The Bookbinder in Eighteenth-Century Williamsburg / An Account of His Life & Times, & of His Craft

An illustrated account of an eighteenth-century Williamsburg hand bookbinder's life, techniques, materials, and cultural context. Beginning from a colonial library inventory, it examines period bindings as physical objects—paper and folded gatherings, sewing on leather thongs and crossbands, wooden or pasteboard boards, spine coverings, and decorative tooling—while tracing the craft's medieval origins. The pamphlet details tools, adhesives, and leathers (calfskin, morocco), explains headbands, flyleaves, and repair methods, and contrasts traditional hand binding with modern machine casing. It also considers the aesthetic choices and workmanship that turn protective covers into objects of quiet artistry and describes the colonial practice's relation to English standards.