A BS T RAC T

The association of sewn board structure with very earlyand non-Western binding methods has attracted interestof the book arts and limited edition communities, but theconservation field has generally not recognized useful fea-tures or preservation implications of this type.

The features useful for contemporary book conserva-tion are the docile, flat opening, the secure cover-to-textattachment, and the sewing of both text and boards usingequitable stitch chains. Preservation implications arisefrom an exemplary book action as well as from the non-disruptive and non-damaging sewing and forwarding ofsewn board technique.

S p e c i fic a l l y, there are advantages in the sewing, text for-warding, board modifications, and cover- t o - t e x tattachment. The chain stitch sewing adapts easily to pre-existing sewing stations. With the forwarding there is littleor no shouldering and therefore no damaging or distortingbacking of the outermost gatherings. The resulting unin-terrupted smooth back permits effective bonding of theback lining. The sewn folio card board is used as a base forinserts and onlay stock which directly accommodates var-ious degrees of thread swelling. The inserts can also beprovided with inner and outer gutter edge bevels to seatagainst text shoulders. Fi n a l l y, the cover-to-text attachmentprovides equitable, through-the-fold stitching of bothgatherings and boards.

An historical context and various treatment case histo-ries are described.

I N T R O D U C T I O N

In book conservation work the relevant technologies ofbook craft span most cultures and the entire historical era.

The Book and Paper Group Annual 23 (2004) 33

Presented at the Book & Paper Group Session, AIC 32nd AnnualMeeting, June 9–14, 2004, Portland, Oregon. Received for pub-lication Fall 2004.

C u r i o u s l y, none of the basic historical technologies areobsolete. Each one, ancient or modern, is as advanced andas relevant as another.

This sense of technological inclusion is a great attributeof the book crafts. While contemporary digital technolo-gies breed six month cycles of obsolescence, the bookcrafts simply integrate all advances into a much largerresource. At the same time the book crafts enable the con-structive interweaving of technologies that wouldotherwise be isolated by arbitrary partitions of time or cul-ture.

Sewn board bookbinding provides an example of suchdesign interweaving. The application of sewn board tech-nique to book conservation practice looks backward to thetechnology of sewn board boat building in dynastic Egyptand forward to double fan adhesive binding, transfer tapebonds, and Tyvek coverings.

T H E S E W N BO A R D P R O T O T Y P E

The sewn board structure is the earliest and most per-sistent type of codex binding. This project was based onprototypes from cultures of the Mediterranean basin overa period of approximately one thousand years. Features ofthese sewn board prototypes include leaf attachment basedon stitch chains extended to attachment of both leaves andcovers and a flush trimming of both pages and covers.These features dominated the first half of the history ofWestern bookbinding and have persisted to the present asexemplified by the modern paperback.

The structure of the sewn boards binding is associatedwith the advent and advancement of the codex formatbook in late Antiquity (Gamble 1995). Evidence locatesthis development in the region of North and EasternAfrica, in a period associated with Roman domination.Once established as a book structure, the sewn board tech-nology of codex binding was subsequently adopted byboth Islamic and Byzantine cultures.

Application of Sewn Board Te c h n i q u eto Book Conservation Pr a c t i c e

GA R Y F R O S T

T H E PA P Y R U S B O O K

North African evidence for the initial development ofthe sewn board book binding structure is associated withsectarian works in Coptic language and with book produc-tion based on the use of papyrus. Highly- d e v e l o p e dtechnologies of Egypt, including those of sewn board boatconstruction, provided a resource for the structural devel-opment. Archeological finds, spanning a period from thefourth through the eleventh centuries, illustrate both anestablished sewn board book binding technique as well asa number of variations of cover-to-text attachment(Szirmai 1999).

The Book and Paper Group Annual 23 (2004)

A particular attribute of the sewn board binding is itsconsistent through-the-fold sewing pattern across theentire bound book. As a result, the boards and the gather-ings act in the same manner as they respond to readermanipulation. This book action of the sewn board struc-ture is admirably depicted in early Christian iconography.Here the codex is depicted in an over-opened positionbeyond 180 degrees (fig. 1). This depiction, as contrastedwith the lesser openings depicting cord sewn work, por-trays the docile, flat opening so characteristic of sewn boardwork.1

Other design traits of the papyrus book are apparent.The square shape of the papyrus book sheet is folded toproduce an elongated page. Another important design traitis the equivalent crossed grains provided by the papyrusthatch. A cartonnage or pasteboard of only two pastedsheets of papyrus lays perfectly flat. The papyrus book isalso distinctive because both rigid pasteboard cartonnageand pliant leaves are made from exactly the same material.I n t e r e s t i n g l y, waste manuscript leaves were converted tocartonnage, resulting in an even distribution of content aswell!

A double cover or double-bound structure is a distinc-tive trait of the papyrus book (fig. 2). This fascinatingfeature suggests many options for compound cover- t o - t e x tattachments including the historical compound laced con-struction or a modern compound laced and casedconstruction. Decorating and tooling of covering leatherwhile off the book is another distinctive trait of the papyrusera. This enabled the tooled impressions, strap lacings, andpunchings, which could not be produced once the leatherwas attached to the papyrus cartonnage.

34

Fig. 1. Early Christian image shows the codex open beyond 180degrees

Fig. 2. Schematic of a double cover structure, typically used inpapyrus books

There are indications that vestiges of the earlier papyrusbook traits were conservatively preserved through subse-quent sewn board binding traditions in spite of thedifferent book making materials used. Traditional Greekand Armenian work, with vellum text leaves and woodenboard covers, echoes features of the papyrus bookbinding.The edge grooving in Greek cover boards echoes a com-pound, double cover of Coptic bookbinding. Greek andArmenian work is also remarkable in the elaboration ofendbanding carried well onto the head and tail edges ofthe boards. This endbanding is a reminder of mechanicalreinforcement associated with papyrus cartonnage ase x e m p l i fied by the coreless endbanding of Coptic bindingthat is carried across to the edges of the cartonnage boards.The strange zigzag patterns of gutter thread bridles, pierc-ing and crossing over in Greek wooden boards, may echogutter tackets originally used to secure compound, outer,and inner papyrus cartonnage covers.

The strong linen fabric linings carried over the back andonto the exterior of the boards in Eastern Church work isconsistent with papyrus book work as well as the braidedleather fore edge ties (Greek). Leather tooling and decora-tion completed prior to covering also echo a conventionof the early papyrus book where cartonnage would nothave supported tooling. This sequence is evident inArmenian work where spine rulings could not be accom-plished after covering.

Taken together a consideration of relations betweenpapyrus bookbinding and later vellum and sewn woodenboard bookbinding exemplifies trans-culture con-veyance—the same bridging needed for the application ofsewn board technique to the subsequent, distant practiceof book conservation.

A DA P TAT I O N O F H I S T O R I C A L M E T H O D T OC O N T E M P O RA R Y N E E D S

Adaptation of historicaltechnique and structural pro-totype to wider practice is anestablished approach of mod-ern book conservation.2 S u c hadaptation has focused onWestern methods associatedwith text sewing onto sup-ports of cord or tawed thong.More recently historical caseconstruction technique hasbeen adapted to rebindingwork. Also, adaptations fromWestern stationers’ trademethods, including non-adhesive long stitchstructures and various types

35

of pleated guards, have been adapted for book conservationwork.

The sewn board structure, however, has not beenadapted for use in book conservation practice. The associ-ation of sewn board structure with very early andn o n -Western binding methods has attracted interest of thebook artists and limited edition binders, but the conserva-tion field has generally not recognized useful features orpreservation implications of this type.3

B E N E F I T S O F S E W N BO A R D S T R U C T U R E F O RC O N S E RVAT I O N

Preservation implications arise from the non-disruptiveand non-damaging sewing and forwarding of sewn boardtechnique. Other features useful for contemporary bookconservation are the secure cover-to-text attachment usingequitable stitch chains. Finally, the exemplary docile, flatopening of the sewn board structure facilitates scanningand exhibition. A prototype that has responded well to theproblematic folding behavior of papyrus will also suitweakened papers of rebound texts.

The initial attraction of the sewn board structure is itsassociation with unsupported, thread-only sewing which isso well adapted to rebinding texts with pre-existing sewingstations, frequently in the form of saw kerfs (fig. 3). Thepliant, equitable stitch chains can be applied to a few or allof the various stations that each book presents. The stitchchains produce a very equitable tension from head to tailand from initial to last leaves. The flush stitch chains pro-vide no barrier or mask to the application of adhesivelinings. The resulting “smooth” back of the sewn text alsoenables the production of various historical appearances ofeither laced or cased historical binding.

The sewn board type features a text with little or noshouldering and, therefore, no damaging or distortingbacking of the outermost gatherings (fig. 4). Historical

Frost Application of Sewn Board Technique to Book Conservation Practice

Fig. 3. Unsupported sewing Fig. 4. Sewn board binding spine shape

examples are exemplary in the application of strong, flexi-ble back lining of linen that is carried well over onto theouter surface of the boards. Adhesion of the linen linings isfrequently reinforced by subsequent endband sewing. Thefeature of uninterrupted bonding of a textile lining aug-mented with endband sewing is easily utilized in bookconservation text forwarding.

The use of a sewn card folio board as adopted for muchof the work in this project is a feature taken directly fromhistorical method (fig. 5). The sewn folio board was origi-nally a cartonnage of papyrus produced by pasting togetherthe leaves of the outer gatherings of the book. This solutionof the integration of flexible leaves and rigid covers, of car-tonnage and free leaves, into a single book structure isingenious and deserves reintroduction into the techniquesof book craft generally.

The folio card foundation can be augmented withinserts within and outside the folio (fig. 6). These adheredinserts can be shaped with inner and outer gutter edgebevels to accommodate various thread swellings in the textblock to produce the shoulder seated fit of work of thewooden board era. This method eliminates time consum-ing construction of lacing paths through the boards inapplications when the sewn board design is used in place oflaced board design.

The docile, flat opening action provides a full gutterreveal and greatly facilitates scanning, copying, and exhi-bition, particularly with modern illustrated reference works( fig. 7). The squareless, or flush, size of both cover and textprevents distortion and sagging in upright shelving. Theleverage of the boards is directly transmitted to the backplane of the text, there being no set-back of the boardsaway from the folds of the endpapers.

The Book and Paper Group Annual 23 (2004)

S E W N BO A R D T E C H N I Q U E SD I R E C T E D T O B E S T A P P L I C AT I O N S

Various general applications of sewn boardtechnique to book conservation practice wereconsidered. Some applications were confir m e das beneficial and practical while other applica-tions proved impractical.

Text Block ReconstructionEssentially all of the types of text block

reconstruction, either sewing repair orresewing, can be done easily and effectivelyusing the chains of stitches associated with thesewn board prototype. An especially effectivestart-up pattern for the first two gatherings wasdeveloped by Carlo Mori. This castellated, all-along pattern provides a very secure start forthe stitch chains (fig. 8).

Book RepairTypical board rehinging work involves repair of a

rounded and backed, tight joint binding. Such features arehistorically and structurally unrelated to the sewn board

36

Fig. 5. Sewn card folio board structure

Fig. 6. Folio card foundation augmented with an insert

Fig. 7. Unsupported sewing structure allows the book to openfully to the gutter

model. Board rehinging repairs can be augmented by sewnboard technique using thread tacketing methods that relateto both through the board (Ethiopian) and around theboard (Coptic) sewn board attachment types. Howevero t h e r, more productive, non-mechanical approaches tointerior hinge repair and outer joint reconstruction are notrelated to sewn board technique. Such a non-mechanicalrepair approach is very well represented by the methoddeveloped by Alan Puglia and Priscilla Anderson usingpaper and Lascaux resin (Anderson and Puglia 2003).

Principles of sewn board action are naturally adapted toadhesive binding where options for treatment of failedpublishers’ adhesive bound books are needed. This genreof work has been greatly facilitated by the recent develop-ment of a precision vertical plow by Tim Moore ofConcord, Michigan.4 N o w, quick binding designs areneeded to develop the entire method.5

Restoration of BindingsThe method and construction of sewn board attach-

ment does not improve or augment the standard methodsof publishers’ cloth cover restoration technique. Eventhough a standard method involves rebuilding case con-struction using an in-boards sequence, the sewn boardmethods provide no benefit and present some complica-tion. Likewise, the methods are difficult to introduce inconventions of leather binding restoration.

R e b i n d i n gThis is the category of the greatest potential for appli-

cation of sewn board technique. It can be widely applied,realizing advantages of stitch chain sewing and docile flatopening, to any in-boards, “laced” construction rebindingwork. The board inserts accommodate variations of threadswelling, while the smooth back permits effective adhe-

37

sion of back linings and also enables great variation inappearance of the cover (fig. 9).

A variety of sewn board rebinding projects have beencompleted at the conservation lab of the University ofIowa Libraries. These case histories include (1) a late sev-enteenth-century H a g a d d a ; (2) an atlas, Philadelphia, 1854;(3) Drawings of C. D. Gibson, 1900; and (4) a Bible, ArionPress, 2000.

1. Late seventeenth-century H a g a d d a: A fully successfulapplication of sewn board technique with moderate weightlinen thread sewing and flatback, unshouldered forward-ing. The folio card boards have .80 Escaboord insertprovided with a slight inner gutter edge bevel to seatagainst text thread swelling. The covering is in repair calfwith Cambridge panel sprinkling and blind tooling. Thefinished book exemplifies the flat opening desired foropened reference on a table. The appearance is in accordwith eighteenth-century leather covered work (fig. 10).

2. Atlas, Philadelphia, 1854: The maps are foliated intogatherings, with endpapers of 70 lb. Mohawk vellum beige

Frost Application of Sewn Board Technique to Book Conservation Practice

Fig. 8. Start-up pattern for the chain stitch developed by CarloMori

Fig. 9. Sewn-board model on a printed book, showing a raised-band appearance

p a p e r. Sewn board forwarding was used with folio cardboards and inner beveled Escaboord inserts. A spine wrap-per was produced using natural linen book cloth whichlapped onto the boards and met 20-pt. filler cards. Theboards were covered with VanHeek Brillianta, faded plumcolor, drummed on. The appearance is in accordance withmid nineteenth-century American cloth bindings withboard papers. The opening action is fully suited to scan-ning or display (fig. 11).

3. Drawings of C. D. Gibson, 1900: Landscape format,published ink drawings with full display openings desired.The sewn board construction features heavy linen thread

38 The Book and Paper Group Annual 23 (2004)

sewing with wrong grain endpapers. A slightrounding was established and set with paperlining. A spine wrapper was produced usingnatural linen book cloth which lapped onto theboards and met 20-pt. filler cards. Coloredpaper caps were applied to the boards at theposition of the endgrain reveals. The boardswere covered with VanHeek Brillianta, sandcolored, adhered overall and provided with anupper board recess panel. The original illus-trated upper board paper was washed andbuffered and mounted and then applied inposition on the upper board. The appearance isin accordance with the appearance of the orig-inal publisher’s case (fig. 12).

4. Bible, Arion Press, 2000: This project con-trasts sewn board construction with sewingonto supports as exemplified in the bindingsof the two volumes. The New Testament isbound in the older type of the late Copticsewn board design. The Old Testament isbound in the newer type of the sixteenth-cen-tury service book design (fig. 13).

New BindingThe sewn board structure was adapted for archival

reformatting and replacement copy binding. New archivalbinding is associated with reformatting of unbound fasci-cles and album type reformats of loose prints anddocuments. As such, the application is straightforward withcard folio boards and an unadhered card wrapper sewn intothe text block with the upper board. Another applicationis replacement copy binding associated with bound shelfreplacement copies (preservation photocopies) of bookstoo deteriorated to be used. This application includes dou-ble-fan binding, transfer tape bonded card boards, andTyvek covering (Frost n.d.).

C O N C LU S I O N

Application of sewn board technique to book conserva-tion practice is indicated by the easy adaptation of chainstitching to reconstruction of an immense variety of previ-ously sewn texts and preexisting sewing station arrays andthe attribute of non-damaging, flat opening action of chainstitched texts. The sewn board attachment, based on outersewn card folios used in association with text linings,enables direct transmission of board leverage to producenon-damaging opening and closing actions.

This book conservation structure is based on historicalprototypes, the historical techniques are adapted to con-temporary production methods, and the specific sewnboard practice is directed to the best applications.

Figs. 10–10a. Late seventeenth-century H a g a d a rebound in a sewn-board struc-ture and finished in the style of an eighteenth-century leather binding

Fig. 11. 1854 Philadelphia atlas rebound in a sewn-board struc-ture opens fully for scanning or display

N O T E S

1. Chris Clarkson feels that artistic observation accurately dif-ferentiates sewn board from later cord sewn structure. Hesuggests that pages of the sewn board text are depicted as flatsheets while the more tightly bound, support sewn pages aredepicted with draping curvature (University of Virginia Ra r eBook School, 2001).

2. Use of historical prototypes include Christopher Clark-son’s adaptation of Renaissance Italian vellum binding (Red GullPress, 1982), Robert Espinosa’s adaptation of later Europeanwooden boarded binding (Brepols, 1996), or Thomas Albro’sadaptation of archival long stitch binding.

39

3. Experimental prototypes for application of sewn boardstructure to book conservation practice were produced in a work-shop given by Tony Cains in 1987, but no publications resulted.In subsequent years proposals of sewn board technique for appli-cation in limited edition binding occurred (Abracadabra, 1993,BookNote series, BookLab [request copy from author]).

4. Tim Moore, Paper Molds & Bookbinding Equipment,14450 Behling Road, Concord, MI, 49237.

5. A sewn board related method of “Paperback Rebinding at aLibrary Repair Station” was reported to the Library CollectionsConservation Discussion Group of the American Institute forConservation in June of 1998.

R E F E R E N C E S

Anderson, Priscilla, and Alan Puglia. 2003. Solvent-setbook repair tissue. Book and Paper Group Annual 22.

Frost, Gary. n.d. Transfer tape binding. BookNote series.Austin, TX: BookLab. [Request copy from author].

Gamble, Harry Y. 1995. Books and readers in the early church.New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

Szirmai, J. A. 1999. The archeology of medieval bookbinding.Ashgate.

GARY FROSTConservatorUniversity of Iowa LibrariesIowa City, Iowagary-frost@uiowa.edu

Frost Application of Sewn Board Technique to Book Conservation Practice

Figs. 12–12a. Americans: Drawn by C. D. Gibson (1900): sewn-board structure with exterior binding preserving the appearance of the orig-inal publisher’s binding

Fig. 13. Sewn-board structure on an Arion Press Bible (2000)the New Testament (top) bound in a late Coptic style and theOld Testament (bottom) in the style of a sixteenth-century ser-vice book