Professional bookbinder Joseph W. Zaehnsdorf offers his step-by-step guide on how to properly bind books, the materials required, and the period styles to choose from - with more than 70 illustrations. Designed for beginners who hold no more than a sparing knowledge of tool work, this guide offers a complete demonstration on how to properly bind a book. Readers are taken through the preparatory stages, through the acquisition of the right equipment, to the practical elements of trimming, beating, pasting and gluing binding to a book. A variety of period patterning styles are shown, their origins ranging from the Medieval/Renaissance period, to the Enlightenment and the modern eras. Although written for amateurs, early editions of Zaehnsdorf's guidebook met high demand among professional bookbinders and hobbyists alike. The uniform high quality of his guidance, enhanced by numerous practical pointers imbued by the decades the author spent binding books, resulted in wide appreciation.

Originally published in 1880 this early work on book binding is a comprehensive and informative look at the subject. The contents are extensively illustrated, The information on book binding makes for absorbing reading throughout. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original artwork and text.

Professional bookbinder Joseph W. Zaehnsdorf offers his step-by-step guide on how to properly bind books, the materials required, and the period styles to choose from - with more than 70 illustrations. Designed for beginners who hold no more than a sparing knowledge of tool work, this guide offers a complete demonstration on how to properly bind a book. Readers are taken through the preparatory stages, through the acquisition of the right equipment, to the practical elements of trimming, beating, pasting and gluing binding to a book. A variety of period patterning styles are shown, their origins ranging from the Medieval/Renaissance period, to the Enlightenment and the modern eras. Although written for amateurs, early editions of Zaehnsdorf's guidebook met high demand among professional bookbinders and hobbyists alike. The uniform high quality of his guidance, enhanced by numerous practical pointers imbued by the decades the author spent binding books, resulted in wide appreciation.

Originally published in 1880 this early work on book binding is a comprehensive and informative look at the subject. The contents are extensively illustrated, The information on book binding makes for absorbing reading throughout. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original artwork and text.