Book rebinding

<h2 id="notable-examples">Notable examples</h2>
<h3>Birds of America</h3>

<p>The four-volume copy of <a href="/facts/John_James_Audubon/CwbUuNYM">Audubon</a>'s <i><a href="/facts/The_Birds_of_America/6H9RW0qm">Birds of America</a></i> held in the <a href="/facts/Royal_Collection/HHIugoV1">Royal Collection</a> was rebound in 2011 by conservators at <a href="/facts/Windsor_Castle/RDlcCPkd">Windsor Castle</a>.  The volumes are especially large and heavy, being printed on <a href="/facts/Double_elephant/aNsx4tCN">double elephant</a> paper of about 50 by 28 inches, and weighing over 50 pounds.  The plates, which were published loose, had been originally bound by the royal bookbinder, James Mackenzie, around 1840.  That leather cover had perished and the tight sewing of the pages made viewing difficult as the pages might tear.  The rebinding was done in nine stages:<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a>
</p>
<ol><li>the volumes were taken apart by cutting away the spine, cords, and stitching, and removing the glue</li>
<li>the plates were separated, cleaned, repaired and pressed flat</li>
<li>paper guards were added to the spinal edge of the plates—strips of paper which would bear the new sewing</li>
<li>the plates were grouped into sections of four which were then sewn to linen tapes</li>
<li>the spines of the plates assembled for a volume were then rounded by beating with a hammer</li>
<li>new <a href="/facts/Endband/bGnBLexd">headbands</a> of linen-covered <a href="/facts/Vellum/YVaKAeCU">vellum</a> were added</li>
<li>new <a href="/facts/Book_cover/AFuKsYGl">covers</a> were made in the original style—boards covered with book cloth and leather reinforcement on the spine and corners</li>
<li>the original pastedowns and endpapers of <a href="/facts/Marbled_paper/67VIm8PE">marbled paper</a> were restored for the inside of the cover</li>
<li>the leather of the cover was then tooled with hot brass and gold leaf to restore the titles and decoration in the style of the original binding</li></ol>

<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Conservation_and_restoration_of_books%2c_manuscripts%2c_documents_and_ephemera/m3jsIzvU">Conservation and restoration of books, manuscripts, documents and ephemera</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Bookbinding/H3F36uH8">Bookbinding</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Book_restoration/pD3kvWLb">Book restoration</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Library_binding/aWLInnzT">Library binding</a>, may be a rebinding, though also original binding</li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1"><p>Jensen, Kristian (2011). "Commemorating and obliterating the past". Revolution and the Antiquarian Book: Reshaping the Past, 1780–1815. Cambridge University Press. pp. 137–175. ISBN 9781107000513. <a href="9781107000513" target="_blank">9781107000513</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:2"><p>The rebinding of Audubon's 'Birds of America', Royal Collection Trust <a href="http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/conservation/case-study-audubons-birds-of-america/the-rebinding-of-audubons-birds-of-america" target="_blank">http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/conservation/case-study-audubons-birds-of-america/the-rebinding-of-audubons-birds-of-america</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
</ol>

Book rebinding open-in-new

Book rebinding