the Niger goatskin,
brought from Africa by the Royal Niger Company; it is a very beautiful
colour and texture, and has stood all the tests tried, without serious
deterioration. The difficulty with this leather is that, being a
native production, it is somewhat carelessly prepared, and is much
spoiled by flaws and stains on the surface, and many skins are quite
worthless. It is to be hoped that before long some of the
manufacturers interested will produce skins as good in quality and
colour as the best Niger morocco, and with fewer flaws.

Much leather is ruined in order to obtain an absolutely even colour. A
slight unevenness of colours is very pleasing, and should rather be
encouraged than objected to. That the want of interest in absolutely
flat colours has been felt, is shown by the frequency with which the
binders get rid of flat, even colours by sprinkling and marbling.

On this point I may quote from the committee: "The sprinkling of
leather, either for the production of 'sprinkled' calf or 'tree' calf,
with ferrous sulphate (green vitriol) must be most strongly condemned,
as the iron combines with and destroys the tan in the leather, and
free sulphuric acid is liberated, which is still more destructive.
Iron acetate or lactate is somewhat less objectionable, but probably
the same effects may be obtained with aniline colours without risk to
the leather."

CHAPTER XX

Paper--Pastes--Glue

PAPER

Paper may be made by hand or machinery, and either "laid" or "wove."
"Laid" papers are distinguished by wire marks, which are absent in
"wove" paper.

A sheet of hand-made paper has all round it a rough uneven edge called
the "deckle," that is a necessary result of its method of manufacture.
The early printers looked upon this ragged edge as a defect, and
almost invariably trimmed most of it off before putting books into
permanent bindings. Book-lovers quite rightly like to find traces of
the "deckle" edge, as evidence that a volume has not been unduly
reduced by the binder. But it has now become the fashion to admire the
"deckle" for its own sake, and to leave books on hand-made paper
absolutely untrimmed, with ragged edges that collect the dirt, are
unsightly, and troublesome to turn over. So far has this craze gone,
that machine-made paper is often put through an extra process to give
it a sham deckle edge.

Rough