ls of Technics
throughout the kingdom; and there are opportunities in this direction for
the young bibliophile to-day which his elder brethren regard with envy.

Even where such practical instruction is unobtainable it is possible to
acquire a quite considerable knowledge of the craft by a diligent study
of practical text-books and the scrutinous handling of volumes bound in
all ages. As he reads each page, each section of his manual, the
collector should examine repeatedly the volumes lying by his side. Our
book-hunter began his study of bookbinding with a small and excellent
text-book by Mr. Joseph Zaehnsdorf, a member of the well-known firm of
binders (sm. 8vo, 3rd ed. 1897); but it has perhaps been superseded by
the more recent work of Mr. Douglas Cockerell, namely, 'Bookbinding and
the Care of Books,' a perfectly invaluable little book to the collector
(sm. 8vo, 4th ed. 1915, published by Mr. John Hogg, Paternoster Row). A
diligent application to this book and constant reference to bound volumes
during his perusal will teach the collector sufficient about the binding
of books for his purpose. He will be able to distinguish between a cased
and a bound book, a well-bound and a badly-bound volume, good and bad
sewing, tooling, etc.; and he will learn the advantages of the solid
back.

Now he may turn to the valuable work by Mr. H. P. Horne entitled 'The
Binding of Books' (8vo, 1894) from which he will learn a great deal that
is of interest concerning the history of binding. An excellent pamphlet
on bookbinders and the history of their craft, by Mr. W. H. J. Weale, was
issued in 1898 by the authorities of the Victoria and Albert Museum at
South Kensington. It was published at one shilling, and consists of 130
pages with illustrations of binders' stamps and tools, and has an
excellent index. At the time of writing it is still in print. But you
will find valuable lists of works on the history and practice of
bookbinding in Mr. Cyril Davenport's delightful volume 'The Book: its
History and Development' (8vo, 1907, Messrs. Constable and Co.). And
there are two small volumes on the qualities of the modern book-binding
leathers which the collector will do well to read, mark, learn and
inwardly digest at the outset of his bibliopegic studies. They are
'Leather for Libraries' (8vo, London 1905), by a committee of the Library
Association, and the Report of the Committee of the Society of Arts on
Leather for Bookbinding, also o