Nineteenth Century Bindings

Database of 19th-Century Cloth Bindings

A searchable database of approximately 3000 cloth bindings.  Each entry records details of structure and appearance.  The database has eight search criteria and also keyword search.  The records include a scanned image of the binding.

Catalogs of 19th-Century Bookcloth Grains

Developed in conjunction with the database, the catalogs illustrate every bookcloth grain previously published in Andrea Krupp’s Bookcloth in England and America, 1823 – 1850, as well as new grains identified since its publication.

Catalog of 19th-Century Ribbon-Embossed Bookcloth

Pre-Ornamented Bookcloth

Images of all the identified pre-ornamented designs. These supplement an article in Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America (Vol 94, no. 2, June 2000) on a previously unrecorded cloth ornamentation technique.

Papier-Mâché Bindings

The Library Company has an excellent collection of papier-mâché bindings.  The conservation staff organized a small exhibition in 2008 and more research continues to be done on these interesting bindings.