Endbands from East to West: How to Work Them

Most manuals on bookbinding tend to provide an outline of the basic bookbinding techniques, but do little to provide detailed information on specific aspects of the craft. A topic often overlooked is how to create endbands (also called "headbands"), those structural and decorative bands made of plain linen or hemp, silk or cotton thread, that one can see at the head and tail of the spine of a book. This manual, written by two experienced book conservators, is an easy to use, step-by-step guide showing how to create fourteen different types of historical endbands. Separate chapters are devoted to each, with all the necessary materials listed at the beginning. Among the examples are Coptic, Ethiopian, Islamic, Greek, Armenian, French, Monastic, Renaissance, Italian, German, and modern styles. Each step is clearly illustrated and all the instructions have been tried out on students of the craft and perfected at the bench, so that the easiest and simplest method is presented. Written for both beginners and experienced binders, Endbands has established itself as one of the classic manuals for book conservators and hand bookbinders. This third edition of the now-classic manual originally titled "Headbands: How to Work Them" has been revised and updated by Jenny Hille. Revisions include: - New forward by Georgios Boudalis, an expert in Eastern Mediterranean bookbinding structures and especially in endbands. - Minor corrections and clarifications throughout, based on new scholarship, users' suggestions, and consultation with experts. - Endbands grouped regionally (Eastern Mediterranean and Western Europe), because the techniques are entirely different. - The technique for the Armenian endband has been completely revised, with new line drawings for the instructions. - The bibliography has been updated.