top of page

19th-Century Cloth Casebinding
 

Cloth casebindings have been in use since the 1820s and involve the cover being made independently from the textblock. The attachment of cover-to-textblock is adhesive-based where the spine lining flanges, sewing support slips, and pastedowns are adhered to the boards. The spine is not adhered to the case. Cloth coverings developed as a stronger-yet-economical alternative to paper-covered bindings. As the visual appeal and durability of cloth-covered bindings developed, the style became widely embraced for standard publisher's bindings by the mid-19th century.

The cloth for this model was made with washed, unbleached muslin with Golden acrylics mixed with methylcellulose brushed on and dried. The cloth was then humidified and pressed with a Teflon-coated dye to emboss the pattern.

This model was made during the Historical Book Structures Practicum, a month-long summer 2022 LACE workshop taught by Jeff Peachey.

Key Features

  • Making of textblock and covered case are a separate process

  • Turn-ins are underneath spine flange

  • Adhesive attachment

© 2024 by Katarina Stiller

katarinastiller.png

Photo Credit:

Nat Caccamo, Amy Crist, Chloe Houseman, Benjamin Iluzada, Evan Krape, Andrew Pinkham, Johanna Pinney, Zoë Webb

bottom of page