reinforced library binding

A type of replacement (secondary) binding in a "pre-library bound" style. The term which is now virtually obsolete, is properly used only with reference to so-called Class "A" pre-library binding; however, it is sometimes also used with reference to a pre-bound book which retains the publisher's original case.


reinforcing fabric

A fabric, such as cambric or linen, used for strengthening endpapers at the hinges. The Library Binding Institute standards call for a fabric that is the standard 80 by 80 thread count, print cloth construction, prorated to 39 inches, 4.0 yards to the pound.

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.

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


REITERATION

The second form, or the form printed on the backside of the white paper.—M. This is a term generally used for press work; when the second form is working, that is, perfecting the sheet, the pressmen say they are working the reiteration.

Reviews. See Newspaper Postage.

Public domain (Project Gutenberg, pre-1930 text)


REITERATION

The form printed on the second side.

The American Printer: A Manual of Typography


rejointed

A leather binding that has had one or both joints repaired or replaced. Replacement joints are the length of the book and about 34 inch wide, the exact width being determined by the size of the book and the distance the strips are to extend underneath the spine and sides. The strips, which are pared moderately thin, have a long feathered bevel on all sides. While paring does weaken the leather, if it is too thick along the line of the joint, it will tend to lever itself off the spine each time the cover is opened.

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

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


relative humidity

See notes on the electronic edition

The ratio of the amount of water vapor in the air to the amount which would be present at the same temperature were the atmosphere to be fully saturated. Relative humidity is expressed as a percentage. Saturated water vapor pressure for various temperatures is given below:

Temperature     Saturated Vapor Pressure (mm. of mercury)

0                4.58

5                6.54

10                9.20

15                12.78

20                17.5

25                23.69

30                31.71

35                42.02

40                55.13

Thus, at 25° C., for example, if the pressure of water vapor actually present in the atmosphere is 13.77 mm of mercury, the R.H. is:

actual vapor pressure

R.H. =  ---------------------       X 100

saturated vapor pressure

or

13.77

----- X 100 or 58%

23.69

All organic fibers, including paper and leather, are hygroscopic and absorb or emit water vapor so as to adjust their moisture content to that of the air in which they are stored. Although the R.H. factor varies with different kinds of organic fiber, it remains constant for the same kind of fiber. Since the moisture content of paper affects its weight and printing properties, its R.H. must be known. It may be measured by a sword hygrometer inserted in a pile of paper.

Corresponding

Water Content of

equal Weights of

R.H. of the Air          a Cellulose Fiber

30%                     5%

40%                     6%

50%                     7%

60%                     8.5%

70%                    10%

80%                    13%

The change in rate of increase, e.g. between 50 and 60%, stems from the fact that the curve is not flat but "S" shaped; and, also, because of hysteresis, equilibrium water content is higher when approached from the wet side than from the dry side.

Any changes in water content of a fiber immediately manifests itself as changes in its dimensions, especially in the cross direction of the paper. The fiber diameter swells considerably at increased moisture content resulting in stretching of the paper. Other properties of the paper are also affected, but the most significant change affecting printing is the change in dimension. The absorption and emission of moisture require time, absorption generally requiring less than emission. The edges of paper in storage come into contact with the atmosphere to a greater extent than other areas, and are therefore exposed initially to changes in R.H. A rise in R.H. will cause the edges of the paper to buckle, while a decrease may cause undulations in the middle of the pile. In order to avoid dimensional changes in paper it is not unusual to hang it before printing. In offset printing, where attention must be given to the moisture transferred to the paper directly from the dampened plates (by way of the rubber cloth), a relative humidity of approximately 60% has been found to be suitable for purposes of register, while in other printing methods and paper handling firms, a lower moisture content may be more suitable.


remainder binding

The business of binding unsold copies of a book that are in sheets or gatherings. These are sold to a jobber, bound in a different format from the original binding, and offered for sale, sometimes with a different title. Such bindings are usually very economically priced. For 19th and 20th century books, the term "remainder binding" is used correctly only with reference to a book bound for the wholesale book trade by someone other than the original publisher of the book. A later (and sometimes less expensive) publisher s binding was a SECONDARY BINDING.

Carter, John. Binding variants in English publishing, 1820-1900. London. Constable. 1932.

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


remargined

The replacement or restoration of part of one or more of the outer margins of a leaf, either by means of paper cut to size and pasted to the leaf or by LEAFCASTING. If all four margins are replaced, the leaf is said to have been INLAID.


remboîtage

A French term applied to the process of transferring a book, i.e., text block and endpapers, from its original binding to another. The new binding may be more luxurious, more nearly contemporary, or simply more appropriate, than the original. The term also refers to the process of transferring a superior text of a work into a better binding than the one originally made for it. There is not a comparable English word for this expression, recasing being the closest; however, in craft bookbinding, "recasing" connotes a book that has been removed from its covers, repaired and/or resewn, and then returned to the original covers, while in library binding, it indicates a new, but usually just ordinary, case.


removable press

A type of press that is not designed to exert pressure but simply to hold pressure that is applied. In the days when standing presses were used in edition and library binding, many presses were required because books were generally kept under pressure for 24 hours. Use of the removable press reduced the number of (hydraulic) standing presses required because it divided the application and maintenance of pressure between two implements. The books were loaded on a separate base supported on casters instead of the base of the press. When the press was filled, a special board was placed on top of the last pressing board, and, after the pressure was applied, threaded steel rods connected the top board and the caster-mounted base. The pressure of the hydraulic press was then released and the entire load of books rolled out of the press. With this equipment it was necessary to have only one press for each casing-in machine; however, sufficient special bases, top boards and pressing boards for the day's work were required. See also: BUILDING-IN MACHINE.

U.S. Government Printing Office. Theory and practice of bookbinding. Rev. ed. Washington, D.C. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1962.


Renaissance ornament

A conventional finishing tool cut in the shape of columns, urns, vases, beasts, birds, garlands, or foliage found in Renaissance architecture.

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


repousé

A book cover of metal, usually silver, produced by hammering or shaping the metal into a design from the reverse side, generally into a mold of wood, or other solid material, that has been carved intaglio. The metal is then attached to the book board, which is usually made of wood. Repousé work is often refined by chasing.

Mayer, Ralph. A dictionary of art terms and techniques. New York. Crowell. 1969.


reproduction paper

A base paper used in numerous reproduction processes or systems. It may be sensitized, as in the case of negatives, blueprints, photographic paper, etc., or plain, as that used for electrostatic reproduction paper. It is usually produced from high grade bleached chemical wood pulps and/or cotton fiber pulps in basis weights ranging from 11 to 32 pounds (17 X 22—500). It is generally well sized and its more important properties include chemical purity, good wet and dry strengths, and a relatively high degree of permanence.

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.


reptile calf

An imitation lizard skin produced from calfskin, the grain pattern being created by embossing.

Pratt, Guy A. Let's bind a book. Rev. ed. Milwaukee. Bruce. 1944.


rescript

See: PALIMPSEST.


reset

A leaf, leaves, or an entire section of a book which has become detached and has been glued back into place. Although the technique is used by some bookbinders, it is a poor and usually ineffective method of repair. The term is also used (improperly) to describe an entire text block that has become loosened in its case and has been reset.


resewing

The process of removing a text block from its case or covers, removing the spine lining (if any), old adhesive, as well as the original sewing thread, and then resewing the sections. In conservation bookbinding, "resewing" usually implies the same method of sewing as the original; in library binding, however, the term generally implies the substitution of OVERSEWING for edition sewing.

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


resilience of leather

The degree of percentage rebound of a standard plunger dropped onto the surface of a leather under specified conditions. Resilience of leather is a property closely associated with TEMPER.

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


resin

Any of various hard, brittle, solid, or semi-solid amorphous, organic, fusible substances that are insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents, and which are classified as natural or synthetic. Resins contain a high proportion of carbon but little oxygen, and have an indefinite and often high molecular weight. The natural resins are excretion or exudation products principally of plant origin (a notable exception being shellac), fusible, usually yellowish to dark brown in color, and transparent to translucent. "Recent resins" are those obtained from living plants, while those dug from the earth where they were deposited, are known as "fossil resins."

Chemically, resins consist of complex mixtures of organic (resin) acids and alcohols, which are generally aromatic in nature, and inert substances (known as resenes), together with extraneous fatty, mineral, or other materials. Gum resins contain carbohydrate gums, while oleoresins are mixtures of resins and volatile oils. The non-volatile residue of conifer resins is called ROSIN, which is the most important resin used in the manufacture of paper. Other more-or-less familiar resins include copal and dammar, which are natural resins used in the manufacture of varnish, accroides, amber, elemi, ester gum, manila copal, mastic, sandarac, and shellac. See also: SYNTHETIC RESINS.

Miall, Laurence Mackenzie, and D. W. A. Sharp, eds. A new dictionary of chemistry. 4th ed. New York. Wiley. 1968.

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


resin milk

A RESIN that has been finely divided in the form of an emulsion before being used as a sizing material.

Labarre, E. J. Dictionary and encyclopaedia of paper and papermaking. 2nd ed. London. Oxford University Press. 1952.


resinoids

A class of thermosetting resins, either in their initial temporary fusible state or in their final (infusible) state.


resinous adhesives

A group of adhesives containing as their principal constituent a water emulsion of POLYVINYL ACETATE (PVA) resin. There are several formulas for PVA resinous adhesives, some of the principal ones used in conservation work being listed below:

1.  PVA                 95%

Plasticizer          5%

Water (sufficient to thin as required for best working consistency)

This composition is used both in hand binding operations and in gluing machines, and is particularly suitable in those operations involving the use of pyroxylin coated or impregnated fabrics, e.g., buckram, which are difficult to attach by means of ordinary glues.

2.  PVA                 78.0%

Dibutyl phthalate    6.3%

Gamma valerolactone  7.8%

Water                7.9%

This formula produces an adhesive which will adhere paper, leather, plain cloths, or pyroxylin coated or impregnated, starch filled, or rubberized cloths to cellulose acetate surfaces.

3.  PVA                 90%

Gamma valerolactone 10%

Water (sufficient to thin as required for best working consistency)

This is a quick drying adhesive.

4.  PVA                 32%

Isopropyl alcohol   39%

Plasticizer          4%

Water               25%

This adhesive provides excellent penetration

5.  PVA                 89%

Hexylene glycol      7%

Isopropyl alcohol    2%

Water                2%

This is an adhesive that is quick drying 217 and has excellent penetration.

Barrow (W. J.) Research Laboratory. Polyvinyl acetate (PVA) adhesives for use in library bookbinding. Richmond, Va. Barrow (W. J.) Research Laboratory. Permanence/ durability of the book, no. 4. 1965.


resistance of leather to acid

The maximum percentage of acid that a leather is capable of absorbing without deteriorating with time. Experiments involving both chrome- and vegetable-tanned calfskins indicate that rapid destruction of the chrome-tanned leather may be expected if the percentage (by weight of leather) of (sulfuric) acid exceeds 10%, while a percentage greater than 4% of the same acid will cause rapid deterioration of the vegetable-tanned skin. Most of the acid found in the chrome-tanned skin is probably in chemical combination with the chromium, whereas in the vegetable-tanned skin it exists as free acid.


resistance to grain cracking

The extent to which leather may be stretched or flexed without causing the grain surface to crack.


resistance to wear

That property of a material that enables it to withstand abrasion or other forms of wear, or, in a more general sense, degradation during use. See also: ABRASION RESISTANCE.


resite

See: C-STAGE.


resitol

See: B-STAGE.


resizing

The process of applying sizing material to paper that has had part of its original sizing removed, either accidently—e.g., by wetting—or deliberately during washing to remove stains, deacidification, etc. Regardless of the original size, the material used for resizing is generally some form of gelatin or glue, or, more frequently today, carboxy methyl cellulose. Vellum or parchment size is used occasionally, as is nylon, when the paper is very weak and cannot be immersed in water.

Middleton, Bernard C. The restoration of leather bindings. Chicago. American Library Association. (A. L. A. Library Technology Project, LTP publication no. 18). 1972.


resol

See: A-STAGE.


restoration

The process of returning a book, document, or other archival material as nearly as possible to its original condition. The entire scope of "restoration" ranges from the repair of a torn leaf, or removal of a simple stain, to the complete rehabilitation of the material, including, at times, deacidification, alkaline buffering, resizing, filling in missing parts, resewing, replacement of endpapers and/or boards, recovering or restoration of the original covering material, and refinishing in a manner sympathetic to the time of the original binding of the publication. Restoration, therefore, encompasses virtually the entire range of book work—mending, repairing, rebinding, and reconstruction. Cf: CONSERVATION.

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


restored

A book that has been repaired or rebound in such a manner as to retain all, or at least as much as possible, of the original covering material, and (frequently) the original boards and endpapers. It is generally accepted that everything possible should be done to retain as much as possible, and that added materials should be functional, chemically safe, strong, durable, and unobtrusive (although with no attempt at deception).


restrike

A second or subsequent impression of a lettering or finishing tool, or a second impression in a blocking press.

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


retanning

The process of subjecting a hide or skin, which has been more-or-less completely tanned by one process (or one kind or blend of tanning agents), to a second tanning process, involving similar, or, more usually, different tanning agents. A typical retanning process is CHROME RETAN.

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


retention

The quantity of filler or other material remaining in a finished paper. It is expressed as a percentage of the quantity of those materials added to the paper stock prior to sheet formation.


reticular layer

The fibrous part of a hide or skin located between the grain layer and the flesh.


reticulin.

Fibers in a hide or skin that are believed to compose a network which surrounds the collagen fiber bundles and assists in holding them together. Reticular fibers are found in most connective tissue (skin) as a network of fine fibrils which, in sharp distinction to collagen fibers, exhibit marked branching anastomosis.

Bailey, Frederick T. Textbook on histology. 16th ed. Ed. by Wilfred M. Copenhaven, and others. Baltimore. Williams & Wilkins. 1971.

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.


retrogradation

A reversal to a simpler form, such as a physical reaction involving vegetable adhesives, characterized by a reversion to a simpler molecular structure. An example of retrogradation would be a change in starch pastes from low to high consistency upon aging, and, in extreme cases, a separation of more-or-less solid gel from the aqueous solution.


retrospective binders

Bookbinders who imitate earlier styles of binding. In the 18th and 19th centuries, many celebrated and not so celebrated bookbinders imitated earlier styles, including Padeloup and Thouvenin, who were perhaps the most famous, as well as Cape, Trautz-Bauzonnet, Lortic, Chambolle-Duru, Taffin-Lefort and Gruel among the French, and Rivieré, Zaehnsdorf, Lewis, and Clark among the English.

In the 19th century, the demand of antiquarian book collectors for retrospective bindings was so great that there was a concerted effort on the part of bookbinders to copy earlier styles. Many of these binders produced outstanding designs of earlier years, ofttimes surpassing their models in the precision and brilliance of their tooling. The vogue for such lavish bindings continued well into the 20th century.


retting

1. The process of soaking or exposing a substance, such as flax or hemp, so as to promote the loosening of the fiber from the woody tissue by bacterial action. The term also refers to chemical treatment to loosen fiber from the woody tissue. 2. The rotting or damage to a material caused by exposure to moisture.


reverse calf

A calfskin finished on the flesh side by light buffering. The skin is used flesh side out. Reverse calf was sometimes used in place of suede leather as a covering material for ledgers and blankbooks during the latter 18th and early 19th centuries. Also called "rough calf."

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.

Tanners' Council of America, Inc. Dictionary of leather terminology. 6th ed. New York. Tanners' Council of America. 1969.


reverse cover

See: LOWER COVER.


reversed cloth

A book cloth used with the reverse (unfinished) side out. The practice of covering books in this manner began in the late 1880s and was important at the time because, while washable cloths were not common, the reverse side of the fabrics then in use were not affected by water.

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


reversed fold book

A method of binding single sheets without sewing, the leaves instead being glued to a continuous stub folded concertina-wise. See also: CONTINUOUS GUARD.

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

Johnson, Pauline. Creative bookbinding. Seattle. University of Washington Press. 1963.


reversed nonpareil marble

A NONPAREIL MARBLE executed by drawing the comb through the colors on the size from right to left instead of left to right, as in the nonpareil.

Hasluck, Paul Nooncree, ed. Bookbinding. Philadelphia. McKay. 1903.


reversed v-guard

See illustration</> A folded GUARD (1) to which a section is sewn, the folds of the guard meeting in reverse. The guard consists of several strips of paper folded with the two open ends being folded back on the guard, either together or in opposite directions; the guard may be folded over in one direction on itself and the section sewn at either end, or it may be folded over in opposite directions on itself and one or two sections sewn to it, depending on Re the thickness of the sections and amount of sewing swell required. Generally, the paper used for the guard (before folding) should be one-fourth the thickness of the section, so that when it has been folded it will be of equal thickness. The reversed V technique is used if the paper of the book is too thick to be sewn in the usual manner, and if it is not possible or desirable to hinge the leaves on linen guards, such as in an album. In addition, such a guard may be required because there is writing in the folds of the sections which would be made inaccessible by the usual manner of sewing and binding. The reversed v-guard technique places considerable strain on the sewing thread and folds of the section, particularly if the guards throw out far from the spine. Also called "meeting guard."


reversible cloth

A book cloth that is finished on both sides, so that either side may be used as the "outside" of a book cover or case.

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


reversion

The condition of shrinkage and the exuding of clear water from a paste following gelling. See also: RETROGRADATION.

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


REVISE

An impression of each form printed on proof paper the first thing after it is laid on, and taken by the pressman to the reader or overseer, for him to examine that all the corrections in the press proof are made, previously to the impression being worked off. The compositor frequently takes the revise for waste paper; but this should never be done with that of the first form; the pressman should put it into the heap, so that it may be readily found, which keeps it damp, and the revise of the second form ought always to be pulled on it; the reader, in revising the second form, then sees the sheet perfect, which is necessary to ascertain that the matter follows, and that the furniture is right.


REVISE

The last proof of a form before working it off.


rexine

A strong, coated cloth, usually in the form of an imitation leather, and used as a covering material for books. The weave and composition of the base (gray) cloth depend on the grade of cloth being manufactured at the time, and may be cotton or a cotton and rayon mixture. The cellulose nitrate coating is colored by mixing powdered pigments with synthetic oils and is applied in several layers, each being dried before the next application. Polyvinyl chloride may also be used for the coating. Embossing is done with engraved steel rollers, usually to imitate the grain pattern of a leather, but sometimes with modern geometric designs. This type of cloth has been in use since the first decades of the 20th century.

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


Reynes John

A native of Holland who by 1510 had established himself as a bookseller in London. Reynes was active as a publisher and bookseller, and the bindery under his direction was the most prolific of his time. His bindings usually bear his device, initials, or, in many cases, both. Besides using panels depicting emblems of the Passion, etc., Reynes also employed a fine roll cut with his trademark—a hound, a falcon, and a bee, amid sprays of foliage and flowers. His name is also associated with the early use of gold tooling in England.

Fletcher, William Younger. Bookbinding in England and France. London. Seeley. 1897.

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


rhea

See: RAMIE.


rheology

A term pertaining to viscosity behavior, e.g., the viscosity of an adhesive under conditions of shear, or the plastic flow properties of an adhesive. Rheological behavior may be thixotropic, where viscosity decreases greatly with shear; dilatant, where viscosity increases greatly with shear; or Newtonian, where viscosity is directly proportional to shear.

McGuire, Edward Patrick. Adhesive raw materials handbook. Mountainside, N. J. Padric. 1964.


RIBS

In wooden presses, long pieces of steel, polished on the upper surface, which is a little rounded, on which the carriage traverses in being run in and run out; they are fastened down upon long pieces of wood, which are called Wooden Ribs.


rice glue

A type of glue (actually a paste) prepared by boiling ground rice in soft water. The resulting adhesive is white in color and dries to a film that is almost transparent.

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


rice marble

A "marble" executed by scattering particles, such as rice, bread crumbs, etc., in a random manner on the edges of a book, or, more commonly, on the covers of calfskin bindings, and then sprinkling the edges or covers with color. This decoration was popular on calf bindings of the first half of the 19th century. When used on the edges of books, the edge was sometimes first colored, the particles were scattered over, and a lighter color was then sprinkled over the first.

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.


rice paper

A non-fibrous, delicate, paperlike material made from the pith of the rice paper tree, a small Asiatic tree or shrub, Tetrapanax papyriferum, that is widely cultivated in China and Japan. The pith is cut into a thin layer of ivorylike texture by means of a sharp knife.

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.

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


Richenback, Johann

A German bookbinder and chaplain of the church at Geislingen (Wurtemberg). Richenback generally included his name and address on his bindings, as well as the name of the person for whom the book was bound. Some 40 or more of his bindings have been authenticated, most of which are covered in white pigskin, a favorite leather of the early German binders. The use of coloring on many of his bindings gives them a bright appearance, making them stand out from the blind-tooled calf and pigskin bindings of his time. He was using rolls, as well as stamps. as early as the 1460s, and had a font of 7 of the former and some 49 of the latter.

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

U.S. Government Printing Office. Theory and practice of bookbinding. Rev. ed. Washington, D.C. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1962.


ricing

A mottled or grainy LOOK-THROUGH of a paper, especially one produced largely from esparto, caused by the crowding or crushing of the fibers. The term is generally used when the paper displays characteristic small knots caused by over cooking and/or by the wet beating of the pulp.

Labarre, E. J. Dictionary and encyclopaedia of paper and papermaking. 2nd ed. London. Oxford University Press. 1952.


RIDES

Leads are said to ride, when one end projects over another; this will occasionally take place when two or more are used in the same measure. It ought to be guarded against, as, when it happens, it prevents the page rising, or if by tightening the quoins the form is made to rise, it causes the lines to be crooked.


Riding

One colour falling on another. Type at the end of a line catching against a lead.


right angle fold

One of the principal methods of folding, in which at least one fold is at right angles to the others. Right angle folding is the most commonly used fold in book work. Cf: PARALLEL FOLD. See also: FOLDING; FOLDING MACHINES.

Strauss, Victor. The printing industry…Washington, D.C. Printing Industries in America. 1967.


right reading

1. An image that appears in the normal reading position and not laterally reversed. 2. The arrangement of the papers that are to be printed on one side of a sheet so that, when cut and folded, they will be "right reading," i.e., in correct numerical sequence.

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


right side

The so-called correct side of a sheet of paper. It is the wire (mold) side in a handmade paper, and the upper (felt) side of a machine-made paper. In both, it is the side from which the WATERMARK is read correctly. Printers often have to know which side of the paper is the "right side" because of differences in surface, as well as the undesirable effect of using sheets laid one way with those laid another way in the same publication. Flat papers are usually packed with the right side uppermost, while, if folded, the right side is outermost. In blue and azure papers, the right side is usually darker in color than the reverse side.


ring binder

One of the earliest forms of LOOSE-LEAF BINDING. The ring binder is a form of mechanical binding similar to the ring notebook paper binder, only much larger. This type of binder has declined in popularity in recent times because it is prone to accidental opening, and, in addition, the bulk of the spine is large in proportion to the quantity of paper it can hold. The binder is usually constructed with two or three rings mounted on a metal backpiece. A mechanism inside the metal back links the rings together so that they all open and close simultaneously, being held closed by spring tension. Some binders open when a small latch at the end of the backpiece is pressed, and close when the latch at the other end is depressed, while others have fiber strips designed to slip over the rings. When these strips are pulled in opposite directions the rings snap open. In the usual case, the bindery produces the binding, but purchases the assembled mechanism.

Practical printing and binding; Odhams complete guide to the printer's craft, edited by Harry Whetton. 3rd ed. London. Odhams Books. 1965.


ring color test

A test designed to determine the presence of different tanning agents used in the manufacture of leather. Concentrated sulfuric acid is added to a small quantity of the test solution of ground leather fibers mixed with water. A dark red ring will form at the juncture of the two liquids in the case of a condensed tannin, while a pyrogallol tannin gives a yellow or brown ring.

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


ring test

A test designed to determine the water resistance of a (book) cloth. The Library Binding Institute standards call for a book cloth that will permit no penetration of water within a period of 10 minutes, or oleic acid (grease) within 5 minutes.

U.S. National Bureau of Standards. Fabrics for book covers. Washington, D.C. U.S. Government Printing Office. (Product Standard PS 9-68). 1968.


ringing out

A ceremony observing the apprentice's last day as an apprentice. On noon of that last day, the next senior apprentice begins the ringing by banging his press pin on the platen of a press, or some other metal object. Following the ringing, the new journeyman puts on his jacket and walks into the office of the owner of the establishment to ask for a job. See also: KISSING THE BOOKBINDER'S DAUGHTER.


RINSE THE FORM

Laying up the form, and washing the lye and ink away to make the letter clean.—M. This is always done by the pressman as soon as a form is off; he takes it to the lye trough, and brushes the ink from off the face of the letter, the furniture, and chase, with the lye brush and lye; he then lifts it out of the trough and sets it on its edge, resting against the side of the trough or against some other support, and rinses it well with water, to wash away the lye and the ink it has dissolved, and thus leaves the face of the letter, the furniture, and the chase clean, ready for the compositor to lay up preparatory to distributing.—See Lay up.


RINSING TROUGH

The trough forms are rinsed in.—M. It is two troughs combined in one; the smallest and deepest is for the water, and in some offices has an iron ladle chained to the near upper corner, to prevent its being displaced; the shallow part is used to lay up forms in; they are both lined with lead, and the shallow one has a loose deal bottom to preserve the lead, and in general is bound with iron, particularly at the front, to prevent the edge of a chase, when being lifted upon the letter board, from cutting the lead; they both have an opening with a short pipe at the bottom to convey away the water; that in the water trough having a brass plug in it, for the convenience of letting the water off to clean it out. They stand on a frame, which is usually placed in a platform raised at the edges a few inches, lined with lead, styled the sink, with a loose bottom of boards, which leads into a pipe for drainage.

A wooden rinsing trough

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


RISE

A form is said to rise, when in rearing it off the correcting stone no letter or furniture, &c. stay behind.—M. When every thing is properly justified, and the form properly quoined and locked up, so that nothing falls out in lifting it up.


RISE

A form is said to rise when, in raising it from the correcting stone, no letters drop out.


RISERS

The material upon which stereotype plates are fixed, in order to be printed.

These risers are sometimes made of wood, with the plates screwed, or otherwise fastened upon them; sometimes of brass, bell metal, gun metal, or type metal; and occasionally of gypsum, or Roman cement: but, of whatever substance they may be formed, the riser and the plate together should be of the same height as types.

Mr. James Fergusson took out a patent for risers made of elastic substances, of which he published the following description, or specification:—“Now know ye, that I the said James Fergusson, in compliance with the said Proviso, do hereby declare, that the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described and ascertained by the following explanation thereof, that is to say: In the process of printing from Stereotype Plates, the plates are put upon, and fastened to, certain materials or apparatus, called by different names, such as blocks, matrix-plates, risers, &c., which are made either of iron, brass, type-metal, bell-metal, Roman cement, gypsum, wood of various kinds, or some other suitable substance; or, without using any such materials or apparatus, the plates are, or may be, put upon, and fastened to, the coffins or tables of such printing presses as are in general use, or upon cylindrical or any other sort of printing machines. In all cases, however, of printing from Stereotype Plates, it is necessary to apply some remedy to the unequal thickness of the plates; and the operation usually adopted is that of putting layers or pieces of paper, or other material, under the thinner places of the plates, or over the same, upon the tympan, which operation is technically termed underlaying and overlaying. Now, the nature or object of my Invention is that of saving the time and expence unavoidably sacrificed in the operation of underlaying and overlaying; and this object I accomplish by putting elastic substances under the Stereotype Plates, whereby the printed impressions from them are immediately equalized wholly or in part; for the elastic substances yield to the pressure upon the thicker parts of the plates, and at the same time afford the necessary resistance for obtaining sufficient strength of impressions from the thinner parts. It must be evident, that the elastic substances are to be interposed between the Stereotype Plates and whatever solid or firm substance may be made use of, whether blocks, matrix-plates, risers, cylinders, printing presses, printing machines, or any other apparatus whatsoever. So far as I have made experiments and trials of different elastic substances, I have hitherto found Cork to be the best calculated for the purposes of my Invention; but, in virtue of the Letters Patent granted unto me, I claim the exclusive right and privilege of applying Cork, and any other elastic substance, to all kinds of printing apparatus and machines, with the view of remedying the inequalities in the thickness of Stereotype Plates; and I also claim the sole right and privilege of manufacturing the elastic articles requisite for the attainment of this object, of vending such articles, and of granting Licenses for the use of the same. In further explanation of the manner in which my Invention is to be performed, it may be proper to state, that the Cork is prepared by cutting, sawing, rasping, and filing; and by these means it is wrought to such a uniform thickness as is required. I consider a quarter of an inch as a proper thickness, but a lesser or a greater may be adopted. If, when a determinate thickness has been fixed upon, the Cork is to be applied to some apparatus now in use, that apparatus should of course be diminished as much as is the thickness of the Cork, in order that the same height to paper may be preserved. The layers or beds of Cork may be formed either of single pieces, cut to the respective sizes of pages, or made up by several slips, whereby they may be adjusted to various widths and lengths. Whether the Cork be laid loose upon the blocks, &c., or be attached by soft pitch, shoemakers’ wax, or other adhesive substance, is unimportant; but I prefer attaching it, so as to keep it in its place. Although my Invention essentially consists in discovering the applicability of Elastic Substances for the purpose of remedying inequalities in the thickness of Stereotype Plates, yet, in this Specification, I have necessarily given my explanations by particularising Cork, that being the material which I now manufacture and prefer. How to adapt any other elastic substance, which may answer the purpose equally well as Cork, cannot be a matter of doubt or difficulty to any person practically acquainted with apparatus used in Stereotype Press-work.——In witness whereof, &c.”

Mr. T. C. Hansard took out a patent for improvements on, and additions to, Printing Presses, and various processes relative to Printing; these improvements included “Stereotype-Plate Risers, with Holdfasts or Claws,” of which Mr. Hansard published the following description:—“The Risers are made of Type Metal, or with any other metal or substance, cast in a Type-founder’s mould, having somewhat the form of what are called Quotations. I take the usual standard for Printer’s ad-measurement, and cast them quadrilateral to four Pica m’s; then longer ones as parallelograms, four by eight, four by twelve, four by sixteen, and smaller ones, four by two, four by one, and four by a half; in height they are about three-fourths of an inch, or sufficient to raise the Plate to the usual height, or somewhat higher than common Type; these being cast and dressed perfectly true, in body and height, may be easily combined to form the size of any page necessary, with the certainty of having a uniform plain surface for all the plates, however numerous; they are cast as hollow cubes, the larger combinations having divisions to give sufficient support to every square against any pressure which can be brought upon them.

“The Holdfasts or Claws are formed of Brass or other hard metal, accurately adjusted in thickness to a Brevier, or any other body chosen, with a projecting Bevil at the top. They may be of various lengths, as to 4, 8, 16, 24, or more or less, Pica m’s, the elongated parts of the larger ones being to the height of ordinary Reglet, having the Holdfast or Claw in the centre, or towards each end. They may be opened, or pierced, as well to make them lighter, as to cause them, by pressing and indenting into the furniture of the forme, to be less liable to be drawn out: the height of the Claw is about seven-eighths of an inch, or sufficient for the projecting bevil of about one-eighth of an inch to lay upon the flanch of the plate when resting on the Risers. To prepare plates for working, form with the Risers the requisite number of pages for the forme or sheet to the nearest size they may make by the various combinations, and add any difference wanting by reglet, leads, or scale-board; then lay on the Plates, and place at the head, foot, and sides of each plate as many Holdfasts as may, from the size of the plate, be deemed sufficient for proper fastening; thus for small pages, as in Octadecimos and Duodecimos, one at each side and end will be sufficient; for larger pages two or more may be thought necessary; making up the parts which they may be deficient of the length and breadth of the pages with quadrats or reglet of the same body; then proceed to make margin, or dress the formes, and lock-up in the usual mode. To change the Plates; when worked, unlock the forme, draw out the Holdfast at the head or foot of the plate, slide off the done-with plate, replace by the new one; lock up again; and if the Plates have all been cast true to one gauge in thickness, width, and length, you will have throughout the whole work exact and uniform register, and equal impression;—when the Work is completed, the same material of Risers and Holdfasts, by admitting every combination of size, will form into any other sized pages for any other sized plates.”

Robbery. See Stolen Property.


Rivieré, Robert

An English bookbinder of French descent. Rivieré was an accomplished craftsman and excelled in imitating the best historical styles with a fidelity and technique that have not often been surpassed. His craftsmanship is evidence by the fact that he restored and rebound the Domesday Book.

Rivieré established himself at Bath in 1829, relocated in London in 1840, and died in 1882.

His grandson, Percival Calkin, became a partner in 1881, and thereafter the firm was known as Rivieré and Son, until it closed in 1939.

Glaister, Geoffrey Ashall. An encyclopedia of the book. Cleveland. World. 1960.


roan

A variety, or varieties, of leather produced from a superior grade of unsplit sheepskin. Roan is softer than BASIL, and is colored and finished in imitation of MOROCCO.

The typical roan has a close, tough, long, boarded grain, a compact structure, and is usually dyed a red color. Originally, roans were leathers tanned exclusively with sumac (as were the moroccos); however, in later years they were often tanned with other vegetable tannins. They were used extensively for covering books from about 1790 until well into the 19th century, but have been seldom used since that time.

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

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

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

Waterer, John William. A guide to the conservation and restoration of objects made wholly or in part of leather. 2nd ed. London. Bell. 1973.


roan

Leather made of sheepskin and not split. See Sheepskin.


rock marble

A cover marble executed by throwing large drops of black color on the leather, which, when partially dry, was followed by diluted potash water. When this was dry, scarlet was sprinkled on in small drops, followed by aqua regia, which was supposed to brighten the scarlet. See also: RED MARBLE.

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


roll

See illustration</> 1. A finishing tool consisting of a brass wheel, the circumference of which is engraved so as to impress a continuous repeating pattern as it revolves under (considerable) pressure. The decorative roll was used in Germany at least as early as the 1460s, and was in common use by the second decade of the 16th century. Most of these early rolls were cut intaglio, so that the design on the leather was raised, but many were also cut in relief. The average length of the pattern impressed by early rolls was approximately 5 to 6 inches, which would give a wheel diameter of approximately 1.6 to 1.9 inches. The common diameter of rolls used today is about 3.5 inches, which is capable of producing an impression of about 11 inches in length. The smaller size, however, is still in use. Rolls have been produced in an enormous variety of designs, including simple lines, simple and intricate patterns, as well as edge and title rolls. 2. The design impressed by a roll. See: SCROLL (2). (69, 83, , 301)

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

Samford, C. Clement, and John M. Hemphill II. Bookbinding in Colonial Virinia. Williamsburg, Va. Colonial Williamsburg. 1966.


roll

The cylindrical ornaments used in finishing.


roll

Cylindrical ornamental tools used in finishing.

Bib-li-op-e-gis-tic: Pertaining to the Art of Binding Books


roll

Wheels of brass, cut to any pattern, for impressing gold leaf on leather.


ROLL UP BALL LEATHERS

When the pressman leaves work at noon he draws half the nails out of the balls, and takes the wool out; then doubles the loose half of the leather over the remaining nailed-on half, with the inky sides of each half next each other, and rolls up the leathers close, and lays them in a bowl or pan of water to soak till he has dined—M. This plan is entirely discontinued; the ball nails now are never drawn nor the covering taken off till it is worn out, owing to the different composition of the ink.


rolled edges

1. The edges of the covers of a book which have been decorated with the roll, usually in gilt. 2. Paper which curls on the edges.

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.

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


rolled pattern

A blind or gilt decoration produced with a ROLL (1).


rolled-back

A type of SPRING-BACK consisting of a thin strip of millboard that is wetted and glued to a strip of paper that is wrapped around it. Both are then rolled to the shape of the spine of the text block. If the book is unusually thick, two boards are used, the outer one being cut slightly wider than the inner so as to compensate for the larger arc it must transverse. The "shoulders" of the rolled-back are formed before the glue hardens.

Cummins, John Francis. The printer's guide. 2nd ed. Dublin. n.p. 1952.


ROLLER

A cylinder coated with composition, fixed in an iron frame, and revolving upon an iron rod running through it, with which to ink the forms, preparatory to taking an impression.

The roller has almost entirely superseded the use of balls in printing; and, since the introduction of composition, I may venture to say it has completely superseded the use of pelts for balls. See Pelts.

The use of the roller is less laborious to the pressman than balls; and for common work, and indeed all work where weak ink is used, it coats the surface of the types, &c. more uniformly, perhaps, than balls; but for fine work, where strong ink must be used, and really fine work cannot be produced without strong ink, the roller is decidedly inferior to the ball, partly owing to the difficulty of taking ink and distributing it on the inking table; and partly owing to the inferiority of rolling to beating with balls, in coating the surface of the types with strong ink.

The introduction of composition in lieu of pelts has been the cause of a complete change in printing; but for this article, machine or cylindrical printing would never have been accomplished, as all the first attempts were made with skins to coat the roller, and all failed, owing to the imperfection of joining the edges; it was this that baffled Nicholson, who died before its introduction; and it was the introduction of this article that enabled König to avail himself of Nicholson’s invention and to reduce it to practice, after he had failed in his project of applying steam to the working of presses.

The composition was first introduced in printing by Mr. B. Foster, who spread it in a melted state on canvass, and then formed it into balls in the usual manner. I have been informed that Mr. Foster obtained his knowledge of its properties from a cotton manufactory, where it was used in some part of the machinery; but Mr. T. C. Hansard says that it was in the Staffordshire potteries, in which they use what are there called dabbers, that Mr. Foster first observed it.

Composition.—Mr. Hansard, a printer of extensive practice, in his Typographia, says, “The composition consists principally of glue and molasses, or treacle. I have seen various receipts of ingredients and proportions, some possessing the recommendations which distinguish the recipes of ancient physicians; namely, a vast variety of articles with counteracting properties. But the simple prescription which my experience has proved best, is, to provide glue of the finest quality, made from the cuttings of parchment or vellum; fine green molasses, pure from the sugar refiner, at least not adulterated for the bakers’ or grocers’ shops; and a small quantity of the substance called Paris-white [carbonate of barytes], and you will have every ingredient requisite for the compo. The proportions have been so variously stated, and so different from what I have found to be eligible, that I am wholly at a loss to account for such differences.

and about half a pound of the Paris-white, will make the compo of a superior quality to any other proportions, and will be sufficient for two demy rollers. The great disparity which appears in these receipts may perhaps be attributed to a difference in the quality of the materials, and to the mode of management.” Thus far Mr. Hansard on the component parts of the composition.

The late Mr. Robert Branston, an eminent engraver on wood, and who was also very skilful in printing his productions in a superior manner, told me that he made his balls of glue, treacle, and a little shoemakers wax, and that they answered as well as Foster’s. The Cave of Despair, in my Practical Hints on Decorative Printing, will serve as a specimen of his abilities in both these departments.

An ingenious printer in the country, and a good workman, sent me the following receipt, from which he used to make balls for his own use:—Take a pound and a half of glue, let it soak in cold water twelve hours, boil it without any additional water; when it is hot add half a pound of treacle, half an ounce of turpentine, and a quarter of a pound of tar; this quantity is sufficient for a pair of balls. Prepare your canvass or coarse cloth of the size the balls are wanted, by rubbing on it bees wax, (or common paste will answer the purpose after it has been allowed to dry,) to prevent the composition running through the pores; when the mixture is nearly cold, pour it on the canvass, held in a concave manner, in order that it may be the thickest in the middle, and thinner at the edges; then knock up the balls in the usual way.

Another receipt, from which a large establishment in London made their balls and rollers, and the latter both for their machines and presses, is equal parts of glue and treacle; but as the composition is affected by the state of the atmosphere, it is found by experience that in cold weather a greater proportion of treacle is required, and in warm weather a greater proportion of glue.

This establishment was of opinion that the glue known by the name of London Glue is the strongest and best.

These different receipts, each of which was held in high estimation by the party who made use of it on account of its individual superiority over others, tend to show that different proportions of the same materials with different ingredients incorporated with the mixture, produce a composition that possesses all the requisite qualities.

Casting Rollers.—Mr. Hansard gives the following directions:—“The cylinder upon which the compo is cast is made of alder-wood, turned to a requisite diameter, so that the coat of compo which it receives is half an inch. The cylinder is perforated through its centre, having a brass bush or collar driven into each end, through which is passed an iron rod, as an axis, with an enlarged head at one end, and tapped with a screw at the other.

“It is necessary to procure a mould very accurately made and well finished. Mine is made of brass, in two parts, adjusted to each other with rebates, the inside being finely turned and polished, and having flanches projecting by which the parts are screwed together by the screw and lock-burr. To each end is also fitted a collar; and a circular plate of iron is accommodated with great precision to the bore of the mould, having a projection in its centre to enter a cylinder of wood about which the compo is to attach itself, and to hold it exactly in the centre of the mould, and the other end of which is kept in a corresponding position by means of a brass piece to allow of the compo passing down between the interior surface of the mould and the wooden cylinder. There are little projections on the sides of the mould, which serve as feet to support each half in a steady position while lying upon a table or elsewhere. Previous to joining, the parts of the mould must be nicely cleaned and oiled, and the greatest care taken that no particle of compo, grit, or dirt, remain in the rebate. The parts being carefully placed on each other, and the wooden cylinder fixed inside, the screws must be put into their respective places in the flanches, and when all is properly made tight the mould is to be set upright for receiving the compo.

“The next material part of the apparatus is the melting kettle. This must be a double vessel like a glue-kettle, so that the compo in the interior may be melted by the heat of the boiling water in the exterior. For this purpose a strong boiler may be the best or readiest thing found, into which let a tin vessel be fitted, with a flanch to rest on the rim, so as to leave one or two inches clear under it. This vessel may be six or eight inches above the top of the boiler, so that the lid of the one may fit the other; and it must have a handle on each side; also a large lip for pouring out the compo.

“Being thus prepared, put the glue into a little water for a few hours to soak. Pour off all the liquid, and put the glue into the inner vessel, the boiler having in it as much water as it will contain when the inner vessel is in its place. Put it on the fire, and boil the water as quick as you please, the heat of which will soon cause the glue to dissolve, and evaporate part of the water. When the glue is all melted, add the molasses, and let them be well incorporated together for at least an hour, receiving heat from the boiling water, which is an uniform degree that cannot exceed 212° of Fahrenheit. Then with a very fine sieve, mix the white powder, frequently stirring the compo. In another hour, or less, it will be fit to pour off; and when it is, take the inner vessel out of the boiler, and pour the mixture gently into the mould through the opened brass keeper. In about an hour, if the weather be dry and favourable you may take the roller out of the mould; hang it in a cool, dry, situation, or lay it horizontally in a rack made for the purpose, and the next day it will be sufficiently hardened for use. As there will be rather more of the compo at each end of the cylinder than would work clear of the frame in which it is to revolve, cut off from each extremity about half an inch, by encircling it with a piece of fine twine.”

There is a serious practical disadvantage in the mould being formed of two pieces; that of having a seam or ridge running the whole length on both sides of the roller. This seam prevents that accurate distribution of the ink which is essentially necessary, and increases the probability and danger of producing monks in the impression, which ought to be avoided as much as possible, as destructive to good printing.

I have at different times heard complaints of the difficulty of drawing the roller out of the mould, and of the injury it frequently receives from the surface being damaged, which spoils it, and makes it necessary to be recast. This accident occasions disappointment and loss of time; as cleaning the mould from the composition which adheres to it when this happens is tedious. I attribute this to the mould being made too thin, which expands when the hot mixture is poured into it, and contracts as the mixture cools, thus becoming, by the contraction, too small for the roller, and binding it so tight as to prevent its being drawn out with facility, and without great risk of injury.

I know one house in the Metropolis that makes rollers in the most perfect manner, and experiences little or no trouble in drawing them from the mould; and I know a person who had a mould made, with the same result. These moulds were made out of a solid cylinder of metal (tin, or type metal is equally good for the purpose, and more durable), the aperture bored to the size of the required roller, and carefully polished on the inside, the tube being thick, in some instances two inches, so that it was not much affected by the heat of the composition, the expansion being very trifling, and of course the contraction small in proportion; so that the roller when cold was not compressed by the mould, or so slightly as not to cause any inconvenience or damage to it in drawing out. The inside of the mould should be carefully wiped out before using, so as to be perfectly free from dust or dirt, and slightly oiled, which causes the roller to quit it more readily.

Preservation.—Mr. Hansard says, “To keep the rollers in good condition for working, a place should be chosen where the air has free circulation, without being subject to the extreme heat of the sun in Summer, or the freezing damp air in winter; in short, in as even a temperature as possible. It will be necessary to keep a stock of more rollers than are at work; as it is frequently found, when a roller is sick, or greasy, or soft, or you do not know what is its ailment, that washing it clean, and hanging it to rest for a time, restores it to as good a state as ever.

“One other circumstance must be noticed, namely, the influence of the variable temperatures of different situations on this composition. This I have had particular opportunities of knowing, from having carried on business in two distant offices. It frequently happened that when the compo was working kindly at one office, nothing could be more teazing than its progress at the other. Indeed, while I was supplied by those who make for the trade, one of my houses frequently gave them a great deal of trouble. I have heard both Foster and Harrild say, ‘that they were obliged to make a harder compo on purpose for my house and one or two others similarly situated, than the customary temper of the mixture:’ and, frequently, the only alternative was, to find me a roller that had got hard and useless at some other house, to suit the low temperature of mine. The difference was this—one of my houses had the press-room on the ground-floor, the joists and flooring lying on the earth; the sink room adjoining; wet sheets hanging very low; very little influence from the sun, and no thorough ventilation; consequently, from the humidity of the atmosphere engendered by these circumstances, it was a constant complaint that the compo was too soft. At my other house the press-room was on the two-pair floor; the poles very high; the sun’s rays had free admittance, and the ventilation was very complete. Here the compo, complained of as too soft at the former house, was all that could be wished: hence it became the roller-nursery; and by sending them to hang up a day or two, when out of order at the other place, they became firm and fit for work.”

From this statement it appears that any fixed proportions of the materials for the composition cannot answer generally, and that they must vary according to circumstances. And it may cause us to cease wondering at the number of recipes, and of the different proportions of the various articles, and at being told that they all answered very well; for it is evidently owing to the situation, whether moist or dry, of the press-room of a printing office, that different proportions of ingredients are requisite to make a roller work well, under different circumstances.

The usual method of keeping rollers in working condition is to cover them at night, and when they are not likely to be wanted for some time, with a coating of common or refuse ink; this does not dry, and prevents evaporation, and thus keeps them in working condition: the ink must be scraped off when they are required for use. A roller will get foul in the course of working, or become too hard, it should then be washed well with lye and the lye brush, which will remove the foulness, and it may be further washed with clean water and the hand to remove the lye, and to give it a clean surface; it would then be necessary to distribute it well on a clean table. It would be now advisable to proceed with the presswork with a fresh roller, and allow the one that was washed to have a rest, which generally improves its working condition. If a roller become too hard, and the surface is clean, then washing it with clean water and the hand, distributing it on a clean table, and placing it in a damp situation, will restore it; in fact, when the press-room is dry and well ventilated, keeping the rollers in a damp situation when not in use is preferable, in my opinion, to softening them with water, as the moisture is gradually imbibed by the composition, and makes it more uniformly soft and kind.

When rollers get too soft, the general practice is to hang them up in a current of cool dry air, which evaporates the superabundant moisture, cools the composition if the room has been too warm, and brings them to a good working state. But a more expeditious and effective method, is to sponge them with spirit of turpentine, which restores them to a proper condition sooner than any other method, and also cleans them more effectually than lye. If the same rollers are required to be used when it is necessary to change the colour of the ink, there is not any article that will clean them so expeditiously, and take the ink which had been used out of them so completely, as spirit of turpentine.

Occasionally the pressman finds that he cannot produce good and clear impressions with all the care and attention that he can bestow upon his work, and this when his roller seems to be in good condition, and no apparent cause can be assigned for the deficiency of quality; the roller is then said to be sick, or tired; and the only remedy that has yet answered to remove this inconvenience is to give the roller rest; that is, to hang it up, and take another roller for the work in hand; after resting for some time, it will be found that the sick or tired roller has resumed its original qualities, and will again produce good work.

Rollers, when not in use, should always be hung up in a shady place, which is generally done by one end of the frame, for if left on the inking table they would stick to it, and the composition would be torn in the act of separation; neither should they be exposed to the action of the rays of the sun in summer, which will soften the composition so much as to cause it to run, and thus spoil the roller. These observations apply equally to composition balls.

The following is an abstract of the French method of making and treating rollers.

The French roller-makers proportions are eight pounds of glue and twelve pounds of treacle, which is sufficient for four rollers used at press; the quantity required for those used at machines will vary according to their length and diameter.

Paris made glue is the best: it ought to be transparent, have little colour, and break like glass. Flexibility in glue is a proof of its weakness; and it is injured by being left in a damp place.

The treacle ought to be pure; the most compact is the best. To avoid being deceived, it is best to buy the refined. The old is weak, and not of a good quality for rollers.

In preparing to make four rollers, two pounds of good glue must be soaked in river water; the strength of the glue must determine how long; but if too long the glue loses its strength, and the rollers are injured.

This portion of the glue, thus soaked, is then put into the melting kettle, and placed over a fire, and stirred with a spatula; and when it is quite melted, the rest of the glue is added in similar portions, till the whole eight pounds are melted, which ought to have an hour’s boiling before adding the twelve pounds of treacle. The treacle is then gently poured into the melted glue, stirring them until they are well incorporated. This done, they are left over a moderate fire for an hour, stirring them with a spatula every ten minutes. The surface must be skimmed, and afterwards the vessel must be left a little time to slightly cool, before being poured into the mould.

The cylindrical tube in which the rollers are cast should be smeared in the inside with a brush with oil; neatsfoot oil is the best; and it is necessary that every part should be carefully oiled, and that the wooden cylinder should be well cleaned and free from moisture.

These observations can only apply generally to the making of rollers; it is practice which can alone furnish the particulars. The temperature varying in each season must be the object of special attention, as it renders the materials more or less flexible, and requires the composition to be more or less boiled.

It is a fault with rollers when they lug too much, as it detaches the composition from the wooden cylinder. When they are moist they should not be too much washed, as that also tends to make them lug, and detaches the composition. If they are used too soon after making, they distribute the ink badly, fill up the letters, and last but a very little time. They ought to be exposed to a current of air to dry them, and to be carefully scraped before being used, and again afterwards. If they are too dry they must be sponged all over and distributed upon the table until the water has disappeared, and then on a clean table, before taking ink. When they begin to grow old and hard by work, they must be washed in proper lye without being rinsed in water, and care and attention given to their wiping; and by these means they may be preserved for a considerable time. Rollers, when not in use, should be suspended in a place neither too dry nor too damp.

Recasting.—Before recasting old rollers, take great care to wash them well with lye, in order to detach the ink with which they are coated: if they are dry they must be scraped with a knife, as grease deteriorates the matter. Afterwards cut the composition all over with a knife, and it will then be easily detached from the wood. If it is new it will not need cutting, it will easily dissolve; if old it must be cut into little pieces, that it may dissolve more easily, and with less loss: if the composition is very strong, the little pieces must be washed in a pail of water, warm water is better than cold; add to it two pounds of treacle, for four rollers, and so in proportion: when the matter draws out well in threads, the composition is good.

If the rollers have been recast many times, and they draw too much, they may be recast without adding fresh treacle or glue. Rollers which are recast are better than new; they are more elastic and less melting. With three pounds of glue, five pounds of treacle, and the matter of three old rollers, four rollers can be made; if a small glass of spirits of wine be added it will facilitate the dissolving.

The rollers fail the most frequently at the ends. They ought to be dry, and clear from grease. It is a good plan before using them to scrape them clean, and to sponge the ends for about an inch and a half with spirits of wine, and to leave them to dry; the gelatine draws better.

A two-handled roller.


ROLLER

A wooden cylinder covered with composition, which, set in an iron frame, revolves upon a rod, and is used for inking type.


roller backer

A bookbinding machine, invented by the American, Charles Starr and exhibited by him in 1851 at the London exposition. It is used to create the backing shoulders of a text block which has previously been rounded, usually by hand. It consists of a heavy roller pivoted above a pair of jaws. The book is clamped with that part of the text block equal to the extent of the backing shoulders projecting above the jaws. The roller is adjusted so that it swings back and forth across the jaws in an arc that corresponds to the round of the spine. The roller is then lowered so that it presses on the spine and is rocked back and forth to shape the spine into the proper shape, bending the sections over the jaws and thus creating the shoulders. If too great a pressure is applied directly to the spine, the sections may be buckled and creased on the binding edge; in addition, the endpapers and several leaves of the first and last sections may be cut by the edges of the jaws. See also: BACKING; ROUNDING AND BACKING MACHINE.

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

U.S. Government Printing Office. Theory and practice of bookbinding. Rev. ed. Washington, D.C. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1962.


roller basil

A leather with a smooth finish, a very fine grain pattern, and a compact, firm structure. While of a natural color, it is sometimes dyed red. Roller basil is produced from vegetable tanned sheepskin, and is used to some extent in the binding of blankbooks.

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


roller shoes

The SHOES for large and/or heavy books which have been fitted with tiny rollers, enabling the book to roll off the shelf instead of sliding. Roller shoes have been in use since about 1857.


rolling

The process of smoothing and compressing the grain surface of leather by subjecting it to the action of a metal roller under pressure. Unlike GLAZING, rolling involves the use of a revolving steel roll and is usually done in a rolling machine, or rolling jack, which is very much like the glazing machine, except that the latter has a stationary roll made of solid glass in place of the revolving steel roll. While the steel roll strikes the leather with considerable pressure, there is no great friction, as in glazing, and no measurable heat is generated. While being rolled, the leather is usually rotated so that the entire area is rolled twice, a process referred to as "rolling twice around."

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


rolling machine

A bookbinding machine at one time used to flatten and consolidate the sections of a book before sewing. It consists essentially of two iron cylinders, each of which is about a foot in diameter. The distance between the rolls can be adjusted by means of a screw. The sections are gathered into packets of anywhere from two to four and placed between tin plates. The number to be rolled at a time depends on the thickness of the sections. The "book" of sections is then passed between the rollers and removed by the workman turning the crank. Before the invention of the rolling machine (in 1827), which was the first machine to be used in the craft of bookbinding, sections were compressed by pounding them with heavy beating hammers. Not all books were suitable for rolling, e.g., old books with a heavy type impression and deep corrugations across the type area; therefore the hammer continued to be used during the remainder of the 19th century, although its use diminished steadily. The modern counterpart of the rolling machine is the BUNDLING PRESS.

Leighton, Douglas. Modern bookbinding: a survey and a prospect. New York. Oxford University Press. 1935.

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


rolling machine

A machine introduced to save the labour of beating, the sheets being passed between two revolving cylinders.

The Art of Bookbinding: A Practical Treatise


rolling machine

a machine in which the sheets of a book are subject to heavy pressure by being passed between rollers.


rolling machine

A machine introduced to save the labor of beating. By it the sheets are passed between two revolving cylinders. Used in publishers’ binding.


Roman numerals

The capital letters used as numbers in books, for chapter headings and the designation of part numbers, appendices, on title pages for dates of publication, etc. They are also used in lower case for the pagination of preliminary pages. The Roman capitals most commonly used as numerals are:

I        1

V        5

X       10

L       50

C      100

D      500

M     1,000

.

Combinations of numbers are made by the addition and subtraction, e.g., XX = 20, XIX = 19, XXI = 21, MCMLXXVI = 1976, etc. 1,000 was at first represented by the Greek letter phi &phgr;, which in lettering and architectural inscriptions became CI, which then became M. 500 was half a phi, or I&revc;, which later became D. 100 was represented by the symbol for theta &thgr;, which later became T, then C, while 50 was represented by the Chaleidian form of the letter chi</> XXX, which became XXX and later L. Below are listed most of the known numerals:

B                         300

1&revc;&revc;           5,000

C                         100

L                          50

CI&revc;                1,000

M                       1,000

CI&revc;CI&revc;        2,000

N                         900

D                         500

Q                         500

E                         250

R                          80

F                          40

T                         160

G                         400

V                           5

H                         200

X                          10

X                       1,000

I&revc;                   500

∞                 1,000

A bar or dash placed over a letter increased its value a thousand times.

Roman numerals were used by early printers because they had no Arabic numerals; their use today, however, especially for dates of publication, is largely an affectation.


Romanesque bindings

A group of bookbindings dating from the 12th and early 13th centuries. These bindings, of which more than a hundred examples are recorded, are always in leather, usually of a dark brown color. Their decorative patterns were not incised with a knife or graver, as was common in that time, but were produced by means of repeated impressions made with engraved metal stamps. The finest examples are of French or English origin, but the style was also prevalent in Germany, although not in Italy or Spain. Romanesque bindings are the earliest of the blocked bindings and represent a fully developed art of book decoration by means of deeply engraved metal dies, which left excellent impressions in relief in the leather. These 12th century stamps are well engraved, and seem to have no known antecedents. There is evidence indicating that they were produced by the members of a small group of monasteries, and within a relatively short period of time. Most of the extant examples are bindings of individual books of the Bible, each usually having a different design on the upper cover.

Hobson, Geoffrey Dudley. English bindings before 1500. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. 1929.


room-temperature setting adhesive

An adhesive which sets in the temperature range of 68 to 86C F. Such adhesives encompass the majority of those used in bookbinding.

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


rope pattern

A form of decoration introduced into Italy from the Near East in the 15th century. It consisted of an interlaced, or reticulated, design, usually of a very intricate nature, formed by a narrow fillet, and decorated with a series of oblique lines, in imitation of the twist of a rope. The rope pattern continued to be used frequently in the gauffering of book edges during the first 30 years of the 16th century, and was used from time to time into the 19th century. The technique was probably an Oriental innovation. Also called "cable pattern."

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

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


ROSE ENGINE

The rose engine is, I believe, a French invention, and has long been used for turning ornaments on metal, for instance, watch cases and other articles of plate; it was afterwards applied to produce them to print from by the rolling press: during the sitting of the commission for inquiring into the best means for preventing the forgery of bank notes, about twenty years ago, Mr. Perkins introduced a specimen bank note which was partly executed by this machine; and the late Mr. Branston, then of the firm of Whiting and Branston, was, if I am not mistaken, the first to engrave by its means for letterpress printing, and the tickets and shares for the last state lottery were executed by it at Beaufort House. Its great value for the prevention of forgery is, that all circles, curved and angular lines produced by this machine are precisely similar to each other and true, however numerous, and however small or large; it would be next to impossible to produce the same designs, with the same accuracy, by the hand, and the operation would also be uncommonly tedious.

By the kindness of Mr. Holtzapffel I am enabled to introduce into this work a number of different patterns; only one specimen of each individual apparatus is given. The patterns which are capable of being produced are almost endless, and depend on the skill and taste of the operator; the variations in the designs being caused by different chucks being used in the operation; and the combinations of the effect produced by each chuck, either in straight lines, circles, ellipses, or as a ground covering the whole surface, in many instances are very delicate and have a beautiful effect. The following enumeration shows how the annexed specimens were produced.

Figs. 1. 10. Holtzapffel and Co.’s compound oval and eccentric chuck:—1. Two eccentric movements; 10. One oval and one eccentric movement. 2. 6. 8. Ibbetson’s geometric chuck, parts first, second and third. 3. Rose engine. 4. Straight line chuck. 5. Segment engine. 7. Oval chuck. 9. Eccentric chuck. 11. Eccentric chuck with the rose engine. 12. 15. Holtzapffel and Co.’s compound oval and eccentric chuck with the rose engine:—12. One oval and one eccentric movement; 15. Two eccentric movements. 13. Oval chuck with the rose engine. 14. Ibbetson’s compound eccentric chuck. 16. Geometric chuck combined with the rose engine. 17. Straight line chuck combined with the rose engine.

For details and descriptions of the various chucks, with the methods of operating with them, the reader is referred to Manuel de Tourneur, published by Bergeron in 1792, and to “Specimens in Eccentric Turning, with Practical Instructions. By John Holt Ibbetson, Esq.” Third Edition, 8vo. London. [1840.]

Mr. Ibbetson observes, “The number of beautiful designs which may be obtained by combining, on this principle, two circular adjusting movements is inconceivable. Consecutive circles, &c. may be arranged, not only in elliptical curves, but in the shape of hearts—in straight lines—in triangles—in squares—in polygons, and in both inward and outward looped figures.”

Patterns 1-8.

Patterns 9-16.

Patterns 17.


rosin

A residue derived from the distillation and subsequent removal of volatile materials (notably turpentine) of the gum of the southern pines, Pinus palustris and P. elliottii. Gum rosin exudes from the living tree, while wood rosin is obtained from the wood by steam and solvent processes. Rosin is essentially an organic acid, the main constituent being abietic acid (C20H30O2). See also: ROSIN SIZE.

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

Miall, Laurence Mackenzie, and D. W. A. Sharp, eds. A new dictionary of chemistry. 4th ed. New York. Wiley. 1968.


rosin size

A solution or dispersion obtained by treating ROSIN with a suitable alkali. The resulting size may be fully saponified or it may contain free rosin acids. When properly converted in the papermaking process, usually by the addition of ALUM, the size precipitates and imparts water (ink) resistance to paper. Since in its natural state rosin is insoluble in water; it must be altered chemically before it can be used as a sizing material. Although several methods of treatment exist, the one in general use today is basically the same as that used in the manufacture of soap, i.e., saponification of a portion or all of the rosin with caustic soda or soda ash to form a soluble rosin soap. Unreacted rosin, which is held as an emulsion, is known as free rosin. The percentage of free rosin has been found to affect the sizing efficiency of a material to a certain degree, the extent depending on variations in conditions in local paper mills.

Crown Zellerbach Corp. Making pulp and paper. San Francisco. Crown Zellerbach Corp. 1958. 1 vol.


rotary board cutter

A machine used extensively in library binderies, and to some extent in edition binderies, for cutting boards to trimmed size. The circular blades of the cutter are fixed on an axle, and the board passes beneath them on a flat bed. One pass cuts the boards to the set length, and, after adjustment of the setting, a second pass cuts them to the required width.

Clough, Eric A. Bookbinding for librarians. London. Association of Assistant Librarians. 1957.


rotary gatherer

See GATHERING TABLE (2)


rough calf

See: REVERSE CALF.


rough cut

The edges of a book that are left rough intentionally in cutting, i.e., the opposite of CUT SOLID (1). During a part of the 19th century rough cutting was the fashion, but more as a matter of affectation than to indicate PROOF (1). The edges of books are cut solid to facilitate turning of the leaves, for aesthetics, and to reduce the incursion of dust. Also called "rough trimmed." See also: DECKLE EDGE. .

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


rough gilt

The edges of a book that have been cut solid and gilded before sewing, so that when the book is later sewn the edges are slightly uneven (rough), although usually to an almost imperceptible extent. This technique has been widely used in England and America, especially by those bookbinders who do not care for the solid "block of metal" appearance of edges gilt subsequent to sewing. See also: GILT IN THE ROUND; TRIMMED BEFORE SEWING.

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


rough tanned

Usually, a vegetable-tanned leather which has received no further processing following tannage, other than drying. The term is used mainly with reference to hide leathers.


rough trimmed

See: ROUGH CUT.


roulette

An alternative term used in the United States to indicate a FILLET (1).


Roulette border

A border design produced by a wheel on the circumference of which is engraved a pattern that reproduces itself as the wheel is revolved.


ROUNCE

The handle by means of which the carriage of the press is run in and out.


ROUNCE

The handle for running in and out the carriage of a hand-press.


round back

1. The natural configuration of a thin booklet, the individual folios of which have been inserted inside each other and saddle stitched, sewn, or corded to the cover through the center fold. 2. A book which has been shaped during the binding process to give it the familiar convex spine. The opposite of flat back. See: ROUNDING.


round corner

A book cover which has had the corners at the fore edge and head and tail cut off before covering. The round corner is used extensively in the binding of Bibles, passports, diaries, as well as some ledgers, blankbooks, and the like.

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


round corner lapper

A device shaped something like a bent trindle, with two tines, and used in shaping leather over a ROUND CORNER.

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


round cornering

The process of trimming the corners of a lift of paper to a rounded shape to prevent the edges from becoming frayed or dog-eared.


round cornering machine

A hand- or power-operated machine used for cutting round corners on lifts of paper. Power-operated cornering machines can make two round corners simultaneously on lifts of paper up to 6 inches in height.

Pratt, Guy A. Let's bind a book. Rev. ed. Milwaukee. Bruce. 1944.


Round pick

A dot in a letter in a stereotype plate caused by an air-bubble.


round plow

A hand-operated, hand-powered cutting machine with a circular cutting blade. It was usually employed when a number of books were cut together. See also: PLOW.

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


rounded and backed

A rounded text block that has had its spine further shaped with a shoulder at front and back to receive the boards.


roundel

A finishing tool consisting of a double ring, usually surrounding a dot in the center.


rounding

See illustration</> The process of molding the spine of a text block into an arc of approximately one-third of a circle, which in the process produces the characteristic concave fore edge of the book. Rounding takes place after the spine has been given a light coat of adhesive, and is accomplished by means of light hammering along the spine with a round-headed hammer. It may also be done by pushing in on the fore edge while holding the sides of the text block firmly, or, in the case of library or edition binding, by means of a rounding—or more commonly, a rounding and backing machine. Edition bindings are generally rounded after the spine lining has been applied.

A book is rounded to help prevent the spine from falling in, i.e., assuming a concave shape (and a convex fore edge), which would result in severe strain on the hinges of the book. It also facilitates the outer sections being knocked over to form the backing shoulders, and, in conjunction with this backing process, helps accommodate the swell in the spine resulting from the bulk added by the sewing threads.

The practice of rounding the spines of books dates back to at least the middle of the 15th century, and, during the course of years, the "proper" shape of the round has ranged from a nearly flat spine to a highly exaggerated arc. See a/so: BACKING; ROUND BACK.

Hewitt-Bates, James Samuel. Bookbinding. 8th ed. Leicester. Dryad. 1967.

Klinefelter, Lee Miller. Bookbinding made easy. Rev. ed. Milwaukee. Bruce. 1960.

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

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


rounding

The process by which the back of a book is made round.


rounding and backing machine

A bookbinding machine which performs the two operations of rounding the spine of a text block and forming the shoulders for the boards. The book is placed in the machine fore edge down, and is drawn along until it arrives over a forming bar, where it is gripped between facing rollers revolving in opposite directions while the bar is pushed up against the fore edge. The two sides of the text block are dragged downwards while the middle is being pushed up, forming an arc of approximately one-third of a circle. The text block is gripped between jaws that serve the same function as the backing boards in hand backing, and a rocker above swings in an arc against the spine, finishing off the rounding and forming the shoulders. The rocker is a heavy piece of metal with a concave edge, and is brought down until the concave is in contact with the spine. In library binding, the rounding and backing machine operates in a similar manner, except that each book is inserted by ha nd, fore edge up, and the mechanism must be adjusted to the r,J., thickness of each book. The text block is both rounded and backed by the action of the concave rocker arm.

Leighton, Douglas. Modern bookbinding: a survey and a prospect. New York. Oxford University Press. 1935.

Strauss, Victor. The printing industry…Washington, D.C. Printing Industries in America. 1967.

U.S. Government Printing Office. Theory and practice of bookbinding. Rev. ed. Washington, D.C. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1962.


Rounding hammer

A heavy, round-faced hammer used in rounding books.


roundlet

A finishing tool cut in the shape of a small circle.


roundlet

A small circle in gold.


Roxburgh binding

A binding with a rather narrow leather back, without bands, simply lettered, paper sides and no leather corners.


Roxburghe style

A particular style of quarter binding characterized by plain flat spines covered with brown and green calfskin, no raised bands, and dark red cloth or paper sides. The lettering, which is in gilt, is near the head within a border. Only the head r edge was gilt and the other edges were rough cut. The style was originally designed for the publications of the Roxburghe Club, founded in England in 1812 by a group of wealthy bibliophiles, and named in honor of John Kerr, Duke of Roxburghe.

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

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


royal bindings

A general term applied to bindings which have a sovereign's arms in the upper or upper and lower covers. Despite the presence of a sovereign's arms, so-called royal bindings did not necessarily have any royal provenance, as such bindings were produced rather frequently, especially in the 16th and 17th centuries. English bookbinders used royal arms indiscriminately as a means of decorating their books well into the 19th century. The blind-stamped bindings produced in the reign of Henry VIII, for example, which are embellished panels of the royal arms, are all trade bindings, as are almost all of the plain calfskin bindings bearing the arms of Queen Elizabeth, or her crowned falcon badge. Large prayer books or Bibles with royal arms may have come from one of the Royal Chapels, or they may have been bound for any (loyal) local parish.


Roycroft

An old term applied to full leather or paper-bound books bound by the Roycroft Bindery, in East Aurora, New York, and founded by Elbert Hubbard in 1896. The books were not backed and had the covers glued to the lined spine. The covers were flexible and were not turned in but overlapped the head, tail, and fore edge. Sometimes the covers were not attached to the text block by any other means other than cords laced through holes drilled from front to back of the entire text block at the binding edge. This style was popular for suede leather bindings. .


rub

1. A representation of the spine or sides of a book, showing the lettering bands, lines, decoration, etc. The rub is made by placing a piece of paper, tracing tissue, or linen against the part of the binding on which the impression is to be made, and rubbing it with a cobbler's heel ball, lead pencil, or soft crayon until a recognizable copy of all details is obtained. The rub is used principally in library binding to enable the binder to match sets when binding a serial publication, or when rebinding one volume of a set. Also called "pattern," or "rub-off." 2. To take an impression by rubbing a sheet of paper placed on an ink block or inked type form. .

American Library Association. Editorial Committee. Subcommittee on library terminology. A. L. A. glossary of library terms, with a selection of terms in related fields. Compiled by Elizabeth H. Thompson. Chicago. American Library Association. 1943.


RUB OUT INK

Rubbing the ink out smooth and even on the ink-block with the brayer, for the purpose of taking small quantities with the balls tolerably diffused over their face.—M. The thinner and more equally it is rubbed out on the ink-block the better, as it in a great measure prevents monks and friars in working. In fine works, where strong ink is used, the pressman who beats should occupy his spare time in using the brayer, as it not only diffuses the ink more equably on the block, but causes it to work better.


rub-off

1. The wearing away by abrasion of the cloth covering of a book. The Library Binding Institute standards call for a cloth that will resist rub-off to the degree that the loss by abrasion will not exceed 8% of the weight of the fabric, when subjected to abrasion for 2 minutes by fine flint paper (2/0), on a disc 2 inches in diameter turning at 1,250 r.p.m. under 3 pounds pressure. 2. Printing ink which has rubbed onto the fingers from a printed sheet which has not dried sufficiently. See also: OFFSET (2). See: RUB (1).

Barrow, William J. Manuscripts and documents, their deterioration and restoration. 2nd ed. Charlottesville, Va. University of Virginia Press. 1972.


rubber adhesives

Adhesives consisting of solutions of rubber and naphtha or carbon tetrachloride. They are used as temporary adhesives for paper or thin board. Upon drying, the film of rubber which remains has but little holding power, but is often sufficient for certain purposes. Their principal advantage is that the rubber film can readily be peeled off when it has served its purpose without damage to the surface of the adherend.

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


rubber-back binding

See: ADHESIVE BINDING; CAOUTCHOUC BINDING.


Rubbing or rub-off

The name usually given to the copy of the lettering on the back of the book, made by holding thin paper tightly over the back and rubbing the paper with a heel-ball or a piece of plumbago.


rubbing-off chest

A large chest of wood that was part of the equipment of every gold blocking firm of the latter decades of the 19th century. It was topped with a grill upon which surplus gold was cleaned off blocked cases. Once or twice a year the contents of the chest were sent to the refiner for reclamation. In the great days of gold blocking, the saving was considerable, for the sides as well as the spines of books were often covered almost entirely with gold.

Darley, Lionel S. Bookbinding, then and now…London. Faber and Faber. 1959.


rubbing-up stick

See: BANDSTICK (2).


rubric

The heading of a chapter or section of a manuscript or printed book written or printed in red. The term is also used at times with reference to borders, underlined words on title pages, etc., of books of the 16th and 17th centuries, although this usage would better be called ruled in red. A book having rubrics is said to be "rubricated" and the rubrication is done by a "rubricator" or "rubrisher."

<!-- XXXX xrefs only, no dt -->

Hobson, Geoffrey Dudley. Bindings in Cambridge libraries… Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. 1929.


rubricated; rubrication; rubricator; rubrisher

See: RUBRIC.


RUBY

The name of a type, the next in size larger than Pearl and smaller than Nonpareil; it is half a Small Pica. Mr. Hansard, in his “Typographia,” gives the following account of its origin and name:—“It was, in fact, originally a Nonpareil with short ascenders and descenders, cast on a smaller body, or sometimes a Pearl, on a larger, to look open; but now some founders have a distinct specimen for this size. This name has but very lately been adopted in the type-founders’ specimens, but some years ago it was found, by the writer of this, absolutely necessary to give some distinguishing appellation to this size, as the letter-founders had given him one-nick Pearls of two bodies, viz. one fount half Small Pica, another half Long Primer; the mistakes arising from this circumstance in a house much in the habit of using small type occasioned the expedient of inventing a new name, and as the neighbouring sizes were called Pearl and Diamond, it seemed not very inapplicable to take the name of Ruby.”