Finishing (bookbinding)
Encyclopedia
In bookbinding
, finishing refers to the process of decorating the outside of a book, including the lettering of the spine and covers, any additional tooling, and any inlays and onlays
. Finishing can also include the gilding
or other decoration of the edges of the book's pages.
Early codices, such as Coptic bindings
had relatively simple finishing, including blind tooling and leather strips woven through covering material.
In traditional bookbinding, finishing is done by hand, and is a highly skilled process. Until the second half of the 20th century, finishing was largely performed by men who specialized in gilding; they would receive the book after the process of sewing and covering the book, known as forwarding, was complete.
In the broadest sense, any book with decoration other than its covering material (such as a title) can be considered finished, though the term is usually applied only to books that have been decorated extensively by hand.
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:...
, finishing refers to the process of decorating the outside of a book, including the lettering of the spine and covers, any additional tooling, and any inlays and onlays
Inlays and onlays (bookbinding)
In bookbinding, inlays and onlays are pieces of leather adhered to the cover of a book, usually differing in color, grain, or both from the main covering leather...
. Finishing can also include the gilding
Gilding
The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as "gilt"...
or other decoration of the edges of the book's pages.
Early codices, such as Coptic bindings
Coptic binding
Coptic binding refers to methods of bookbinding developed by early Christians in Egypt, the Copts, and used from as early as the 2nd century AD to the 11th century...
had relatively simple finishing, including blind tooling and leather strips woven through covering material.
In traditional bookbinding, finishing is done by hand, and is a highly skilled process. Until the second half of the 20th century, finishing was largely performed by men who specialized in gilding; they would receive the book after the process of sewing and covering the book, known as forwarding, was complete.
In the broadest sense, any book with decoration other than its covering material (such as a title) can be considered finished, though the term is usually applied only to books that have been decorated extensively by hand.