ed. Hammond, Inc. W. B. Conkey. 1928.

Porte, Roy Trewin. Dictionary of printing terms. 4th ed. Salt Lake City. Porte. 1941.


Baumé

A hydrometer for measuring the density of liquid and gum solutions, named after its inventor, Antoine Baumé. The Baumé scale is either of two arbitrary hydrometer scales, one for liquids heavier than water and the other for liquids lighter than water, that indicate specific gravity in degrees. The calculation (in the United States) for liquids heavier than water is:

60°         145

Specific gravity at     ---     F =     ---

60°         145

-° Baumé

and for liquids lighter than water:

60°         140

Specific gravity at     ---     F =     ---

60°         130

+° Baumé

Slightly different conversions are used in other countries or in specific industries.

Hutchings, Ernest A. D. A survey of printing processes. London. Heinemann. 1970.

Wilson, John Arthur. The chemistry of leather manufacture. New York. Chemical Catalog Co. 1923.


bead

1. An old American term for HEADBAND. 2. A small twist formed when twisting the silk or cotton in headbanding. 3. A fore-edge clasp made of cat gut and beads, used to keep vellum bindings tightly closed. See also: CLASPS.

Cockerell, Douglas. Bookbinding, and the care of books; a textbook for bookbinders and librarians. 5th ed. London. Pitman. 1971.

Oldham, James Basil. English blind-stamped bindings. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. 1952.

Philip, Alexander John. The business of bookbinding for librarians …Gravesend. A. J. Philip. 1935.


bead

The little roll formed by the knot of the headband.


bead

A little roll formed by the knots of the headband.


BEADING

The small twist formed when twisting the silk or cotton in head-banding.

The Art of Bookbinding: A Practical Treatise


beamhouse operations

The processes in leather manufacture that take place following curing and preceding the actual tannage of the skin. These processes include some or all of the following: SOAKING (1), LIMING, UNHAIRING, SCUDDING, FLESHING, DELIMING, BATING (or PUERING), DRENCHING, and PICKLING, not necessarily always in the order given. The skin may also be split before tanning. The principal objectives of beamhouse operations are to rid the stock of substances not wanted in the finished leather, notably the class of proteins known as keratin, and to put the skins into the proper chemical and physical condition for subsequent processing. To produce satisfactory leather, beamhouse operations must be carried out in such a manner that no damage is done to the fibrous (collagen) part of the skin that is converted into leather, nor to its internal structure.

The term derives from the "beam," a convex wooden slab sloping upward from the floor, over which the raw stock is placed for trimming, fleshing, unhairing, or scudding by hand.


Beard of a Letter

is the outer angle of the Square Shoulder of the *Shank*, which reaches almost up to the *Face* of the *Letter*; and is commonly scraped off by the *Founder*: As in § 2. ¶ 2.


Beard of a Letter

The outer angles supporting the face of a type and extending to the shoulder.


BEARD OF A LETTER,

is the outer angle of the square shoulder of the shank, which reaches almost up to the bottom of the face of the letter; and is commonly scraped off by the Founder.—M.


BEARER

A piece of reglet pasted on the frisket to ease any particular part in a form that has too much pressure on it from the platen of the press.—M.

Double Pica reglet is used for this purpose, as its thickness is equal to the difference between the height of the types and the furniture; and this application of it makes this sized reglet in general a scarce article in a printing office.

Where any parts of the impression of a form come off hard, which from various causes occasionally happens, particularly at the edges of the pages, and at the foot of a short page, a bearer is applied to ease that part; but some care however is required in its application—it must not bear upon any printed matter at the back of it, for if it does, it will smear and deface that part, nor is it necessary to place it close to the part, but it may be put at some distance, and if convenient near the outer edge of the paper, and made to rest on the flat part of the furniture.

After selecting a piece of reglet of the proper length, paste one side of it, and place it with the pasted side uppermost upon the furniture where it is required, then turn down the tympans and frisket and rub that part with the hand to make it adhere to the frisket; or, as is usually done, after the form is beat, when the next pull will make it adhere; if it be not quite sufficient, a thickness or two of a wrapper pasted on it will ease the pull sufficiently on that part.

High Bearers, are pieces of furniture made barely letter height; they are used where separate wood cuts are printed, or very small forms; they are placed on the press stone, usually pasted down, but at such a distance from the printed matter that neither the balls nor the rollers touch them in inking the form; they lighten the pressure on the extremities, and tend to equalize the pull if the carriage be not run in exactly to its place, by the platen bearing upon them. If they be not sufficiently high, they may be added to by overlays pasted upon them.


BEARER

A strip of reglet to bear off the impression from a blank page. A long piece of furniture, type-high, used in working jobs. A solid-faced type interspersed among the blank parts of a page composed for stereotyping, to resist the pressure of the knife when the plate is shaved.


Bearer-lines

The top line and bottom line in a page prepared for stereotyping.


BEAT

To cover the surface of the types with ink by means of the balls.—M. See Fine Presswork.


BEAT FAT

If a Pressman takes too much ink with his balls, he beats fat. The black English faced letter is generally beaten fat.—M. At the present day we understand by Fat Beating, that a pressman beating carefully, goes gradually two or three times over the form, so that every part of the surface of the type is touched six or seven times by the face of the balls; and is thus uniformly covered with a proper quantity of ink.


BEAT LEAN

Is to take but little ink, and often: all small letter must be beaten lean.—M. This and the preceding term <i>Beat Fat</i>, have changed their meaning since the days of Moxon; to beat lean now, is to beat lightly, and quickly make a riddance of work, without much regard to its quality.


Beat Lean

is to *Take* but little *Inck*, and often: All *Small Letter* must be *Beaten Lean*.


beater

A machine used in papermaking. It consists essentially of a tank, usually provided with a partition or "mid-feather," that contains a heavy roll designed to revolve against a bedplate. Both roll and bedplate can be fitted with horizontal metal bars set on edge. In operation, the pulp material in a water slurry circulates between the roll and bedplate and is rubbed, cut, macerated, and separated into a fibrous mass for further processing into paper. Sometimes fillers, loadings, dyes, etc., are added to the stock in the beater. Some authorities contend that the beater, introduced in 1670, was partially responsible for the decline in quality of paper, as miniscule iron particles, breaking away from the sides or working parts of the machine, entered the paper and caused it to deteriorate. See also: REFINER.

American Paper and Pulp Association. The dictionary of paper, including pulp, paperboard, paper properties and related papermaking terms. 3rd ed. New York. American Paper and Pulp Association. 1965.

British Federation of Master Printers. Preliminary technical course in printing. London. British Federation of Master Printers. 1967. 7 vol.


beater sized

A paper which has been sized by means of materials added to the BEATER, or if not the beater, to the pulp before sheet formation, as contrasted to paper that has been SURFACE SIZED, or TUB SIZED.


beating

1. A hand operation of flattening the leaves or sections of a book before sewing, the purpose of which is to compress or, in the process of rebinding, to remove the backing shoulders. See: KNOCKING OUT THE GROOVE. Books are seldom beaten today. See: BUNDLING (1); NIPPING (1); SMASHING. 2. The process of swelling and separating the fibers and fibrils of rags, wood pulp, etc., either batchwise or in a BEATER, or by passage through a REFINER.

Warren (S. D.) Co. Boston. Facts and views of papermaking at S. D. Warren Company. Boston. S. D. Warren Co. 1965.


beating hammer

A heavy, short-handled hammer, with a bell-shaped face, used in beating the leaves and sections of a book so as to flatten and compress them. Such hammers generally weigh 10 to 14 pounds, and sometimes even up to 16 pounds. The introduction of the ROLLING MACHINE (1827) made the beating hammer virtually obsolete.

Horne, Herbert Percy. The binding of books; an essay in the history of gold-tooled bindings. 2nd ed. New York. Haskell House. 1970.

Middleton, Bernard C. A history of English craft bookbinding technique. New York. Hafner. 1963.


beating hammer

The heavy short-handled hammer used in beating (generally about 10 lbs.).


beating hammer

The heavy, short-handled hammer used in beating, weighing generally about 10 lbs. Books are beaten to make the leaves lie close to one another.


beating stone

A marble or litho stone, or a flat plate of iron, set in a frame filled with sand, on which the leaves or sections of books are beaten.


beating stone

The bed on which books are beaten.


beating stone

the “stone” on which books were formerly beaten; now generally superseded by the rolling machine and standing press.


beating stone

The bed of stone or iron on which books are beaten.


bed

The base of a standing (or similar) press, on which books are placed and toward which the PLATEN descends.


BED

To bed or lay the press stone in the coffin, so that it shall lie firm and solid in all parts.—M. There are different ways of bedding a press stone: some bed it in bran; some in plaster; but the general way is with paper. To effect this the paper ought not to have any large knots in it, and should be cut to the size of the coffin, and if there be any inequalities in the bottom of the stone, there must be additional pieces of paper placed under it to fill them up. When it is supposed there is sufficient paper in the coffin to raise the stone high enough, it is slung in on two pieces of cord, and a trial made of its firmness; if it rocks, it is lifted out again, and additional paper placed in those parts where the stone did not rest firmly. When it is properly bedded, the ends of the cords are tucked in at the sides of the stone so as to be easily picked out again with a bodkin. When the stone has got to lie solid with working, the upper side should be about a Brevier higher than the coffin.

Although I have mentioned cord, as being generally used for slinging the stone into the coffin, and lifting it out again, yet strong flat tape is decidedly superior; the stone lies more solid with it than with cord, and is not so liable to break.

Benefactions. See Donations.


bed

The flat part of the press on which the form is laid.


Bedford style

Hand-stained bindings produced from a leather sometimes referred to as "fair calf" (a bark tanned calfskin), washed over frequently with a weak solution of potassium carbonate (K2CO3), and exposed to light. The staining process took as long as 6 months. In addition to the potassium carbonate, copperas (ferrous sulfate—FeSO4), also known as "green vitroil," was used to produce a particular effect. The carbonate gave a warm brown-toned sprinkle, the sulfate gave a gray, and the two together gave a black. Cf: ETRUSCAN CALF.

Coutts, Henry T., and George A. Stephen. Manual of library bookbinding; practical and historical. London. Libraco. 1911.

Harrison, T. The bookbinding craft and industry; an outline of its history, development, and technique. London. Pitman. 1926.

Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. The history of bookbinding 525-1950 A.D. Compiled by Dorothy Miner. Baltimore. Trustees of the Walters Art Gallery. 1957.


Bedford, Francis

An English bookbinder whose work was considered to be unsurpassed by any of his contemporaries. Bedford worked for Charles Lewis until the latter's death in 1836, and then with John Clarke until 1850 when he started his own business. Bedford copied earlier Venetian bindings, with twisted or Saracenic ornaments, as well as later Veneto-Lyonese bindings common in England during the reign of Elizabeth 1. He also produced many imitations of the mosaics of ANTOINE MICHEL PADELOUP.


beeswax

A wax obtained from the hives of bees, i.e., an animal wax. Beeswax is a complex substance secreted by the worker bees for the purpose of constructing honeycombs. The wax is obtained by melting the honeycomb structure, and then filtering the wax before it is allowed to set. Beeswax usually contains a number of mineral wax adulterants. The wax, which is often bleached by shredding it into thin flakes and setting it out in the sun, has a softening range of 62-66° C. It is used: 1) to lubricate the thread used in sewing books by hand; 2) with LANOLIN and other substances for LEATHER DRESSINGS. In the latter use it is considered valuable by some conservationists because, as it is harder than most other waxes, it supplies body to the dressing at a reasonably low softening temperature, and also provides a polished or glossy finish which some find desirable; its use, however, as well as that of any wax on leather, is considered by a number of authorities to be detrimental to the permanence of leather; 3) as a base for the colors used in MARBLING; and 4) to provide a suitable surface for burnishing the gilt edges of books, although it is generally considered to be inferior to CARNAUBA WAX in this application, as carnauba is less likely to streak.

Barnes, Richard H. Gilding & the making of gold leaf. n.p. 1962.

Reed, Ronald. Ancient skin, parchments and leathers. London. Seminar Press. 1972.

Town, Laurence. Bookbinding by hand, for students and craftsmen. New York. Pitman. 1950 (1951).


beeswing

See: HIDE BUFFING.


Belgian hare

A long-legged breed of rabbit found in Belgium, the hind leg of which was the traditional implement used by gold beaters to apply finely powered gypsum (BRIME) to the goldbeater's skins. This was done to eliminate as much roughness as possible to allow the gold to expand freely and evenly over the skin.


belly

The extreme left or right side of a complete hide, removed by cutting the hide along a line parallel to the spine and at such a distance from it as to remove approximately 23% of the total area of the hide for the two bellies. The belly includes the front and hind shank. The line of cutting is determined more accurately for any individual hide by noting the change in feel from the denser structure of the crop to the looser structure of the belly.

British Standards Institution. British standard glossary of leather terms. B. S. 2780: 1956. London. British Standards Institution.

Wilson, John Arthur. Modern practice in leather 367. manufacture. New York. Reinhold. 1941.


belly grain

The tanned, outer grain side split from a BELLY.


bench knife

Two blades, the upper of which is curved and fitted with a handle, while the lower is drilled and countersunk so that it can be bolted to the bench. Bench knives are made in various sizes to cut from 16 to 42 inches. They are useful for cutting lightweight board, but are not as heavy or efficient as the BOARD CUTTER.

Burdett, Eric. The craft of bookbinding; a practical handbook. London. Davis & Charles. 1975.


bench sewing

An obsolete term applied to sewing a book through the folds, the significance being that the sewing was done on a SEWING FRAME, or bench.


benched

An obsolete term referring to a book prepared for sewing or some other forwarding operation. It was also applied to the process of flattening the backing ridge of a section. See: KNOCKING OUT THE GROOVE.

Hitchcock, Frederick H. The building of a book…2nd ed. New York. Bowker. 1929.

Palmer, Elbridge Woodman. A course in bookbinding for vocational training. New York. Employing bookbinders of America. 1927.


BENGALESE

The following article is extracted from Nathaniel Brassey Halhed’s Grammar of the Bengal Language.

“Exclusive of the Shanscrit, there are three different dialects applied (tho’ not with equal currency) in the kingdom of Bengal: Viz. the Persian, the Hindostanic and the proper Bengalese; each of which has its own peculiar department in the business of the country, and consequently neither of them can be universally adopted to the exclusion of the others.

“What the pure Hindostanic is to upper India, the language which I have here endeavoured to explain is to Bengal, intimately related to the Shanscrit both in expressions, construction and character. It is the sole channel of personal and epistolary communication among the Hindoos of every occupation and tribe. All their business is transacted, and all their accounts are kept in it; and as their system of education is in general very confined, there are few among them who can write or read any other idiom: the uneducated, or eight parts in ten of the whole nation, are necessarily confined to the usage of their mother tongue.

“The Shanscrit, or sacred language of Hindostan, from whence the dialect of Bengal immediately proceeds, is supposed by its professors to be the most antient and most excellent in the world. They assert that it exceeds every other language in the number of its letters, and esteem this excess as an incontrovertible argument of its antiquity and superiority.

“The Bengal Alphabet, like that of the Shanscrit, consists of FIFTY letters, in the following order.

“First Series.

“Second Series.

“It is to be observed, that in the Bengal alphabet, all the names of the consonants commence with the respective consonants which they denote; as ko, go, jo, &c. whereas in English, seven of them are preceded by a vowel: ef, el, em, en, ar, ess, & ex. It follows from hence, that the short vowel of the Bengalese is invariably subjoined to the consonant with which it is uttered, and never precedes: as ক and গ always stand for ko, and go, and in no case for ok, or og.

“The vowels, as used in composition, when joined with consonants, have a very different figure from those which are in the first series of the alphabet. I shall here insert a table of the forms of vowels in composition, corresponding to those which are initial or single.

“A Table of the corresponding Vowels.

“By the original structure of this language every consonant inherently possesses the short vowel on which its utterance depends; it is plain therefore on this principle, that no two consonants could have been joined together, and successively pronounced in the same syllable, but that a vowel must necessarily have intervened. As an expedient to remedy this inconvenience, a set of distinct characters were invented, called ফলা P,holaa, or adjuncts. They are certain subordinate and subsidiary figures, that may be attached to each of the consonants in the alphabet respectively, to provide against the too frequent recurrence of the internal vowel.

“These P,holaa, are presented in a distinct series or alphabet, consisting of eleven subservient marks or signs, for different letters; which are here joined to ক ko, the first of the single consonants, and which may, in the same manner, be applied to all the other letters.

“The twelfth word of the series, (which seems to be added by the Bengalese merely to fill up the rhythm) relates to another subject, which will be explained in a subsequent remark.

“The reader must remember, that the letter র ro, in its proper character, is never joined to any other letter or adjunct; but its figure is entirely changed by a connection with other consonants, as will be seen in the following series.

“The twelve P,holas.

“The compound letters may be formed by three methods: either by placing one letter immediately under another, or by blending two letters together, so as to make one character from their union; or by making the first of the two consonants much smaller than the other letters. This last mode seems to be the most common.

“সিদ্ধি sheedd,hee, called the twelfth P,holaa, is a word always prefixed to the class of vowels contained in the first Series of the alphabet. Sheedd,hee is part of a Shanscrit sentence, which means be it properly performed; and as these words are usually prefixed to the class of vowels, that Series has obtained the name of sheedd,hee.

“The Series Sheed,hee.

অ o, is always an initial letter.

আ aa, is also initial.

“I shall set down a few of the most common contractions of letters which are constantly used by all the Bengalese, as being more expeditious, as well as more elegant than a simple junction of the single letters, whose office they perform.

ক্র kro, stands for ক্র the kirro Pholaa.

[#] okto, is ও to blended with ক ko; its regular form is [#].

কু koo, stands for ক ko with hroswookaar.

[#] ungo, is compounded of ঙ ngoo-o with গ go subjoined.

[#] oggyo, is another figure for the Pholaa [#].

[#] moo, is ম mo and ব wo compounded. The simple form is [#].

[#] oshno, for [#] i. e. ণ aano subjoined to ষ sho.

[#] shoo, initial and medial, [#] shoo, final; two figures for [#].

[#] This figure stands for both [#] otto and [#] too.

[#] goo, is used for [#].

[#] hoo, stands for [#].

[#] ohro, is kro Pholaa subjoined to হ ho.

[#] tro, stands for [#].

[#] roo, is used instead of [#].

[#] ohlo, is ল lo subjoined to হ ho.

[#] ondo, compounded of ণ aano and ড do.

[#] ohjo, is হ ho and জ jo blended together.

[#] ohmo, a compound of হ ho and ম mo.

[#] ostoo, is স so and ট to, with hroswookaar subjoined.

[#] ostro, is the letter স so compounded with ট to, and the kro Pholaa.

[#] joo, stands for [#].

[#] ogd,ho, [#] odd,ho, [#] ond,ho, represent ধ d,ho severally subjoined to গ go, দ do, and ন no.

[#] this figure is called ordd,ho-to, i. e. semi-to; for ordd,ho signifies half. It is used for the letter ত to without its internal vowel; and in the middle of a word is generally represented by ২ the numerical figure of two.

[#] otyo, is the preceding [#] blended with the kyo pholaa.

“I shall now proceed to a few marks of reference commonly used by the Bengalese.

“[#] This figure is always put at the top of every writing, and is meant as an invocation to Gonash, the Deity of Knowledge and Arts; it is called Gonashar aakoree, or the crook of Gonash. So the Mahometans always begin with the letter [#] aleph, as a token of the unity of God.

“[#] Chaandboondaa, is a mark put over certain letters to give them a very forcible nasal expression.

“৺ Eeshwor, is properly one of the deities of the Hindoo Trinity. The name of God was supposed too holy to be inserted among the general class of words, and was therefore written at the top of the page, and wherever this name should occur in a sentence, the mark here specified was put as a reference to it. The form still remains, but the usage is degraded into a mere compliment: for in all petitions, or letters from inferiors to their superiors, the name of the person addressed is now put at the top, and this sign of reference occupies the place in the body of the letter, where the name should regularly have been inserted.

“[#] Sree properly signifies prosperity, and is prefixed to every name which they mean to mention with respect; as sree sree Raam, sree sree Gonash.

“One or more of these titles of Hindoo deities is first written on every piece of paper, as an amulet or charm, before any letter, petition or other writing whatever, is committed to it. In the same manner the Mahometans universally apply their Bismillah (or, In the name of God.) as we formerly wrote Emanuel at the top of letters, and still continue to commence a ledger with Laus Deo.

“The denominations of the cardinal numbers are so irregular in Bengalese, that I find it will be necessary to exhibit them as far as one hundred. And it must be observed as a particularity, that the ninth numeral of every series of ten, is not specified by the term of nine in the common order of progression, but takes its appellation from the series immediately above; as for instance the number twenty nine is not expressed by nobeesh, which should seem the proper denomination, but is called oonteesh, or one less than thirty. So thirty nine is oonchaa-leesh, or one less than forty.

In respect to the Bengalese types with which Halhed’s grammar is printed, he thus observes, “The public curiosity must be strongly excited by the beautiful characters which are displayed in the following work: and although my attempt may be deemed incompleat or unworthy of notice, the book itself will always bear an intrinsic value, from its containing as extraordinary an instance of mechanic abilities as has perhaps ever appeared. That the Bengal letter is very difficult to be imitated in steel will readily be allowed by every person who shall examine the intricacies of the strokes, the unequal length and size of the characters, and the variety of their positions and combinations. It was no easy task to procure a writer accurate enough to prepare an alphabet of a similar and proportionate body throughout, and with that symmetrical exactness which is necessary to the regularity and neatness of a fount. Mr. Bolts (who is supposed to be well versed in this language) attempted to fabricate a set of types for it, with the assistance of the ablest artists in London. But as he egregiously failed in executing even the easiest part, or primary alphabet, of which he has published a specimen, there is no reason to suppose that his project, when compleated, would have advanced beyond the usual state of imperfection to which new inventions are constantly exposed.

“The advice and even sollicitation of the Governor General prevailed upon Mr. Wilkins, a gentleman who has been some years in the India Company’s civil service in Bengal, to undertake a set of Bengal types. He did, and his success has exceeded every expectation. In a country so remote from all connexion with European artists, he has been obliged to charge himself with all the various occupations of the Metallurgist, the Engraver, the Founder, and the Printer. To the merit of invention he was compelled to add the application of personal labour. With a rapidity unknown in Europe, he surmounted all the obstacles which necessarily clog the first rudiments of a difficult art, as well as the disadvantages of solitary experiment; and has thus singly on the first effort exhibited his work in a state of perfection which in every part of the world has appeared to require the united improvements of different projectors, and the gradual polish of successive ages.”

The gentleman here spoken of was Charles Wilkins, Esq., a descendant of the learned Bishop Wilkins, and one of the founders of the Asiatic Society. He was afterwards created Doctor of Laws, and appointed Librarian to the East-India Company at their establishment in Leadenhall Street. He was reputed to be the best Shanscrit scholar in Europe.

The Bengalese Alphabet

William Savage, A Dictionary of the Art of Printing, 1841


Bentonite

A claylike mineral consisting largely of montmorillonite, and characterized by its high absorptive power and active colloidal properties. It is usually dark, dull, and powdery, but waxy on freshly cut surfaces. Its color varies from yellowish-green to nearly black. Bentonites are products of the change of volcanic ash, and are characterized by an alkaline oxide and alkaline earth content of 5 to 11. They are used as a filler in paper, for deinking paper pulp, for decreasing pitch problems in papermaking, and the like. The name derives from its discovery in Benton, Wyoming.


BENVENUE

Half a crown paid by a new workman to the Chapel when he commences, which is always spent. If a journeyman wrought formerly in the same printing house, and comes again to work in it, he pays but half a benvenue. If a journeyman smout more or less on another printing house, he pays half a benvenue.—M. See Ancient Customs.

This custom is still retained in printing offices, and the amount generally paid is the same as it was in the seventeenth century, though the value of half a crown then was considerably more than it is now. Under particular circumstances the Chapel sometimes takes less; and the workmen always add something each, so as to be able to provide bread and cheese and a draught of porter to welcome the new comer. The word is now pronounced Bevénue; it is evidently a corruption of the Fr. bien venu or welcome.


benzene

A colorless, aromatic hydrocarbon (C6H6), usually obtained by the carbonization of coal, or from petroleum fractions by means of catalytic dehydrogenation. It is used to remove excess glair or grease from leather bindings. Although used extensively in the past. it is seldom used today because of its high flammability and extremely toxic nature. It is not to be confused with benzine (also used for the same purposes), which is a petroleum product obtained by distillation.


bergamot

A pear-shaped fruit (Citris bergania), the rind of which yields a pungent oil, used at one time as a preservative for paste.

Zaehnsdorf, Joseph William. The art of bookbinding…London. Bell. 1890.


beta cellulose

That part of a cellulosic material which will dissolve in an alkaline solution under the conditions of th ALPHA CELLULOSE test, but which will reprecipitate if the alkaline solution is acidified. See also: GAMMA CELLULOSE

American Paper and Pulp Association. The dictionary of paper, including pulp, paperboard, paper properties and related papermaking terms. 3rd ed. New York. American Paper and Pulp Association. 1965.


between bands

The spaces on the spine of a book between the raised bands, either the ones on which the book is sewn or the false bands attached to give the outward appearance of genuine bands. For purposes of decoration, the spaces are referred to as panels.


bevel

1. The angle of the bevel of BEVELED BOARDS. 2. The angle of cut of the edges of a panel or of an INLAY (4) or ONLAY.


bevel

Slugs cast nearly type-high, with a beveled edge, used by stereotypers to form the flange on the side of the plates.


beveled boards

The boards of a book, and especially the large, thick boards of heavy books. which have been cut or sanded on the outside or inside edge along the head, tail, and fore edge. The purpose of beveling is to remove the clumsy effect of thick boards and create a pleasing, tactile quality.

The outside edges of boards usually were square until the 13th century; after that time, they were often beveled, sometimes steeply, or, in the case of decorated bindings, on a more gentle slope. The inside edges were also frequently beveled during the 15th century, particularly in Germany.

When the outer edges of boards are beveled the edge along the spine is also often beveled on the inside, so that it follows the swelling of the spine.

British Federation of Master Printers. Preliminary technical course in printing. London. British Federation of Master Printers. 1967. 7 vol.


beveled boards

Very heavy boards for sides, chamfered along the edges.


Bevelled Boards

Very heavy boards for the sides champered around the edges.


Bevelled Boards

Very heavy boards with bevelled edges; used for antique work.


bhabar

See: SABAI GRASS.


bibelot

An unusually small book. See also: MINIATURE BOOK.


BIBLE ORTHOGRAPHY

Many religious works are printed with numerous extracts from the Holy Scriptures without any reference to the Book, Chapter, or Verse, and as they are frequently made from memory, they are generally inaccurate. I am clearly of opinion that wherever a quotation is made, it should be given literally as it appears in the work from which it is taken, otherwise it is worse than useless,—for it misleads. With regard to extracts from the Bible, I hold it indispensable that they should be given without the slightest variation from the original; but as many words in the Bible vary in their orthography from Johnson’s Dictionary, which is the book of reference generally in use, and as the authorized editions of the Scriptures differ in this respect from each other in many instances, I have collated the King’s Printers, the Oxford, the Cambridge, and the Edinburgh editions with Johnson’s Dictionary and with each other, for the purpose of enabling the printer to preserve uniformity in orthography with little trouble to himself in reprints of the Bible, and in extracts occurring in religious works, according as the author may prefer any of these editions.

These variations from each other do not extend to words but are confined to the orthography, and to the difference of the same expression being given in one word, in two words, or in being made a compound word; thus in the Cambridge and the Edinburgh Bibles there are a great number of compound words, while in the King’s Printers and Oxford Bibles the same words are given either joined together as one word or made into two words; and we find very few compound words, except proper names. I have also given the Bible orthography where Johnson gives two ways of spelling a word. The result will be seen in the following Table; which also shows the variations, to a certain degree, that have taken place in the language during the last two hundred years.

The late Mr. Thomas Bensley, who was printer to the University of Oxford, told me, about the year 1805, that they had a sealed copy there, as a standard to read from; if this be the case, it is difficult to account for their copies of late years having numerous variations from the earlier editions. I think it very desirable that there should be a standard edition that we could refer to, as a pure text; and it would also be desirable to know on what authority these variations are made in the holy Scriptures, for every word, every point, nay every capital letter, I believe, was carefully considered before it was adopted in the first edition of the authorized version in 1611, and this too by a considerable number of the most learned men of the kingdom, who had the direction of the work.

With regard to the words in the Bible printed in Italic characters, Dr. Myles Smyth, one of the two appointed Revisers of the authorized version, in the Preface to the first edition, published in 1611, gives the following reason for their use:—

“Moreouer, whereas the necessitie of the sentence required any thing to be added (for such is the grace and proprietie of the Ebrewe and Greeke tongues that it cannot, but either by circumlocution, or by adding the verbe or some word, be vnderstood of them that are not well practised therein), wee haue put it in the text with an other kinde of letter, that it may easily bee discerned from the common letter.”

The Preface was written and affixed by the King’s command. The first Edition of the Bible was printed in Black Letter, and the “other kinde of letter” was roman; when the Black Letter was disused, and the Roman character substituted, the “other kinde of letter” was changed to Italic. Dr. Smyth was afterwards Bishop of Gloucester.

“The Hebrew word, which is in our English Bible rendered ‘The Lord,’ is in the Hebrew the High and Holy name of God himself, the most solemn of all words—Jehovah. It is a general rule throughout the Old Testament, that, wheresoever the word ‘Lord’ is printed in capital letters, it will be found on looking into the Hebrew Bible, that the word there written was Jehovah. And for this difference, between the translation and the original work, the following reason is given. The later Jews have a fancy that this name of Jehovah is so sacred and aweful, that it could never be spoken, excepting by the High Priest once in a year, without the sin of taking God’s name in vain. And accordingly when, at this day, they read the Scriptures in their Synagogues, whenever the word Jehovah is used, they say Adonai, or Lord, in its place. But the learned men, by whom our English Bible was translated, had been instructed in Hebrew by the Jews; and were so far moved by their example, as to feel the same anxiety, with their teachers, to prevent this name from being commonly spoken. Instead, therefore, of writing ‘Jehovah,’ they have written for the most part ‘The Lord:’ but they have written it in capital letters that the Lord of Heaven and Earth might be distinguished from all His creatures.”—Bishop Heber’s Sermons, vol. ii.

England is the only Protestant country in Europe where the printing of Bibles is a monopoly.

For the allowance of the duty on paper used in the printing of Bibles, see Paper.


Bible paper

A very lightweight, highly opaque paper, used primarily for low bulk books, such as Bibles, dictionaries, etc. Its basis weight generally ranges from 14 to 30 pounds (25 X 38—500). Bible paper of a basis weight of 20 pounds bulks up to 1,100 sheets per inch. The paper is generally produced from bleached chemical wood pulps, often with the addition of mixes of linen and/or cotton fiber, along with rag pulps, flax, and the like. Bible paper is heavily loaded with titanium oxide or other high grade pigments to improve opacity. Other important characteristics, other than printability, include strength, good folding endurance, and permanence. The term "Bible paper" is sometimes used with reference to any book paper having a basis weight of 30 pounds or less. See also: INDIA PAPER.

Winans, Leonard G. The book from manuscript to market. New 370. York. Grosset 8 Dunlap. 1941.


Bible style

A style of binding at one time applied to all flexible, round-cornered, leather bookbindings. See also: YAPP STYLE.


bibliogenesis

Of or relating to the production of books.


bibliogony

Of or relating to the production of books. Also called "bibliogenesis."


bibliology

The scientific description of books from the earliest times to the present, including all of the materials and processes involved in their production.


bibliopedist

The craftsman or worker who binds books; a bookbinder. The term is most appropriately applied to one who binds books by hand.


bibliopegic

Of or relating to the binding of books.


bibliopegistic

Of, or relating to, a bookbinder, especially one who binds books by hand.


bibliopegy

The art or craft of binding books. The term is more appropriately applied to the craft of binding books by hand.


bid

A written, usually legally binding, offer of a bookbinder, generally the owner of a bindery, but sometimes an individual bookbinder, to bind the books of another for a certain price, either by the individual book or by lot. A bid may be negotiated in any of several manners, usually according to the wishes of the customer. The binder may quote a flat price for all materials submitted for binding, regardless of style or format; he may quote two prices, one for serial publications or serial-format materials and another price, usually lower, for monographs and similar materials; he may bid on all work according to the height of the trimmed and cased work, e.g., up to and including 8 inches, over 8 inches and including 10 inches, etc., usually with an additional charge for extra thickness, e.g., greater than 2 1/2 inches; he may quote a flat rate for materials according to type, i.e., textbooks, fiction, reference books, theses, etc.; or, he may quote according to both height and format, e.g., 8, 10, 12 inches, etc., serials, 8, 10, 12 inches, etc., monographs, and so on. A bid may also include a stipulation (and a quote) of extra charges, as for example, hand sewing, pockets, stubbing, scoring, guarding, etc.

In extra (hand) binding, on the other hand, the binder will generally quote an estimated price for the individual book, or for a specified group of books, with the understanding that the final price (which to a great degree will depend on the amount of time spent on each book) may be higher or lower.

Assuming there is no decrease in the quality of the binding provided, and that the binder adheres faithfully to the specifications, the advantage of a bid situation is that the library may enjoy lower prices for its binding. The disadvantages, however, probably outweigh any monetary saving. Bookbinding, whether by a company or an individual, is essentially a service and not a commodity, and a successful binding program, i.e., one that is designed to preserve a collection over the long run, depends more on mutual cooperation and recognition as to the purpose of the library, as well as what the binder can and cannot do, than on any possible savings resulting from a low bid.


bight

The length of a single stitch in a machine-sewn book.


BILL,

with letter founders, a specific proportionate number of types, the datum from which the proportion is estimated being 3,000 lower case ems. A bill of Pica weighs 800 pounds, including italic, which is in the proportion of one tenth of the roman. The term “bill” is not used among printers, although it is by the letter founders; this would be styled by printers, a fount of Pica of eight hundred weight.

Smith is, as far as I am aware, the first writer who published the number of each sort that the founders cast to 3,000 ems; and he also made some alterations in the numbers previously cast by the letter founders, “by enlarging the numbers of some sorts, and by lessening the quantity of others,” “to try whether a fount of letter would turn out more perfect than it sometimes does.”

Later writers have copied Smith’s numerical list of sorts, as well as his altered numbers, and by copying his words without mentioning his name each of them appears to the public as having suggested an improvement, while, in fact, the founders pay no regard to these proportions, but cast from a scale of their own.

The late Earl Stanhope gave another scale of numbers, produced by counting the letters and points to a certain extent in Enfield’s Speaker; but as he discarded the ligatures, and added what he called “Logotypes,” his numbers are not followed.

I do not know on what datum the number of each letter was originally obtained, as cast by the founders; but it is well known in practice that a great number of imperfections are always wanted in a printing office; and from the construction of language it appears there always will be a great number of particular sorts deficient, whatever the proportions may be at first. In proof of this it may be stated, that a new fount of letter shall be cast for the purpose of printing a work; in composing this letter it shall be found that there is a great deficiency of some letters, and a superabundance of others: to bring the whole fount into use, for the purpose of composing as many pages as possible, the deficient sorts are cast, till the proportions answer to each other. When this work is finished, another author’s work is to be printed with the same letter: the disproportion is again felt; those which at the first were deficient are now superabundant, and those which were abundant will be deficient; so that the master printer, to keep the whole of his letter in use is obliged to be continually casting those deficiencies and thus enlarging his founts.

The disuse of the long ſ, which took place some years ago, and also of ct, has varied the proportions considerably of the letters composing their combinations, b, h, i, k, l, and t.

The following Table shows the old numbers, also Smith’s and Earl Stanhope’s; those at present cast by the letter founders, I give on the authority of Messrs. Caslon and Livermore.

A Bill of Pica, containing 3,000 lower case ems. Weight 800 Pounds. Italic One Tenth of Roman.

In Lists of Names, Indexes, and similar matter, the number of capitals specified in this Bill would be greatly deficient; as would also be the case with the accented letters for works in the Latin and French languages. The figures and the em and en quadrats would be found very inadequate for table work: in fact, in all these cases it would be imperative to cast additional numbers.

Earl Stanhope introduced the following sorts, each in one piece, of which he gives the following numbers to be cast for a fount of the preceding weight:—an, 1,620—in, 1,731—of, 1,035—on, 897—re, 1,509—se, 1,152—th, 3,024—to, 1,095.—See Logotype.

His Lordship, in fact, attempted to introduce too many alterations in printing. I had the honour of knowing him for some years, and he frequently described to me his intended improvements: one was, to make the bottom of the boxes in the cases concave, so that the types should always be convenient for the compositor to pick up; another was, to lay four different sized types in the same pair of cases; another, to alter the curve at the top of the f, and discard its ligatures; another, to cast certain Logotypes. Some of these were not improvements in practice; and the others, except they had been generally adopted, would have destroyed uniformity in works that were printed in different houses, in addition to the great expense and inconvenience both to letter founders and printers. In attempting too much, none of his plans were adopted, so far as related to composing.

Discarding the long ſ has also abolished ſb, ſh, ſi, ſk, ſl, ſſ, ſſi, ſt, and has consequently increased the number of the round s, and the connected letters.

Canon 20 em Bill, for Job-work.

Bill of Exchange. See Forgery.


bind

See: BIND ALL; BIND AS IS; BIND FROM SHEETS; BIND IN; BOOKBINDING.


bind "as is"

An instruction to the binder to bind material in the order, or in the condition, in which it is received from the library, regardless of any seeming imperfections, e.g., a missing issue of a serial, a missing title leaf, etc.


bind all

An instruction to the binder to bind a volume, usually a serial publication, with title page, index, advertisements, or any other material attached.


bind from sheets

Bookbinding which originates from the flat or folded sheets, usually the former, as received from the printer. Binding from sheets is carried out principally in edition binderies, although pamphlet binding, as well as blankbook binding, might also be considered as such. A book to be bound by hand will generally be in better binding condition if received in sheets (or gatherings), but this occurs only in rare instances today.

Cockerell, Douglas. Bookbinding, and the care of books; a textbook for bookbinders and librarians. 5th ed. London. Pitman. 1971.


bind in

An instruction to the bookbinder to bind into the book separate supplementary material, as designated by the customer.


binder

1. One who binds a book; a bibliopegist, or bookbinder. 2. A looseleaf binder (or notebook). 3. A material used to cause other materials to bond, or adhere, or, in papermaking, to cause fibers to bond, coatings to adhere, etc. 4. An adhesive substance, usually of liquid or molten form, used to create adhesion between aggregates, globules, etc. It is distinguished from an ADHESIVE in that it performs an internal adhesive function rather than a surface adhesive function.

Goodwin, Bancroft L. Pamphlet binding…Chicago. United Typothetae of America. (Typographic technical series for apprentices, pt. 5, no. 30). 1925.

Skeist, Irving. Handbook of adhesives. New York. Reinhold. 1962.


binder

A temporary cover for periodicals and pamphlets, usually so arranged that it may be taken off and attached to successive numbers of a publication.


binder's block

See: BINDER'S BRASS.


binder's board

The wood, pasted paper, single- or multiple-ply sheets, or other base stock, for the covers of any bound or cased book, i.e., any book in hard covers. Boards, in one form or another, have been used to cover and thereby protect the leaves of codices since the earliest times of bookbinding.

Although PASTEBOARD (1) was used very early in the Near East, in Europe, until about 1500, boards were nearly always made of wood (usually oak), hence the name. These wooden boards varied greatly in thickness, even up to one inch, although it is entirely possible that very thick boards were designed to contain relics, as well as to cover the book. The use of wooden boards began to decline in favor of pasteboards during the first quarter of the 16th century, and in time paper "boards" virtually replaced wood entirely, except in certain novelty or specialty uses.

Boards made of tarred rope, sailcloth, netting, and the like, came into use in England for more expensive bindings sometime around the beginning of the 18th century, and continued to be employed extensively until World War Il, or for sometime thereafter, when they became very expensive and difficult to procure. These so-called tar, semi-tar, and rope boards, which are generally referred to as MILLBOARD (1), are very hard and stiff.

The binder's boards of today are usually made of paper and are available in many weights and thicknesses. Machine-made boards are generally available in four qualities: 1) machine boards, including a wide range of boards made from paper on a cylinder or Fourdrinier machine. These are usually single-ply, solid boards made to full thickness in one operation. They generally range in thickness from 0.030 to 0.300 inch; 2). STRAWBOARD, which originally was the yellowish board from Holland (and was sometimes called Holland board), but which now represents a generic board made from straw or similar material; 3) CHIPBOARD, made from waste paper, wood chips, and other inexpensive materials; and 4) RAG BOARD, made from rag stock.

In terms of permanence, the various types of boards used today are probably of equal quality. Even old strawboard, which would appear to be the least permanent of all, shows little deterioration with age, even after a hundred years. Its characteristic brittleness is a physical property of this type of board and has little to do with deterioration. That boards in general deteriorate very little may be due largely to the fact that the boards of a book are generally, though not always, completely covered over and are thus largely protected from atmosphere, light, and other potentially damaging effects. It is perhaps interesting to note that, in terms of permanence (as the term is generally understood), strawboard and pasteboard, possibly due to the absence of metallic impurities, are probably more "permanent" than the hard and tough millboard.

The weight (thickness) of the boards used in bookbinding should be appropriate to the size and weight of the volume being bound, and will generally range in thickness between 0.060 inch and, in the case of very large volumes, 0.205 inch in thickness. See also: LAMINATED BOARD.

Grant, Julius. Books & documents; dating, permanence and preservation. London. Grafton. 1937.

Higham, Robert R. A. A handbook of paper board and board; its manufacturing technology, conversion and usage. London. Business Books. 1970-71. 2 vol.

Ireland, Graham H. Paperboard on the multi-vat cyclinder machine. New York. Chemical Publications. 1968.

Langwell, William Herbert. The conservation of books and documents. London. Pitman. 1957

Mason, John. Paper making as an artistic craft, with a note on nylon paper. London. Faber and Faber. 1959.

Middleton, Bernard C. A history of English craft bookbinding technique. New York. Hafner. 1963.


binder's brass

A brass block engraved in relief with letters or a design, and used for blocking the covers of books, by means of either a hand-operated press or an automatic blocking machine. Cf: ZINCO.

Simon, Oliver. Introduction to typography. 2nd ed. London. Faber and Faber. 1963.


binder's cloth

A cloth binding of any age, which is not the product of EDITION BINDING. The term was most commonly used to indicate collections of pamphlets, French novels, etc., which the collector did not have bound in leather. Such bindings are almost always blocked from type or standard dies, and, if decorated at all, usually in an ordinary manner. Exceptions date from the earliest years of edition binding in cloth, when materials and style were still in the early stages of development.

Carter, John. A B C for book collectors. 5th ed. London. Hart Davis. 1972.


binder's record

The record kept by a binder, for the purposes of maintaining an accurate record of the various materials received from different customers. Such records generally include instructions for binding or special attention, including the manner in which similar materials were bound in the past, color of covering material, type of covering material, recorded size, lettering format, style and size of type, and the like.

Bailey, Arthur Low. Bookbinding. Chicago. American Library Association. 1911.

Perry, Kenneth Frederick, and Clarence T. Babb. The binding of books. Rev. ed. Bloomington, 111. McKnight & McKnight. 1967.


binder's stamp

1. The stamp or label applied to a book indicating the bindery that bound the book, and sometimes the month and year in which the book was bound. It is generally located on the inside tail edge of the lower cover. This method of signing a bookbinding first became fashionable in the 20th century. 2. See: BINDER'S BRASS

Philip, Alexander John. The business of bookbinding for librarians …Gravesend. A. J. Philip. 1935.


binder's ticket

A small engraved or printed label, usually found on the upper outside corner of one of the front flyleaves, giving the name (and usually the address) of the bookbinder. Tickets were used from the early 18th century until about 1825, but were not often seen in England until about 1780. The use of the ticket gave way to the practice by binders of lettering their names in gilt, blind, or ink, usually on the bottom turn-in of either upper or lower board. This record was sometimes referred to as a "name pallet." A variation of the ticket, usually printed, was used by some edition binders during the 19th century, and was usually located on the inside tail edge of the lower cover.


binder's title

The form in which the title of a book appears on the spine or cover, the implication being that the title on the outside may differ, usually by being abbreviated, from the title as it appears on the title page.


binder's waste

1. See: WASTE SHEET (1). 2. Scraps of cloth, leather, board, etc., too small to be classed by themselves. 3. The scrap paper resulting from the trimming of books, and which, being clean, white, and unprinted, commands a premium price in the waste paper market.


Bindery

A book-binding establishment.


bindery tapes

The tapes used to cover the binding edge of checkbooks, composition books, pads or tablets of writing paper, scrapbooks, and the like. They are also used as gussets for file folders, and as reinforcements for the punched edges of loose-leaf notebook paper. Bindery tapes make use of a variety of backing materials, ranging from Holland, cambric, and gusset cloths, through strong latex-impregnated materials to embossed, coated kraft papers. The tapes are made in a variety of colors, and most are applied automatically on stripping machines. The adhesive used on these tapes must be of reasonably high quality and strength, must have a moderate amount of working life after wetting, and must be capable of bonding quickly after application. Also called "gum stripping tapes."


bindery warehouse

The unit or division, usually in an edition bindery, where the simpler forms of binding, i.e., pamphlets, single periodical issues, as well as other miscellaneous operations, such as cutting, folding, stapling, etc., take place, as contrasted with the main bindery, where the more elaborate styles of binding occur, generally those involving sewing. Many finishing operations, e.g., blocking, are common to both. The term is more prevalent in Great Britain than in the United States.


binding

1. The style in which a book is bound, e.g., edition binding, library binding, etc. 2. The covers of a bound book. 3. The finished work resulting from the processes involved in binding a book. 4. The concept of securing the leaves or sections of a publication so as to keep them in proper order and to protect them. 5. The style in which a book is decorated, e.g., fanfare style, cottage style, etc.


BINDING

In locking-up a form, if the head-stick be longer than the width of the page and the thickness of the back-stick; or the side or foot stick extend beyond the page and the other be a little too long; or any part of the furniture double over some other part, so as to prevent the quoins wedging the matter tight, it is termed Binding: the head-stick binds; the side-sticks bind, &c.—M.


binding agent

An intermediary between a bookbinding establishment, usually a library bindery, and the customer, although not directly employed by either. The binding agent is a more-or-less independent salesman who solicits business for a commission.


binding before purchase

A term generally considered to mean the purchase of books by a library in sheets, to be bound according to the library's specifications before they receive any wear, and while the paper is still fresh, clean and unwrinkled.

Binding before purchase is rare today, except for PRE-LIBRARY BOUND publications, which is not strictly the same thing.

Bailey, Arthur Low. Library bookbinding. New York. Wilson. 1916.


binding book

A book used by a library, in which the particulars of materials sent out for binding or rebinding are entered. It may vary in the information recorded, from a simple list of titles to full bibliographical information and binding instructions. The binding book has been largely superseded by the BINDING SLIP.

Coutts, Henry T., and George A. Stephen. Manual of library bookbinding; practical and historical. London. Libraco. 1911.


binding edge

The edge of the gathered leaves or sections that is sewn, or otherwise secured. The binding edge of books published in the Western world is traditionally the left edge of a recto, corresponding to the right edge of a verso, but it may be any edge, the most common variant being the head.


binding margin

See: INNER MARGIN.


binding post

A metal post, generally threaded, used to secure pre-punched loose leaves between stiff or semi-flexible covers. Binding posts, which may be adaptable to expansion, are frequently considered a permanent form of binding. See also: POST BINDER

Palmer, Elbridge Woodman. A course in bookbinding for vocational training. New York. Employing bookbinders of America. 1927.

Porte, Roy Trewin. Dictionary of printing terms. 4th ed. Salt Lake City. Porte. 1941.


binding priorities

The ranking or ordering of different types of library materials to be bound or rebound. Priorities may be based on a variety of factors, including historical or research value, age, condition, use, monetary value, special or local interest, format, or combinations thereof. The establishment of priorities frequently, if not usually, implies that the library: 1) does not have sufficient funds to bind everything it acquires; or 2) does not consider it necessary to bind or rebind everything. An example of a system of priorities would be: 1) books of value, or of special interest to the library, that should be bound or rebound without regard to cost; 2) books of permanent interest but of no special monetary value, that should be library bound, but for which the best work would be too expensive; and 3) books of temporary interest that need to be held together and kept in readable condition for occasional reference or short-term hard usage.

Cockerell, Douglas. Some notes on bookbinding. Oxford. Oxford University Press. 1929.

Library Binding Institute. Library binding handbook. Rev. ed. Boston. Library Binding Institute. 1971.

Tauber, Maurice Falcolm. Library binding manual…Boston. Library Binding Institute. 1972.


binding process

The two major divisions of BOOKBINDING, which are FORWARDING and FINISHING (1). Forwarding entails the binding operations, which are the work of the bookbinder; finishing includes decoration and embellishment of the outside (and sometimes the insides of the boards) surfaces of the covers (including the creation of the design), and is the work of the artist. Both operations may be, and frequently are, especially in the United States and Great Britain, performed by the same person.


binding program

The policies and procedures of a library relating to the care and preservation of its book collection, insofar as such procedures relate to library binding. A sound binding program is based on four fundamental factors: 1) a set of defined procedures within the library, with assignment of authority and responsibility, preferably to one person; 2) a binding budget adequate not only for the binding of new acquisitions but for rebinding in a systematic manner; 3) written binding specifications designed to provide for the preservation of the book collection, based on the purposes and goals of the library; and 4) an agreement or contract with a library binder of recognized competence.


binding quirewise

A method of sewing a book, in which the sections are placed one inside another and then sewn or saddle stitched through the combined back folds.

Hutchings, Ernest A. D. A survey of printing processes. London. Heinemann. 1970.


binding record

A record of books sent to the binder. This may consist of circulation cards, duplicate binding slips, or special records kept in a book.


binding schedules

The times of pick-up and delivery by the binder from and to the library. Aside from the method of transportation, which should be by means of the binder's own truck, or at least on a non-commingled basis on contract, and not by common carrier, the binding schedule depends largely on five factors: 1) when the volume can best be spared from the library; 2) the most convenient time for preparing books for binding; 3) when the binder can bind books with the least delay; 4) when the library can accumulate a sufficient number of volumes to make up a shipment of reasonable size; and 5) when the library is in the best position to pay for the work done. 131)


binding schemes

A term at one time used to describe an organized scheme carried through an individual's or library's book collection, in which, for example, all books on history were bound in red, technical books in black, fiction in brown, poetry in buff, books relating to the sea in blue, books on travel in orange, and so on. Such schemes have declined in popularity since the turn of the century, and particularly since the development of systematic classification schemes. See also: BRIGHTER BINDING.

Smith, Frederick Richard. Bookbinding. London. Pitman. 1929.


binding slip

A card, slip, sheet, or other form of written instructions sent to the bindery with each volume, or set of volumes, specifying the binding requirements for that volume or set. The typical binding slip generally specifies the author (if any), title (sometimes binding specifications abbreviated), classification number, other bibliographical information, binding style (unless previously agreed upon), color of covering material, as well as any peculiarities of the book that should be brought to the attention of the binder, such as margins, condition of the paper, foldouts, loose material (for pockets), etc. A multiple form provides identical copies for the binder, as well as the library, and serves as verification for the work specified.


binding specifications

The description of the materials, manufacturing processes, and standards of workmanship to be employed in binding books for a library or similar institution. Material specifications include the quality and weight (or size) of thread, paper, cloth (or leather), adhesives, mending tissues, gold, foil, inks, etc., of such things as endpapers, guards, stubs, hinges, inlays, linings, tapes, sewing thread. covering materials, and the like. Manufacturing specifications include collation, preparation for sewing, special checking, reinforcing, removing back folds, scoring, construction and attachment of endpapers, trimming, gluing-up, blocking, casing-in, inspection, etc. Workmanship specifications include sewing, rounding and backing, adhesion of materials, turn-ins, squares, corners, trimming and the like. Specifications, it should be noted, are not intended to instruct the binder in how to bind a book, but only to insure an acceptable end product.

American Library Association. Library Technology Program. Development of performance standards for binding used in libraries, phase 11. Chicago. American Library Association. (L. T. P. publications no. 10). 1966.

Cockerell, Douglas. Bookbinding, and the care of books; a textbook for bookbinders and librarians. 5th ed. London. Pitman. 1971.


binding variations

Differences in the bindings of books issued in the same edition by a publisher. The differences might include color or type of cloth, blocking, etc. Such variations may stem from a number of manufacturing causes, especially if all copies printed are not bound at the same time, or some are rebound, as in REMAINDER BINDING. Variations may also result from unsatisfactory storage conditions.

Harrod, Leonard Montague. The librarians' glossary of terms used in librarianship and the book crafts, and reference book. 3rd ed. London. Deutsch. 1971.


birch (bark)

The bark of the common European birch (Betula verrucosa) or (B. pubescens), used in leather manufacture, particularly in Russia, for hundreds of years. The outer bark, which peels off easily, is not used; it is the inner bark from which the tannin, in the amount of 10 to 15%, and 11% soluble non-tans, is extracted. Older trees, those 50 to 60 years of age, yield the richest tannin. Used alone, birch produces a pliable, leather of a yellowish-brown color; it is, however, more often mixed with some other tannin, often willow bark. In addition to tannin, the oil obtained from the bark is used to dress the leather, imparting to RUSSIA LEATHER its characteristic odor. Other species of birch have been used to a limited extent in North America and India. See also: VEGETABLE TANNINS.

Frank Norman. Howes, Frank Norman. Vegetable tanning materials. London. Butterworth. 1953.


birch broom

A "broom" made of strips of birch wood and used for stirring the MARBLING SIZE. A birch broom has been the traditional implement for this operation, but whether it was because of the quantities of water used, the screening action of the birch strips, or some other reason, is not clear.

Crane, W. J. E. Bookbinding for amateurs…New York. Scribner. 1903.

Town, Laurence. Bookbinding by hand, for students and craftsmen. New York. Pitman. 1950 (1951).


bite

1. The ability of an adhesive to penetrate or dissolve the uppermost layer of the adherends. 2. That quality in paper which causes it to take ink, pencil, or printing impressions readily. 3) In engraving, the corrosion of the metal by acid, i.e., the action of acid dissolving away superfluous metal.

Gaylord Brothers. Firm. Bookcraft…, by Donald M. Kidd, Syracuse. Gaylord Bros. 1941.

Gazurian, Johnny A. The advertising & graphic arts glossary. Los Angeles. Los Angeles Trade-Technical College. 1966.


BITE

If the frisket is not sufficiently cut aw4`ay, but covers some part of the form, so that it prints on the frisket, it is called a <i>Bite</i>.—M. It interposes between the form and the paper to be printed on, and prevents the latter receiving the inked impression intended to be transferred to it. A pressman looks carefully over his first sheet to see that all is right, and if there be a bite he cuts it out of the frisket with his scissors; if one should at first escape his eye, it is cut out as soon as it is perceived.


bite

An irregular white spot on the edge or corner of a printed page, caused by the frisket not being sufficiently cut out.


bites

An informal expression sometimes used to indicate pieces of paper torn from the margin of a leaf, so-called because of their occasional resemblance to "bites."


black book

An obsolete term applied to any of the various books, usually of a devotional nature, so-called from the style of their type, the color of their bindings, the nature of their contents, or combinations thereof. They also frequently had BLACK EDGES.


black edges

The edges of a book that have been blackened by sponging them with ink, followed by ivory black, lampblack, or antimony mixed with paste. Although used extensively in the 19th century on devotional and funereal publications, they are uncommon today.

Hannett, John. Bibliopegia; or, the art of bookbinding… London. Simkim, Marshall. 1848.

Nicholson, James B. A manual of the art of bookbinding… Philadelphia. Baird. 1856.


black lead

Commercial powdered graphite, which, when mixed with water, glair, and (sometimes) Armenian bole, is applied to the edges of books before gilding. See also: GILT EDGES.

Zaehnsdorf, Joseph William. The art of bookbinding…London. Bell. 1890.


BLACK LETTER

is the name now applied to the Old English or Modern Gothic character, which was introduced into England about the middle of the fourteenth century, and became the character generally used in manuscript works before the art of printing was publicly practised in Europe. On the application of that art to the multiplying of books, about the middle of the fifteenth century, the Block Books, and, subsequently, those printed with moveable types, were in this letter, to imitate writing, and were disposed off as manuscripts. When the first William Caslon commenced the business of type founding he made great improvements in their shape, and his Gothic or black letter remains unequalled, viewing it as an imitation of ancient writing, the purest shape for the character originally intended for a counterfeit manuscript. I am sorry to see our present founders giving way to a barbarous caprice of fancy, by introducing arbitrary shapes, which were unknown to our ancestors when this character was in general use; for it appears inconsistent to call the following Letters Old English, or Gothic,

The Alphabet.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Astle, in his Origin and Progress of Writing, says, “The Modern Gothic, which spread itself all over Europe in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, is improperly so called, because it does not derive its origin from the writing anciently used by the Goths and Visigoths, in Italy and Spain, but this Modern Gothic is the most barbarous or worst kind of writing; it took its rise in the decline of the arts, among the lazy schoolmen, who had the worst taste; it is nothing more than the Latin writing degenerated. This writing began in the twelfth century, and was in general use (especially among monks and schoolmen) in all parts of Europe, till the restoration of the arts, in the fifteenth century, and longer in Germany and the northern nations: Our statute books are still printed in Gothic letters.” Astle’s work was published in 1784.

Blacks in the British Founderies.

Ten Line Pica.—Caslon.

Five Line Pica.—Caslon.

Four Line Pica.—Caslon.

Two Line Double Pica.—Caslon.

Two Line Great Primer.—Caslon. Wilson.

Two Line English.—Caslon.

Double Pica.—Caslon. Figgins. Wilson.

Great Primer.—Caslon. Figgins. Wilson.

English.—Caslon. Thorowgood & Besley, formerly Wolf’s. Figgins. Wilson.

Pica.—Caslon. Thorowgood & Besley. Caxton. Figgins. Wilson.

Small Pica.—Caslon.

Long Primer.—Caslon. Thorowgood & Besley. Figgins. Wilson.

Bourgeois.—Caslon.

Brevier.—Caslon. Wilson.

Nonpareil.—Caslon. Wilson.

Blackwell, Beale. See Donations.

Five 'letters'

Blackletter Alphabet


black step

A heavy line, 6 points thick and about 24 points long, which appears on the back of a folded section of a book after the printed sheet is folded. The collective black steps run from the head to the tail of the gathered sections, generally about 24 points below each other. When the book is gathered the black steps appear as a diagonal line running from head to tail across the back of the text block, and any missing or misplaced section immediately becomes obvious because the black step is broken. Also called "back mark," "collating mark," and "quad mark."


blacking the squares

The process of coloring the edges and squares of the boards of a book, as well as the headcaps, with a black pigment, such as vinegar-black mixed with gum arabic, so as to enhance the effect of tooling in blind. The technique is uncommon today.


blacks

1. An obsolete term for a grade of book cloth of a "common" quality, dyed throughout. 2. A general term applied to black papers used for covers, photograph albums, and the like.

Palmer, Elbridge Woodman. A course in bookbinding for vocational training. New York. Employing bookbinders of America. 1927.


blanc fixe

See: BARIUM SULFATE.


Blank books

Applied to a large variety of books which are bound with blank leaves, or leaves having ruled lines and little or no printing: account books, memorandum books, ledgers, etc. The binding of such books is a special trade.


blank cover

A term sometimes applied to the covers of a bound book that are not blocked or ornamented in any manner.


blank leaves

The unprinted leaves at the front and back of a book. They may be an integral part of the book as received from the publisher (printer's flyleaves), or they may be added by the bookbinder (binder's flyleaves). They are not necessarily part of the endpapers.

Carter, John. A B C for book collectors. 5th ed. London. Hart Davis. 1972.


BLANK PAGES

When blank pages occur in a work, particularly in duodecimos and smaller sizes, the compositor will find it an advantage to set them up the exact size of the pages of the work, and made up to his gauge, so that he will have his register good without the trouble that attends filling the blank up with pieces of Furniture by guess work, which causes extra trouble to the pressman.


blank rolling

A method of sprinkling a FLESHER, in which an iron solution is applied to the leather and rolled in. The nap is then restored by brushing.


blank tooling

See: BLIND TOOLING.


Blank-line

A line of quadrates.


blankbook

Originally, a book in which the printing was limited to page headings or divisions. The page was generally blank or ruled and was intended to receive writing. Today, blankbooks include a variety of items, including account books, albums, scrapbooks, exercise and manuscript books, etc. Blankbooks intended for the accounting of court records, etc., are generally ruled, horizontally and/or vertically, to facilitate writing. Since in most cases the information recorded is considered to be of permanent value, the paper and binding of the book must be of superior quality. Called "account book" in Great Britain. See also: BLANKBOOK BINDING.

Madagan, John R. Bookbinding methods and aids for the printing trade. Charlotte, N. C. Washburn Printing Co. 1952.

Porte, Roy Trewin. Dictionary of printing terms. 4th ed. Salt Lake City. Porte. 1941.