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August/September 2001
Webster's Business Man; or, counting-house correspondent. New-York: Robert M. DeWitt, 1871.
At the Library Company's McLean Conservation Department we do judge a book by its cover, in spite of the old cliché. This month's featured book was chosen for its binding, a typical example of late 19th century book design.
The first thing you notice is the bright gold stamp on the front cover. Functioning as title, illustration and lure, the gold design was intended to entice a prospective book buyer to pick it up and have a closer look. The eye-catching image of a gentleman in an armchair is full of detail: note the curly mutton chop sideburns and the indication of carving on the legs of the chair. The lettering on the cover is a collage of styles. The sweeping curlicues of "Webster's" reflect the aesthetics of Charles Eastlake, whose designs and writings were immensely influential at the end of the 19th century. By contrast, the words "Business Man" in plain, sans-serif lettering are stiff and upright like the man they illustrate. Under the back leg of the chair appears the word "FEELY". This tiny signature is the name of the man who engraved the gold stamp. Most books published in the 19th century were designed and bound by anonymous craftsmen. John Feely, (1819 - 1878) was one exception, and many of his stamps included his name or initials in the design, sometimes cleverly hidden.
Another element of the design is subtle, engaging the tactile sense. Throughout the 19th century, cloth for use on books was "grained", or textured, by rolling lengths of cloth between engraved rollers. The graining disguised the weave of the cloth and served as an unobtrusive background to the gold stamped designs. The textures are mainly fine patterns such as beads, ribs, wavy lines, or imitation leather. Over 100 different grains have been identified so far. Some, like rib and leather, stayed in use for most of the century, others were only used for very brief periods. The "sand grain" indicates precisely the period in which this book was bound. Practically non-existent before 1850, it quickly became one of the most commonly used cloth grains between 1865 and 1870. .