knife, or
any chance blow. The back is then moistened with paste, or, in the
case of a very large book, with thin glue, and left to soak. The cover
can then be well pasted with thickish paste, that has been previously
well beaten up. When the cover is pasted, it can be folded with the
pasted sides together and left to soak for a few minutes while the
back is again looked to, and any roughness smoothed down with the
folder. Before covering, the bands should be nipped up with band
nippers (see fig. 61) to make sure that they are sharp. The coverer
should have ready before covering a clean paring stone, one or two
folders, a pair of nickeled-band nippers, a clean sponge, a little
water in a saucer, a piece of thread, and a strip of smooth wood
(boxwood for preference), called a band stick, used for smoothing the
leather between the bands, a pair of scissors, and a small sharp
knife, a pair of waterproof sheets the size of the book, and, if the
book is a large one, a pair of tying up boards, with tying up string,
and two strips of wood covered in blotting-paper or leather. It is
best to have the band nippers for covering nickeled to prevent the
iron from staining the leather. The waterproof sheets recommended are
thin sheets of celluloid, such as are used by photographers.

[Illustration: FIG. 61.]

When these things are ready, the pasted cover should be examined and
repasted if it has dried in any place. The amount of paste to be used
for covering can only be learned by experience. A thick leather will
take more than a thin one, but, provided the cover sticks tight at
every point, the less paste used the better. If there is too much, it
will rub up and make very ugly, uneven places under the leather; and
if there is too little, the cover will not stick.

[Illustration: FIG. 62.]

Take the pasted cover and look to see which is the better side of the
leather. Lay the front of the book down on this exactly up to the
marks that show the beginning of the turn-in. Then draw the leather
over the back and on to the other side, pulling it slightly, but not
dragging it. Then stand the book on its fore-edge on a piece of waste
paper, with the leather turned out on either side, as shown at fig.
62, and nip up the bands with nickeled band nippers (see fig. 63).
After this is done there will probably be a good deal of loose leather
on the back. This can be got rid of by dragging the leather on to the
side; but by far the b