A couple of the newsletters I got
last
month reminded me that book ornamentation need not be confined
to
ornate covers or a profusion of graphics sprinkled through the
text.
While such design elements are generally ignored in the
minimalist
design of ebooks, traditionally the book bindery could decorate
a
book far in excess of the capabilities of the press. The
newsletters each specifically
referenced gilt edging, a feature that can still be found on
books
manufactured in the 21st century. Stamping gold
leaf on the trimmed edges of a book is not only
ornamental, the
gilt edging also resists dirt and dust and somewhat seals the
paper
edges from moist air which can begin the phenomenon of foxing,
or
discoloring of the pages.
Most of us are probably most
familiar
with gilt edging on Bibles or other religious books but the good
people at Abe Books point out that gilt edged books were common
in
literary tomes which frequently also sported foil
stamped
covers with ellaborate design elements.
Edge gilding is not a complicated
process. The unbound book is clamped to align the page edges to
form
a flat, solid surface, then a sheet of gold leaf is laid over
the
edge of the book and pressure is applied to the leaf. While many
hand
binderies gilt edge books manually, this
video uses a machine to apply even pressure to the leaf.
I think edge gilding is about the
only
bindery option for the trimmed book edge today, but there were
numerous options in the past both ornamental and practical.
Years ago many books, even cheap
pulps,
had the trim edges stained or perhaps speckled. Staining was
presumably an inexpensive way to protect the trim edges from
dirt and
dust while speckling was purely ornamental.
Fore edge painting is a forgotten
art
today, a unique decoration so time intensive it can hardly be
found
in anything but special edition volumes. Fore edge painting is
accomplished by fanning the edge of the book and clamping it to
again
provide a smooth, hard surface. A
watercolor artist then paints the trimmed book edge with a
painting that may or may not be relevant to the book's subject
matter. After drying, the book is released from the clamp. While
the
painting appears as nothing more than bits of color on the edge
of
the closed book, the reader who fans the pages will reveal the
artist's work. It's even possible for a book to have double fore
edge
painting when fanning the pages one way with another painting
revealed when the pages are fanned the other way.
Another time intensive effect,
but one
that is more practical than decorative, is indexing the edge of
books. Bibles and cookbooks were most frequently notched or step
indexed. The process is hand work done in the bindery. The
operator
physically opens the book to the proper page (identified by a
press
mark denoting the page and position) and rolls the pages back.
The
book is positioned, a switch or lever is activated to put the
familiar half moon cut into the beveled pages and the operator
moves
on to the next notch. Often a protective tab was positioned on
the
correct page beneath the notch before the operator opened to the
next
page.
Some years ago I purchased a 1940
edition of The American Woman's Cook Book, a rather
run-of-the-mill cookbook that has green stained (to match the
cover
cloth) thumb notch indexing in three banks of nine thumb notches
each
along with printed identifying tabs for every notch (Breads,
Salads,
etc.). The book reminds me that production costs occasionally
must
give way to function (and occasionally to art), perhaps even
more so
in the age of the ebook, when the very form of the book itself
should be celebrated.
The September newsletter follows.
The September newsletter follows.
RR Donnelly
Re-Invents Itself...Again
RR
Donnelly,, has announced that it is splitting
into three companies: Financial Co. (to offer one stop shopping
for corporate financial services), Publishing and Retail-Centric
Print Services (printing and business supplies), and Customized
Multichannel Communications Management Company (offering everything
from direct mail to web site hosting). The latter, aka CMCo, will
inherit RRD's $3 billion debt and $677 million of underfunded
pensions.
These
presumably will replace their “six
vertically integrated service platforms”: Creative
Communications, Financial
Management, Legal
Support Services, Research
and Analytics, Office
of the Future, and Call
Center and Customer Care functions.
Saving Lives One
Book at a Time
The
beauty of books and the book form is amazing. These
inexpensive books help provide safe drinking water to populations
that don't have access to clean water.
Eco
Paper Mill
Domtar,
a leading supplier of book printing papers, has announced that it now
produces 74%
of the power used in its manufacturing process.
Book Zones
Over
300 years ago, Grub
Street was a London district devoted to books.
Korea
expanded the idea to Paju
Bookcity where the focus includes large doses of the technology
that produces books. And Tokyo has Jimbocho,
shoe-horning a book-centric district into one of the densest cities
in the world.
Adult Coloring
Books? There's an App for That
Based
on some reviews, transitioning
coloring books from ink and paper to digital screen hasn't found
as wide
an audience as good old crayons on toothy paper.
Can
You Design a Cover in 2 Weeks?
To
mark the twentieth anniversary of the publication of David Foster
Wallace title Infinite
Jest, its
publisher, Little Brown and Company, has offered
$1,000 for the cover design chosen for this edition. Hurry,
deadline is September 15th.
Authors
United Requests DOJ Probe of Amazon
Authors
United (AU) has doubled down in its brawl with Amazon requesting
a Department of Justice investigation of Amazon's monopoly of the
book industry, specifically ebooks.
Amazon
Employees Got Them Workplace Blues
A
New York Times article describing
a cut-throat white collar culture at Amazon created enough furor
for CEO Jeff Bezos to ask unfairly treated employees to
contact him directly.
Politician
Accepts Kickbacks From Printer
George
Gallo, former GOP chairman in Connecticut, has
been ordered to pay $117,000 restitution for accepting $117,000
in kickbacks from a Florida printer, as well as being sentenced to 13
months in prison.
Japanese
Bookstore Out-monopolizes Amazon
Kinokuniya,
Japan's largest book selling chain, has purchased
90% of the first printing of popular author Haruki Murakami's new
title to stall Amazon's order fulfillment of the title.
Are
Digital Classrooms Better?
Converting
traditional classrooms to digital is costing $10
billion per year but it may be time to analyze the educational
benefits for the students.
Final
Thought
“If
you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only
think what everyone else is thinking.”
Haruki Murakami
Haruki Murakami
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