Limp vellum
Encyclopedia
Limp binding is a bookbinding
method in which the book has flexible cloth, leather
, vellum
, or (rarely) paper sides. When the sides of the book are made of vellum
, the bookbinding method is also known as limp vellum.
The cover is made with a single piece of vellum or alternative material, folded around the textblock, the front and back covers being folded double. The quires are sewn onto cords such as alum-tawed thongs and the sewing supports would be laced into the vellum cover. The thongs would also often be used at the fore edge of the covers to create a closure or tie.
In limp binding the covering material is not stiffened by thick boards, although paste-downs, if used, provide some stiffness; some limp bindings are only adhered to the back of the book. Some limp vellum bindings had yapp edges that flop over to protect the textblock.
Bookbinding
Bookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book from a number of folded or unfolded sheets of paper or other material. It usually involves attaching covers to the resulting text-block.-Origins of the book:...
method in which the book has flexible cloth, leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
, vellum
Vellum
Vellum is mammal skin prepared for writing or printing on, to produce single pages, scrolls, codices or books. It is generally smooth and durable, although there are great variations depending on preparation, the quality of the skin and the type of animal used...
, or (rarely) paper sides. When the sides of the book are made of vellum
Vellum
Vellum is mammal skin prepared for writing or printing on, to produce single pages, scrolls, codices or books. It is generally smooth and durable, although there are great variations depending on preparation, the quality of the skin and the type of animal used...
, the bookbinding method is also known as limp vellum.
The cover is made with a single piece of vellum or alternative material, folded around the textblock, the front and back covers being folded double. The quires are sewn onto cords such as alum-tawed thongs and the sewing supports would be laced into the vellum cover. The thongs would also often be used at the fore edge of the covers to create a closure or tie.
In limp binding the covering material is not stiffened by thick boards, although paste-downs, if used, provide some stiffness; some limp bindings are only adhered to the back of the book. Some limp vellum bindings had yapp edges that flop over to protect the textblock.
Usage
Limp vellum bindings for commonplace books were being produced at least as early as the 14th century and probably earlier, but it was not usually commonly until the 16th and 17th centuries. Its usage subsequently declined until "revived by the private presses near the end of the 19th century." From about 1775 to 1825, limp leather was commonly used for pocket books, but by the 1880s limp bindings came to be largely restricted to devotional books, diaries, and sentimental verse, sometimes with yapp edges. Yapp edges are edges on each cover projecting beyond the textblock to reduce damage. They were invented by a 19th century bookbinder called Yapp and are often found in editions of the Bible.External links
- limpvellum.com, an online exhibit of the form with an essay on its history
- Fletcher Durant's historical bookbinding models from the University of Texas at Austin School of Information