at bottom of back. 1880

COVER. Full, dark brown pebbled morocco, best quality Turkey. Full
grain, not crushed.

TOP. Gilt top. Please trim as little as possible.

EDGES. Do not trim or cut bottom or fore edges.[27]

TOOLING. Gilt line borders on sides near edges, with corner
ornaments; use geometrical design ornaments if you have them, rather
than flowers. Panels on back.

SEWING. Sew flexible on flat bands with leather back glued direct to
the lining of signatures. Please do not saw into backs of signatures
for bands or cords.[28]

END PAPERS. Plain light brown or white.[29]

SPECIAL. Be sure and place clean sheets of paper over the etched
illustrations whenever the book is in press. The original wrappers
now on are considerably torn and are very brittle. Please mount these
as well as you can, on thin, strong paper, and bind them in at the
back.

The price for this work may be agreed on beforehand, but it is better left
to the binder, in order that he will not feel cramped, should the
necessity of a little unforeseen work develop. Whatever their other
failings may be, binders are generally honest in such matters and are not
likely to overcharge, especially on average work.

This may be a good place to remark, perhaps needlessly, that valuable
books, particularly first editions, should always be retained in their
original covers, whether cloth, boards or leather, whenever this is at all
practicable. Ancient books in their original calf or sheep, but with
broken backs or hinges, and requiring attention for their proper
preservation, should be rebacked rather than rebound.

The reasons for this are numerous. Principally, the fact that a book is
still in its original binding is a fair guarantee that it has not been
trimmed since it originally left the binder's hands. It often happens,
also, that books containing rare plates have the plates foxed or otherwise
damaged, and it is sometimes possible, in rebinding such books, to
substitute for the injured plates other perfect ones, in exact facsimile,
from some later edition of the same book. Suspicion of this, or of other
tampering, can generally be avoided when such books appear still in the
original binding.

There is, moreover, a sentimental attraction in early issues of books in
their original state, since, in most cases, they thus appear as they
formerly did to their author, perh