Publisher's Synopsis
This is first and foremost a handbook for the identification and dating of bookbindings made in Cambridge during the handpress period. Cambridge was a major centre of English binding work, and countless thousands of books were constructed and sold there. In this book, Cambridge bookbinding is systematically and comprehensively documented, covering bindings of all kinds from the simple to the elaborate. Generously illustrated with over 100 full-colour illustrations of bindings, it also includes 365 photographs of binding tools, reproduced actual size. A chronological narrative of the evolution of binding styles and practices is explained in the context of the book trade more broadly, supplemented by a biographical directory of Cambridge binders, consideration of customers and trade networks, and an account of stationery binding work.
