TA LO GU E 
 
 OF 
 
 LEATHER 
 
 BOOK BINDINGS 
 
 EXECUTED IN 
 
 AMERICA 
 
 BEFORE 
 
 HE GROL1ER C! 
 
 29 'E A? l-.ET 
 
 NEW YORK

 
 CATALOGUE OF ORNAMENTAL 
 
 LEATHER BOOKBINDINGS 
 
 EXECUTED IN AMERICA 
 
 PRIOR TO 1850 
 
 EXHIBITED AT 
 
 THE GROLIER CLUB 
 
 NOVEMBER 7 TO 30 
 
 1907
 
 LfBRAKY 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 SANTA BARBARA* 
 
 c.\ 
 
 NOTE 
 
 IT is often said that bookbinding as a fine 
 art did not exist in America before the time 
 of William Matthews. That the business of 
 bookbinding was followed in the Colonies 
 and that the eighteenth and early nineteenth 
 centuries produced many binders of books, 
 some known by name, but more of them 
 unknown, cannot be doubted by readers of 
 such admirable works as Isaiah Thomas's 
 History of Hinting in America and Le- 
 ander Bishop's History of American Manu- 
 factures, nor by the collector of the printed 
 books of these periods. From these two 
 writers we learn that a binder named John 
 Sanders took the freeman's oath in Boston as 
 early as 1636, before any printing even had 
 been done there, and that one John Ratliffe 
 was employed on Eliot's Indian Bible, which, 
 when published, bore the date of 1663, hav- 
 ing come from England for this purpose. In- 
 deed, the binding of these Bibles, Ratliffe 
 said, in a petition to the Commissioners in 
 1664, was "the only incouraging work which 
 upon good Intelligence caused me to trans- 
 porte myself, and family into New England." 
 Of the ninety or more booksellers who 
 carried on business in Boston before the Revo- 
 lution, over thirty had binderies, also, at- 
 tached to their establishments, and a number
 
 NOTE 
 
 of them confined their attention chiefly to 
 this branch of book-making. 
 
 Even a casual glance at the newsletters 
 shows that the early settlers soon began to 
 bring over from home the books which were 
 necessary to their literary and spiritual well- 
 being, some bound and some in sheets to be 
 bound after their arrival. In January, 1770, 
 Alexander Hamilton laid before the House of 
 Representatives his able and voluminous re- 
 port on the subject of manufactures, calling 
 attention to the large number of printing 
 presses as sufficient to render us independent 
 of "foreign countries" and recommending a 
 duty of ten per cent, instead of five as an aid 
 to the business at home. " To encourage the 
 printing of books," he said, " would also en- 
 courage the manufacture of papers " as well 
 as, he might have added, all of the rest of the 
 book arts. 
 
 Certain it is, that something, either the 
 tariff or the progressive zeal of the people, led 
 to an enormous production of books in the 
 first half of the nineteenth century and to the 
 binding of books in a style which-completely 
 overshadowed those of the middle of the 
 same century. 
 
 It devolved upon a former president of 
 the Grolier Club, and a most enthusiastic 
 lover of books, Mr. William Loring Andrews, 
 to point out that the eighteenth century pro- 
 ducers of books attempted to infuse into their 
 productions something of the element of the 
 beautiful and that with no small success. In 
 his delightful essay Bibliopegy in the United 
 
 iv
 
 NOTE 
 
 States, Mr. Andrews treats this subject in a 
 manner calculated to awaken the interest of 
 those who had not previously considered it a 
 matter worthy of consideration, and so as to 
 stimulate the enthusiasm of those who had 
 already arrived at his conclusions. 
 
 Bishop and Thomas, as we have said, called 
 attention to the important part played by the 
 early binder, but without giving any of the 
 information that is necessary to the complete 
 history of the craft, and especially to its con- 
 siderations to be ranked as an art what 
 leathers, papers, and gold were used, what 
 tools were employed, what the character of 
 the tools were, and what the quality of the 
 workmanship. Mr. Andrews, while touching 
 uponall of these matters, could not,in the length 
 of his essay, go into such things in details and 
 with the broad generalizations that come from 
 the study of a large number of the same class 
 of books. It is only in an exhibition like this 
 that such materials can be found. Here 
 spread out in carefully planned classes the 
 student, and even the casual observer, may 
 see the development of the desire which prob- 
 ably actuates any and all workmen to add 
 something of the ornamental to their more 
 ambitious productions. Here, in a collection 
 chiefly brought together by the able hand of 
 a single wise collector, one may find answers 
 to many of these questions which may 
 be asked concerning our early book-makers, 
 and which the pioneer writers on the subject 
 have left unanswered. 
 
 The answers to the questions concerning
 
 NOTE 
 
 leathers and papers are comparatively simple, 
 notwithstanding that they involve quite 
 separate trades. To study the materials on 
 the books before us is to trace the history of 
 the rise and growth of the two important in- 
 dustries from the earliest period, when the 
 simplest forms of sheep and calf were the 
 only leathers to be had in the Colonies to the 
 time of the Centennial at Philadelphia, when 
 a wide variety of leathers had begun to be 
 used ; it is to find them all poorly treated, thin 
 in weight and elementary in color. The 
 native leathers were, in course of time, mixed 
 with a fusion from England and possibly from 
 other places, but even the importations, 
 while adding variety, did not improve the 
 quality since it was a period of split leathers 
 of poor grades all over Europe. To follow 
 out this branch of the binder's art would be to 
 follow the history of the tannery from its 
 simple beginning and the spread of an in- 
 dustry, which to-day furnishes important 
 figures to the statistician. 
 
 The early historians of printing in America 
 give much space to the consideration of paper 
 and paper-making from the time when the 
 first mill was started in Roxborough, near 
 Philadelphia, by William Rittinghuysen, in 
 1690, to the latest developments that come 
 under their personal observation. The curi- 
 ous in these matters are referred to Joel 
 Munsell's Chronology of the origin and develop- 
 ment of Papermaking, printed at Albany in 
 1856 and to its succeeding editions. While 
 the matter may seem to be one of small im- 
 
 vi
 
 NOTE 
 
 portance in the consideration of leather- 
 bound books, nevertheless it is a problem 
 to be reckoned with. Here we may see in 
 the end-papers the transition from the white 
 papers of the eighteenth century to the newly 
 invented mottled and marbled papers of 
 various hues of the early nineteenth century 
 mixed later on with the highly calendared, 
 thick, colored papers of the autograph and 
 floral albums. It is a fact worthy of note, 
 that it was not until quite recently, until the 
 time of William Morris and his school, in 
 fact, that anything like variety or taste in end- 
 papers was made possible to the professional 
 binder. 
 
 More difficult are the questions to be 
 answered about gold and tools. 
 
 Although we cannot state it as a positive 
 fact, it seems reasonable to infer that the gold 
 used by the early binders was imported from 
 England. Its quality was of the best, a sur- 
 vey of the books here under consideration 
 showing it to have stood the test of time per- 
 fectly, putting to shame much of the gilding 
 of later times as seen in the works of many 
 more sophisticated binders, English as well as 
 American. In color it is generally light ; it 
 is light also in quantity, but in this it resembles 
 the gold of the period both in England and 
 in France. 
 
 The tooling in some cases, notably Nos. 
 36 and 40-42, was firm and solid. This 
 matter of tools is the most important in the 
 consideration of binding, for upon the quality 
 of the tool depends the quality of the 
 
 vii
 
 NOTE 
 
 work, especially in so far as delicacy and 
 style are concerned. Whether tool-makers 
 were to be found in the Colonies is not 
 vouchsafed to us to know, nor when they 
 became a recognized company of workers. 
 Judging from the fact that to-day the city 
 of New York boasts only a few cutters of 
 binders' petit fers, and that most of the 
 finer kinds of tools are made in France, 
 we shall not think our forefathers un- 
 progressive if they, too, were content to 
 fetch their implements from abroad. In 1800 
 the " tools of the trade or profession of persons 
 who come to reside in the United States " 
 were entered free of duty and this fact will 
 account for the styles, which, as we presently 
 shall see, were in vogue at that period with 
 the many binders whose names begin to ap- 
 <pear in the directories. Reference to the 
 books will show what is carefully noted in 
 the catalogue, that the binders of different 
 places seem to have used the same tools or 
 rolls, thereby indicating either that they ob- 
 tained them from a common source or else 
 that they borrowed from each other. Should 
 it happen that with further research it is 
 learned that the early binders' tools were 
 made at home, the results of the tooling will 
 stand even more to the credit of the early 
 workman than they do at present. 
 
 The earliest bindings, like some of those in 
 Case i , were of the simplest sort. They were 
 usually well sewed, or tied into beech or oak 
 boards, cut quite thin though not over-care- 
 fully, having white paper on one side for end- 
 
 viii
 
 NOTE 
 
 papers, and then covered with sheep or calf, 
 a small margin of the leather being turned 
 over the edges of the paper-covered side and 
 strongly glued down. This form of binding 
 lasted through the seventeenth century, until, 
 in fact, the introduction of "boards" or heavy 
 pasteboard, and marbled papers. Mottled 
 calf and marbled effects soon came into vogue, 
 following the adoption of these varieties in 
 England, where the fashion got a strong hold, 
 though it had but a brief day in France. 
 
 The sheep-bound books of the seventeenth 
 century are all blind tooled with a simple 
 pattern of one or two fillets forming panels on 
 the covers and having at the corners the con- 
 ventionalized flower form invariably found in 
 the books of the same period in England, 
 usually ascribed to Samuel Mearne, book- 
 binder to Charles II. The simple geometrical 
 design was the foundation for almost all of 
 the patterns used on American bookbinding 
 of the seventeenth, eighteenth, and early nine- 
 teenth centuries. This is no doubt partly due 
 to the fact that in the binding in England 
 during these periods as well as in France dur- 
 ing the late eighteenth century and the early 
 part of the following century the straight line 
 predominated ; interlacing bands, scrolls, and 
 other Italian and early French forms being 
 almost entirely unused. 
 
 The simple blind fillet or combination of 
 fillets soon gave place to narrow gold rolls 
 of the severest form, little more than broad 
 lines, or a narrow Greek meander, double 
 or triple lines with dots and leaves, and by the 
 
 ix
 
 NOTE 
 
 beginning of the eighteenth century the lines 
 were sometimes replaced by gold-tooled run- 
 ning patterns made up of single tools. By 
 the end of this century lines had become 
 borders, some wide, some narrow, with small 
 corner-pieces and centerpieces. By the be- 
 ginning of the nineteenth century, especially 
 in New York and Philadelphia, the borders 
 had become quite elaborate mixtures of 
 gold and blind tooling, made up of rolls, 
 stamps, and sometimes small tools, with heavy 
 corner-pieces and center ornaments composed 
 of small tools. Later, the fashion, more 
 French than English, of using large blocks 
 for the covers began to have a vogue. 
 
 In the arrangement of the ornament on 
 the backs of the books we find the earliest 
 examples broken up into panels, each panel 
 being treated separately in the obvious way of 
 border, corner-piece and centerpiece, more 
 or less elaborated according to the period and 
 the style of ornament then in vogue. It is to 
 be remarked that the titles of many of these 
 books, following a purely American fashion, 
 were often placed in the centers of the 
 backs. 
 
 This, then, being the universal plan of the 
 design, what was the character of the small 
 tools, rolls, or stamps used in its make-up ? 
 Obviously, with the close relation existing 
 between the Colonies and the Mother Coun- 
 try the binders would have borrowed their 
 styles from her, and this seems to have been 
 the case. The single stamps used at the 
 corners of the sheep-bound seventeenth and
 
 NOTE 
 
 early eighteenth-century books, especially as 
 found in Boston, were, as already shown, the 
 same exactly as those used in England at a 
 slightly earlier period. By the end of the 
 century the tools became delicate and the 
 patterns were applied with skill, more sug- 
 gestive of French models than English, indeed 
 many of the tools used in Boston were identi- 
 cal with those used in Paris. The little 
 sprigs, leaves, flowers, and emblems were 
 characteristic of both countries at this time. 
 To this period belong the ornaments which 
 we are wont to call " Colonial," and which 
 we think of as English. 
 
 This period and the beginning of the nine- 
 teenth century were specially interesting in 
 the history of bookbinding in England and 
 France. There was an influx of French 
 refugees into England at the end of the eigh- 
 teenth century. The Comte de Caumont, 
 the grandson of the Marechal de Fauquiere 
 and several others, who, before the troubles 
 in France had followed the art of binding for 
 their amusement, earned their living by this 
 trade in London while the German invasion is 
 familiar to all through the names of H. 
 Walther, Kalthoeber, Baumgarten, and Stag- 
 gemeier. A new style was created by these 
 strangers, having little connection with Eng- 
 land's past productions, except such as may 
 be traceable to Roger Payne through 
 Charles Lewis, and his immediate followers, 
 who kept alive the English traditions after a 
 manner of their own. In France, too, it was 
 a crucial time. This was the period of 
 
 xi
 
 NOTE 
 
 Bradel, Simier, Thouvenin, Purgold, and 
 Lesne, men who maybe said to have founded 
 a school on the ashes of the old styles of 
 Boyer, Padeloup, and the early eighteenth- 
 century masters. Not enough has yet been 
 written about them and their influence upon 
 the art of binding and especially upon the 
 English work. Curiously enough they bor- 
 rowed more from England than England kept 
 for herself, and then returned the raw products 
 manufactured into their own new forms. 
 
 The bindings of New York, Boston, and 
 Philadelphia of the last half of the eighteenth, 
 but particularly of the first half of the nine- 
 teenth century, show very strongly these in- 
 fluences, not only in the single tools them- 
 selves, but in the large stamps which were a 
 peculiar ear-mark of Thouvenin and his fol- 
 lowers, and which easy method of decoration 
 seems to have had a wide vogue with our 
 binders, some of whom produced very credit- 
 able results. 
 
 From what has been said it must not be 
 inferred that the American binder was only a 
 copyist, far from that, and it is to his credit 
 that, while using motives frequently used by 
 his English and Continental brethren, he 
 managed to infuse into his work no small 
 amount of individuality. This is specially 
 true of the New York binders, who early 
 showed self-reliance, and whose reputation, in 
 the hands of such men as Henry I. Megarey, 
 G. Champley, and Wilson & Nichols, may 
 very well stand a careful and critical exami- 
 nation. Enough has been said to show in 
 
 xii
 
 NOTE 
 
 general outline the characteristics of our early 
 bindings, and, we hope, to prove that, accord- 
 ing to their opportunities, and in spite of their 
 limitations, the binders produced results which, 
 judged in the light of the best standards of 
 the period, were highly creditable to them. 
 At least enough has been said to show that 
 American binding as an art began with the 
 printing of American books. 
 
 Mil
 
 CATALOGUE
 
 PRIMITIVES 
 
 BINDINGS executed before or about 1800, 
 when the printers were for the most part 
 their own bookbinders. 
 
 [Burgh, James] 
 
 Britain's Remembrancer . . . Lon- 
 don, Printed; Reprinted by Ben- 
 jamin Mecom, at the New Printing- 
 Office, in Boston. 1759. Seventh 
 edition. 6f x 3f inches. 
 
 In the original wooden boards, with the 
 paper worn off and disclosing the cover of 
 thin oak ; included in this exhibition to show 
 the use of boards before the introduction of 
 cardboard. 
 
 On the verso of the title-page is a note by 
 the printer, Benjamin Mecom, who was the 
 son of a sister of Benjamin Franklin. 
 
 Bible 
 
 Biblia, Das ist: Die Heilige Schrift 
 Altes und Neues Testaments . . . 
 Germantown : Gedruckt bey Chris- 
 toph Saur, 1743. First edition. 
 
 i(>|-x 8 inches. 
 
 Bound in beveled boards covered with 
 dark calf, with clasps and brass bosses.
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 The second Bible printed in America, and 
 the first in America to be printed in a foreign 
 language. The present copy was exhibited 
 at the Centennial Exhibition, and the placard 
 which accompanied it is inserted. 
 
 The Baptists, or Tunkers, in Germany, raised 
 money by subscription to disperse religious 
 books among their poorer friends in Pennsyl- 
 vania, and to establish a press there. The 
 first printer to whom its charge was intrusted 
 was Jacob Gaus, who proved inefficient, and 
 the property was transferred to Christopher 
 Saur, or Sower. "Mr. Saur was a many- 
 sided man, and had much ingenuity and ver- 
 satility. He erected a mill for manufacturing 
 his own paper and ink. He also did his own 
 binding, and contrived to cast the type he 
 needed. The remarkable statement has been 
 made of him that he was familiar with six- 
 teen trades." [ Wright. Early Bibles of Amer- 
 ica.} It was largely due to his appeals through 
 his German almanac and newspaper (the first 
 religious newspaper established in America), 
 that the German Bible was attempted, and it 
 was by his energy and enterprise that it was 
 accomplished in the face of great opposition. 
 Twelve hundred copies were printed, twelve 
 of which were substantially bound and sent 
 to Dr. Luther, a German type-founder, who 
 had aided Saur by the presentation of a font 
 of type. " The price of our nearly finished 
 Bible," wrote Mr. Saur just before its comple- 
 tion, "in plain binding with a clasp will be 
 eighteen shillings, but to the poor and needy 
 we have no price."
 
 PRIMITIVES 
 
 3 Edwards, Jonathan 
 
 A Treatise concerning Religious 
 Affections . . . Boston: Printed for 
 S. Kneeland and T. Green . . . 1746. 
 First edition. 7f X 5i~ inches. 
 
 The binding of sheepskin, with blind fillets 
 and rolls forming a center panel, having 
 ornaments at the corners and sides, is in 
 imitation of the English bindings of the period 
 and a survival of the seventeenth century. 
 It was the early binding generally used in 
 New England, and its resemblance to English 
 work is shown by comparison with the next 
 number. 
 
 The first Boston press was set up about 
 forty years after Stephan Daye opened his 
 printing-house in Cambridge in 1638, giv- 
 ing to Massachusetts a precedence of more 
 than forty years over all the other colonies in 
 the matter of printing. In both Cambridge 
 and Boston members of the Green family 
 early became foremost printers. The T. 
 Green of the present imprint was Timothy, 
 junior, great grandson of Samuel Green, the 
 second Cambridge printer, and son of that 
 Timothy who removed to New London in 1 7 1 4. 
 In 1724, Cotton Mather made the following 
 allusion to our Timothy in the Advertise- 
 ment of errata in his Memoirs of Remark- 
 able s in the Life of Dr. Increase Mather: 
 " My Young printer, the nephew of him 
 [Bartholomew Green] whose name stands in 
 the title page, though this be the first book
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 that has entirely passed thro his hand, has 
 bid pretty fair towards the exactness of that 
 honest and careful Christian." 
 
 Green's partnership with Samuel Kneeland, 
 dating probably from 1726, was not dissolved 
 until 1752, when Green assumed his father's 
 business in New London, on account of the 
 latter's increasing years. Kneeland continued 
 the business for many years, and died in 1 769, 
 leaving four sons, all of whom were printers. 
 
 4 Harte, Walter 
 
 Poems on several occasions . . . 
 London : Printed for Bernard Lintot 
 . . . 1727. Frontispiece. 
 
 8x5 inches. 
 
 Bound in London in the manner of the 
 preceding, showing the resemblance of New 
 England bindings to the English during the 
 first half of the eighteenth century. 
 
 5 New York 
 
 Laws of New- York, from the year 
 1691 to 1751 . . . New- York : 
 Printed by James Parker, Printer to 
 the Government, at the New Print- 
 ing-Office, in Beaver- Street, 1752. 
 
 1 3-3- x 9 inches. 
 
 Bound in brown calf, with no decoration 
 except a very narrow blind roll on the sides 
 and back.
 
 PRIMITIVES 
 
 James Parker served his apprenticeship in 
 New York with William Bradford, whose vol- 
 ume of the laws of the colony was the first 
 book printed in New York (1693). Parker 
 began business about the year 1742, when 
 Bradford left it. The year after printing the 
 present volume he went into partnership with 
 William Weyman, and later with John Holt, 
 and established presses at New Haven and 
 Woodbridge. 
 
 6 The Carpenters' Company, 
 
 Philadelphia 
 
 [Book of Plans, with frontispiece 
 bearing the inscription " The Car- 
 penters Company of Philadelphia 
 lent to (Thomas Savery) 1724." 
 About 1760.] 7-J- x 5 inches. 
 
 Bound in sheepskin with blind rolled border ; 
 back plain. 
 
 The date, 1724, refers to the founding of 
 the Carpenters' Company. The date of the 
 book is probably about 1760, as Thomas 
 Savery was a prominent Quaker and carpen- 
 ter in Philadelphia at that time. He is men- 
 tioned in Hugh Wynne, 
 
 7 Watts, Isaac 
 
 Hymns and Spiritual Songs . . . 
 Edinburgh, 1776. 6^x3!- inches. 
 
 Bound in dark red morocco, with gold 
 tooled border of single flowers with leaves ; 
 
 5
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 lettered " H. B. " in center of upper cover ; 
 back gold rolled and tooled. 
 
 Inscription on fly-leaf: "Hannah Boudi- 
 not's book, bound and gilt at Trenton, 1785." 
 
 This binding is reproduced in Bibliopegy 
 in the United States by W. L. Andrews. 
 
 8 [Hopkins, Samuel] 
 
 A Dialogue concerning the Slavery 
 of the Africans . . . Norwich: 
 Printed by Judah P. Spooner, 1776. 
 New- York: Re-printed for Robert 
 Hodge. 1785. 6-^x4 inches. 
 
 Bound in red morocco, with narrow rolled 
 border of gold, and small sprigs gold-tooled 
 on the back. An olive label, inlaid, tells that 
 the original owner was Thomas Jenks, whose 
 printed book-plate is in the book. 
 
 In Robert Hodge's page of advertisement 
 at the end, where mention is made of "An ex- 
 cellent Assortment of Stationary, viz. . . . 
 Pewter Ink-standishes, Message and Compli- 
 ment Cards, Patent Blacking Cakes, &c., &c." 
 is the following paragraph: "* # * Book- 
 binding performed at the above store, with 
 neatness and expedition," but whether the 
 present volume may be an example of his 
 work is uncertain. 
 
 The work of which this is a reprint is one 
 of the early Norwich imprints, Judah P. 
 Spooner having been sent by Timothy Green 
 of New London to establish a press in Nor- 
 wich, in 1773.
 
 PRIMITIVES 
 
 9 Watts, Isaac 
 
 Doctor Watts's Imitation of the 
 Psalms of David. Corrected and 
 enlarged by Joel Barlow . . . 
 Hartford: Printed by Hudson and 
 Goodwin [preface date, 1785]- 
 Third edition. 5x3 inches. 
 
 Bound in red morocco, with a gold rolled 
 floral border, and small flowers tooled in gold 
 at the corners; the back ornamented with 
 an unusual design of gold wreaths and small 
 detached flowers and leaves; marbled end- 
 papers. 
 
 A printed label bears the name of Miss 
 Jennet Steele. 
 
 Printing was introduced into Hartford 
 in 1764 by Thomas Green. He was suc- 
 ceeded by Ebenezer Watson, who was fol- 
 lowed by Hudson and Goodwin, the former 
 having married Watson's widow. 
 
 10 Prayer Book 
 
 The Book of Common Prayer . . . 
 As revifed and propofed to the Ufe 
 of The Proteftant Epifcopal Church 
 . . . Philadelphia, Printed by 
 Hall and Sellers . . . 1786. 
 
 6^x4^ inches. 
 
 Bound in red morocco, with narrow gold 
 rolled border, and small gold tooled flowers 
 at the corners ; large central ornament, gold
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 tooled; back in gold tooled panels, each 
 containing a bird on a sprig in gold ; marbled 
 end-papers. 
 
 This " proposed Prayer-Book " is the 
 rarest of all American Episcopal liturgical 
 works, and one with a most interesting his- 
 tory. A convention to consider the revision 
 of the Prayer Book and other important 
 matters, at which seven states were repre- 
 sented, was held in Philadelphia in 1785, and 
 a committee appointed to consider and report 
 such alterations in the Liturgy as should 
 render it "consistent with the American 
 Revolution and the constitutions of the re- 
 spective states." The Committee appointed 
 to attend to the printing of the book was 
 made up of Doctors White, Smith, and 
 Wharton, who intrusted it to Hall and Sel- 
 lers, the successors of Benjamin Franklin, 
 and it was issued in 1786, calling forth so 
 many objections, and stirring up so deter- 
 mined an opposition, that the Rev. Samuel 
 Provost, one of the New York members of the 
 Committee, wrote, soon after its appearance : 
 " Such a strong party has been raised against 
 the alterations that I am afraid we should 
 not be able to adopt the book at present 
 without danger of a schism the ostensible 
 objection is that they were made without 
 sanction of a bishop, but the Thanksgiving 
 for the Fourth of July, in all probability, is 
 one principal cause of the opposition." 
 
 Of the edition of four thousand copies only 
 a few are known to have been bound in 
 this manner. 
 
 8
 
 PRIMITIVES 
 
 ii Bible 
 
 The Self-Interpreting Bible ... to 
 which are annexed Marginal Refer- 
 ences ... by the late Reverend John 
 Brown . . . New- York : Printed for 
 T. Allen, and sold at his Book and 
 Stationary Store . . . I7Q2. Fron- 
 tispiece, plates and map engraved 
 by C. Tiebout, A. Godwin, Mav- 
 erick, Doolittle and others. 
 
 I7^x ioi inches. 
 
 Bound in red morocco, with gold rolled 
 border in meander pattern, center decorated 
 with an oval formed by a gold floral roll and 
 gold tooled ; within, an urn in a smaller oval, 
 which is decorated with flowers, all in gold ; 
 back inlaid with green and yellow bands and 
 panels, and decorated with military emblems 
 and small gold tools of colonial designs ; the 
 yellow panel bears the name of the owner 
 "Mary Ellis 1792"; marbled end-papers, and 
 binder's ticket, " Bound and Sold by Thomas 
 Allen, No. 12, Queen Street, New-York." 
 The whole effect is characteristic of the eigh- 
 teenth century. 
 
 This was the first complete edition of the 
 Bible printed in New York. Most copies 
 bear the imprint of Hodge, Allen and Camp- 
 bell, whose long advertisement for Brown's 
 Self-Interpreting Bible in forty numbers, 
 printed and delivered every two weeks, at 
 "one quarter dollar" per number ("a sum so
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 inconsiderable that it can be no object to 
 any class of citizens ") appears with regular- 
 ity in the New York Packet as early as 1790. 
 This binding is reproduced in American 
 Bookbindings in the Library of Henry W, Poor. 
 
 12 Prayer-Book 
 
 The Book of Common Prayer . . . 
 New-York : Printed by Hugh Gaine, 
 by direction of the General Conven- 
 tion . . . 1793. Corrected edition 
 of the "first" Book of Common 
 Prayer, antedating the so-called 
 second "Standard." 6 X3f inches. 
 
 Bound in olive morocco, with narrow rolled 
 meander border, and center panel formed by 
 a very narrow roll, with sprigs at the corners, 
 all in gold ; back broken into panels, formed 
 by rolls and decorated with small tools ; mar- 
 bled end-papers. 
 
 It is possible that Hugh Gaine bound, as 
 well as printed, this Prayer-Book. Little is 
 known of Gaine as a binder. That he had 
 binding done outside of his own shop is shown 
 by the bill of Valentine Nutter (No. 125 of 
 the present exhibition). In 1769 he com- 
 pleted for Sir William Johnson the printing of 
 the Prayer-Book in the Mohawk language, 
 begun by his rival printer, Weyman, and por- 
 tions of his correspondence with Sir William 
 are interesting in this connection. 
 
 "I expect to have the Prayer Book finished 
 
 10
 
 PRIMITIVES 
 
 by Christmas," he writes, " but as it will make 
 several sheets more than was at first imagined, 
 I am confident the Binders will expect 25. in- 
 stead of is 6 for the plain Ones. Please to 
 let me know how many you '11 want in 
 Morroco leather. I heard the Revd Mr. 
 Ogilvie say, he should have Occasion for a few 
 neatly bound ... If any of the Common 
 Prayers are to be sent to London, if they are 
 sent in sheets in my Opinion it may do, as they 
 can be bound there to satisfaction." Three 
 months later, in February, he writes : " This 
 you '11 receive by Col. Croghan, who will at 
 the same time deliver you one of the Indian 
 Common Prayers : Agreeable to my Promise 
 I had them compleated by Christmas, and they 
 are now in the Hands of the Binders, and I 
 expect to have them ready to send up by the 
 first Sloops that go up in the Spring. On 
 Enquiry I found that no Books printed in the 
 Colonies could be sent to Great Britain, but 
 at a very great Expence, and shall therefore 
 endeavour to get 2 dozen done here in Mor- 
 roco, which I hope to get compleated to Satis- 
 faction." 
 
 In April we find him apologizing for delay, 
 the fault not being his, " but the Bookbinders, 
 out of whose Hands I could not get them be- 
 fore the Middle of March, and then only 283, 
 which I sent you the first Instant . . . The 
 Prayer Books that are to be bound in Morroco, 
 must be delayed for some time, as I must 
 send to Boston for the Leather." Finally, in 
 August, he writes : " At last I have been able 
 to send you the Remainder of the Common 
 
 ii
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 Prayer. I am sorry they have been delayed 
 so long, but I assure you it was not in my 
 Power to send them sooner, the Delay being 
 occasioned by the want of Morroco Leather. 
 Inclosed you have your own Account, as also 
 the whole Expence of the Common Prayers, 
 binding, Paper, &c. which I hope you '11 think 
 reasonable. Had it been English, the Print- 
 ing Work could not have been done cheaper." 
 
 Some years later we find another reference 
 to binding in a letter to Sir William: "The 
 Box of Keyser I now send you by the Post, 
 and the Books you wrote for are in the Bind- 
 er's Hands, and shall be finished with Expe- 
 dition." 
 
 Hugh Gaine established his press in New 
 York about the year 1750. The present 
 volume was printed just one hundred years 
 after the erection of the first press in the 
 colony by William Bradford, in 1693. 
 
 This binding is reproduced in Bibliopegy 
 in the United States by W. L, Andrews, 
 
 13 Belknap, Jeremy 
 
 Sacred Poetry . . . Printed at the 
 Apollo Press, in Boston, by Joseph 
 Belknap. . .1795. 6fx3^ inches. 
 
 Bound in dark red morocco, with gold 
 rolled border of floral design very popular at 
 this period (see similar styles of Nos. 9 and 
 1 1) ; a center panel is formed by a small gold 
 roll like that used on the Hugh Gaine book 
 of 1793, which this volume resembles; the 
 
 12
 
 PRIMITIVES 
 
 same roll connects the panel with the bor- 
 ders at the corners ; the name of the owner 
 is lengthwise in gold on the panel, " T. Hill 
 1797"; back divided by rolls into compart- 
 ments decorated with sunbursts and small 
 gold flowers ; small bird at the foot in gold ; 
 marbled end-papers. 
 
 14 A Collection of Psalms and 
 
 Hymns for Public Worship. Printed 
 by William Carlton, Salem. 1795. 
 Second edition. 5^x3^- inches. 
 
 Bound in red morocco, with gold rolled 
 floral border of graceful design ; back inlaid 
 with citron morocco, and ornamented with 
 small tools and four stags in gold. 
 
 Salem was the third town in the province of 
 Massachusetts in which a printing-house was 
 established. The first was opened by Samuel 
 Hall about thirty years before this volume 
 was printed. 
 
 15 Smith, Charlotte 
 
 Elegiac Sonnets and other Poems 
 . . . Printed at Worcester, by Isaiah 
 Thomas, sold by him in Worcester, 
 and by said Thomas and Andrews 
 in Boston. 1795 [At end] From the 
 Old Press of Isaiah Thomas, at 
 Worcester. First Worcester, from 
 
 13
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 the sixth London edition, with 
 frontispiece and four plates by 
 Seymour. 6 x 3^ inches. 
 
 Bound in treed calf, with sides plain, and 
 back in panels, slightly gold tooled ; marbled 
 end-papers ; " Directions to the binder " on 
 p. xix, with the following notes : " Let the 
 plates face the Sonnets to which they belong. 
 Cut the book as large each way as it will 
 bear." 
 
 Worcester was the fifth town in Massa- 
 chusetts in which a printing-press was estab- 
 lished. This was opened on May 3, 1775, 
 by Isaiah Thomas, who also "erected a paper 
 mill, and set up a bindery ; and was thus en- 
 abled to go through the whole process of 
 manufacturing books." 
 
 It may not be amiss to quote here Mr. 
 William Loring Andrews's description of this 
 volume, together with what he has to say of 
 Isaiah Thomas as a binder: 
 
 "Isaiah Thomas, whose position as the 
 foremost and most prolific ... of New Eng- 
 land's eighteenth-century printers, is now 
 clearly recognized, was author, antiquarian, 
 typographer, paper-manufacturer, book-binder 
 and book-seller all in one. Of which of the 
 disciples of Gutenberg of the present day 
 can all this be said? That Thomas was also 
 a born bibliophile will, I think, appear by 
 what I shall presently relate. 
 
 " The proclivity, amounting at times to a 
 mania, of the ordinary book-binder to plough 
 ruthlessly through the leaves of a book, even 
 
 14
 
 PRIMITIVES 
 
 though the process involves the snipping 
 away of the entire margin and occasionally a 
 portion of the Author's text, is so well known 
 to the fraternity of book-collectors as to have 
 become proverbial. Listen to friend Thomas's 
 timely word of caution upon this vital point! 
 
 " The Directions to the Binder in the Elegiac 
 Sonnets and other Poems by Charlotte Smith, 
 published by Thomas at Worcester, Mass., in 
 1795, contain, in addition to careful instruc- 
 tions for the placing of the plates, this ad- 
 monition to the binder: Cut the book as 
 large each way as it will bear. 
 
 "These directions of old Father Isaiah, 
 with the addition of a short postscript to this 
 effect, Avoid whenever possible any use of the 
 knife, might well be engrossed in capital letters 
 and hung upon the wall of every book-binder's 
 shop in the land . . . 
 
 " Thomas states in his advertisement that 
 the paper upon which the Elegiac Sonnets of 
 Charlotte Smith is printed ' is a new business 
 in America, and but lately introduced into 
 Great Britain; it is the first manufactured 
 by the editor.' . . . 
 
 "This eminent Boston and Worcester 
 printer . . . bound books in a variety of 
 styles pursuant to the notice he inserted at 
 the foot of the green paper covers in which 
 the monthly parts of the Royal American 
 Magazine, edited and published by him and 
 Joseph Greenleaf, were issued, to wit : Book- 
 binding performed in all its branches with great 
 care and cheap" 
 
 In the Advertisement referred to by Mr. 
 
 '5
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 Andrews, the editor, after stating that it had 
 been his intention to publish this work some 
 four years earlier, makes the following apology 
 for the plates : " As the Letter Press has been 
 delayed, he could have wished the Engrav- 
 ings had been also ; as in the infancy of en- 
 graving in this country, four years' additional 
 experience to the artist would doubtless have 
 produced more delicate work than what is 
 now presented. The lovers of this art will, 
 however, be enabled, in some measure, to 
 mark the progress of Engraving by a com- 
 parison of the plates now executed with these." 
 An added interest is thus given to the little 
 volume as an early example of purely Amer- 
 ican illustration. The engravings are clearly 
 in imitation of the English work of the period, 
 and do not altogether merit the slighting tone 
 used by Thomas. Joseph H. Seymour en- 
 graved plates for various publications by 
 Thomas from 1791 or earlier until at least 
 1795. It is curious that in his Bible, issued 
 in 1791, we find the publisher begging his 
 readers, in almost the same words as he used 
 in the Sonnets ; to make "proper allowance 
 for an Artist who obtained his knowledge in 
 this country, compared with that done by 
 European engravers who have settled in the 
 United States." 
 
 The Advertisement closes thus: "On the 
 whole, the Editor hopes for the candor of 
 those who wish well to the productions of the 
 Columbian Press their favourable accept- 
 ance of this, and other volumes printed in this 
 country, will doubtless raise an emulation to 
 
 16
 
 PRIMITIVES 
 
 produce others, better executed, on superior 
 paper, and with more delicate engravings." 
 The present copy of the Sonnets is of es- 
 pecial interest in that it was Isaiah Thomas's 
 own, and bears his autograph. Its later own- 
 ership is easily traced through two further 
 inscriptions, "Harriet Lee's Book, presented 
 by Mrs. Isaiah Thomas, Worcester, April 
 i6th, 1807," and, "Presented to Charles W. 
 Frederickson, by his Mother, Mrs. H. Lee 
 Truesdell, May i, 1859." It also bears 
 Mr. Frederickson's book-plate, and came from 
 the sale of his books into the hands of its 
 present owner. 
 
 1 6 Watts, Isaac 
 
 Doctor Watts's Imitation of the 
 Psalms of David. Corrected and 
 enlarged. By Joel Barlow . . . 
 New- York: Printed by Samuel 
 Campbell . . . 1795. 
 
 5fx3i inches. 
 
 Bound in crimson morocco, sides deco- 
 rated with single fillet, and back gold rolled 
 and decorated with sunbursts in gold. 
 
 The last four pages are occupied by a list 
 of religious and medical works printed and 
 sold by Samuel Campbell, the most note- 
 worthy book being apparently Brown's Self- 
 Interpreting Family Bible, which might be had 
 in " plain or elegant binding." Following the 
 list are notes stating that " Book-sellers and 
 
 '7
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 printers may be supplied with either of the 
 above mentioned Books, by the quantity, in 
 sheets, or in neat binding," and " Writing and 
 wrapping Paper of all kinds and sizes, made 
 at the Thistle Paper Mill, equal to any im- 
 ported." 
 
 1 7 Young, Edward 
 
 Night Thoughts . . . Philadelphia, 
 [n.d. about 1800 ?] Frontispiece 
 and title-page engraved by H. 
 Anderson. ST x 3 inches. 
 
 Bound in red, straight-grained morocco, 
 with beaded gold rolled border ; back orna- 
 mented in gold with a narrow roll and alter- 
 nate harps and flowers ; marbled end-papers. 
 
 1 8 [Bloomfield, Robert] 
 
 The Farmer's Boy, a rural Poem . . . 
 Printed and sold by George F. Hop- 
 kins . . . 1801. First American 
 edition, with wood-engravings by A. 
 Anderson. 6f x4 inches. 
 
 Bound in calf, sides plain, with back broken 
 by fillets into compartments decorated by 
 urns ; marbled end-papers. 
 
 This work appeared first in England in a 
 sumptuous quarto, with woodcuts by Bewick, 
 in 1800, and met with remarkable success. 
 
 18
 
 PRIMITIVES 
 
 19 Honey wood, St. John 
 
 Poems . . . New- York : Printed 
 by T. & J. Swords . . . l8oi. 
 First edition. 7x4 inches. 
 
 Bound in brown calf, with sides plain, and 
 back divided by fillets into compartments, 
 and slightly tooled. 
 
 The author was one of the presidential 
 electors who chose John Adams as successor 
 to Washington ; the poems were not pub- 
 lished until after his death, and this copy 
 bears a presentation inscription from the 
 editor to " His Excellency, John Adams." 
 
 20 Prayer-Book 
 
 The Book of Common Prayer . . . 
 New- York : Printed by George 
 Forman for William Durell, Book- 
 seller . . . 1803. 7x4^- inches. 
 
 Bound in black, straight-grained morocco, 
 sides plain, with back gold rolled and 
 slightly tooled ; marbled end-papers and gof- 
 fered edges.
 
 DECORATED 
 CALFSKIN BINDINGS 
 
 EARLY in the nineteenth century the deco- 
 ration of calfskin bindings by various pro- 
 cesses of coloring, sprinkling, mottling, and 
 marbling became very popular in the United 
 States. The following numbers show some 
 of the results of this fashion. 
 
 2 1 Extracts from The Press : a 
 
 Newspaper published in the Capital 
 of Ireland, during part of the years 
 1797 and 1798 . . . Philadelphia: 
 Printed by William Duane, Aurora 
 Office. 1802. 8^x5!- inches. 
 
 Bound in marbled calf, with narrow gold 
 border and small gold tools at the corners ; 
 back gold rolled and tooled; marbled end- 
 papers and edges. 
 
 22 Seward, Anna 
 
 Memoirs of the Life of Dr. Darwin 
 . . . Philadelphia : At the Classic 
 Press, for the Proprietors Wm. 
 Poyntell, & Co. 1804. 
 
 8^x5^ inches. 
 
 20
 
 DECORATED CALFSKIN BINDINGS 
 
 Bound in mottled calf, with lozenge left 
 plain in the center; sides and back gold 
 rolled in colonial design and slightly tooled ; 
 marbled end-papers and edges; broad mo- 
 rocco hinges, gold rolled ; ticket of Peter 
 Doyle, bookseller, Philadelphia. 
 
 23 Addison, Joseph 
 
 The Works of the Right Honour- 
 able Joseph Addison ... in six 
 volumes. Vol. i. New- York: Pub- 
 lished by William Durell & Co. 
 George Forman, Printer. 1811. 
 Portrait. 7i x 4f inches. 
 
 Bound in Spanish calf, with narrow gold 
 rolled and filleted border ; back gold rolled 
 and tooled ; marbled end-papers and edges. 
 
 A printed label tells that this was No. 64 
 of the A. R. Shreve Library. 
 
 24 Montgomery, James 
 
 The West Indies, and other Poems 
 . . . Philadelphia: Published by 
 James P. Parke . . . William Brown, 
 Printer . . . 1811. Third edition, 
 with portrait engraved by W. R. 
 Jones. 6 x 4-^ inches. 
 
 Bound in mottled calf, with border formed 
 by two narrow gold rolls ; back divided by 
 
 21
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 rolls and fillets into compartments, ornamented 
 by single small gold twigs; marbled end- 
 papers and edges. 
 
 25 [Hofland, Mrs. Barbara] 
 
 The Son of a Genius; a Tale for the 
 Use of Youth . . . New-York : Pub- 
 lished by Eastburn, Kirk & Co. . . . 
 1814. [John Forbers, Printer.] 
 Woodcuts. 5f x 3f inches. 
 
 Bound in mottled calf, with gold rolled 
 border of unusual design, consisting of straight 
 and curving lines, groups of detached flowers, 
 and large feathers ; back divided by gold roll 
 into compartments, decorated with wheat, 
 rakes, and sickles ; yellow edges. 
 
 2b Bible 
 
 [Collins's Stereotype Edition.] The 
 Holy Bible . . . New-York: Printed 
 and sold by Collins and Co. . . . 1817. 
 Frontispiece engraved by Tanner, 
 Vallance, Kearny & Co., plates and 
 maps. 1 3-5- x 9f inches. 
 
 Bound in calf, with wide border of gold 
 fillets, and inner blind rolled border ; triangles 
 at the four corners form a large panel within 
 which is a lozenge, the whole outlined by blind 
 rolls of same palmette design as the border, 
 and by narrow painted lines ; small, circular, 
 
 22
 
 DECORATED CALFSKIN BINDINGS 
 
 gold tools at the corners of the figures ; in the 
 center a large conventional rose stained. 
 
 In the Advertisement to the Stereotype Edi- 
 tion, the publishers state that "in stereotype, 
 a perfection of accuracy may be obtained 
 a desideratum on which there needs no com- 
 ment, particularly when considered in refer- 
 ence to the Holy Scriptures. Through these 
 means the Publishers feel confident of being 
 able to exhibit editions of the Bible entirely 
 free from errors, and rendered additionally 
 valuable by every other requisite of good 
 printing . . . Engravings of a superior quality, 
 copied from designs of eminent painters, will 
 be supplied to those who may order them ; 
 and every attention will be given to have the 
 work bound in the best manner, whether in a 
 plain or elegant style." The present volume 
 is apparently one of those bound "in elegant 
 style." 
 
 27 Watts, Isaac 
 
 The Psalms of David imitated . . . 
 A new Edition ... by Timothy 
 Dwight . . . New- York : Published 
 by John L. Tiffany, 114 Broadway. 
 J. Seymour, Printer. 1817. 
 
 7f x 4^- inches. 
 
 Bound in light brown calf, with narrow, 
 gold border, and large panel formed by 
 painted bands, and decorated with painted 
 lines intersecting in geometrical design, small 
 
 2 3
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 gold circles at the corners ; below the panel, 
 the name of the owner in gold, "S. B. 
 Hutchings"; back with fillets and painted 
 bands, gold tooled ; marbled end-papers. 
 
 28 Lyman, Theodore 
 
 The Political State of Italy . . . 
 Boston : Published by Wells and 
 Lilly. 1820. First edition. 
 
 inches. 
 
 Bound in calf, with gold rolled Etruscan 
 border, and panel stained in shades of blue, 
 outlined and decorated by painted bands and 
 small gold circles; the space between the 
 panel and the border is stained in waving 
 lines of brown, red, and yellow ; back gold 
 tooled and filleted, with title in center ; green 
 watered end-papers, and broad red morocco 
 hinges, with same gold rolled border which 
 is used on the insides of the covers. 
 
 29 Young, Edward 
 
 The Complaint, or, Night Thoughts 
 . . . New- York: Published by John- 
 stone and Van Norden, 1824. 
 Frontispiece, and title-page en- 
 graved by S. Stiles. 
 
 6 x 3f inches. 
 
 Bound in dark brown calf, with gold and 
 blind rolled borders, and rectangular panel 
 with leather scraped to leave a lozenge of 
 
 24
 
 DECORATED CALFSKIN BINDINGS 
 
 plain calf in the center; back elaborately 
 gold rolled, with author's name in center; 
 marbled end-papers and edges. 
 
 30 Bible 
 
 The Holy Bible . . . New York : 
 Stereotyped by A. Chandler, for 
 "The American Bible Society," 
 1826. 5^-x 3-J inches. 
 
 Bound in treed calf, with tiny gold rolled 
 border; back divided by painted bands into 
 compartments, and boldly decorated in gold ; 
 marbled edges and end-papers.
 
 VOLUMES WHOSE BINDERS 
 ARE KNOWN* 
 
 PARSON 
 Hudson, N. Y., 1805 
 
 31 Psalms, carefully suited to the 
 Christian Worship in the United 
 States of America . . . Hudson : 
 Printed for William E. Norman, by 
 Harry Croswell, 1805. 
 
 4f x 3 inches. 
 
 Bound in dark red morocco, with simple 
 decoration of single lines and circles ; back 
 slightly decorated in gold; marbled end- 
 papers. One of the earliest books to contain 
 a binder's ticket, which reads as follows: 
 " Bound at Parson's Bindery. Where bind- 
 ing is executed in its various branches. Patent 
 Ruling Done in the neatest manner. Hud- 
 son, N. Y." 
 
 BENJAMIN OLDS 
 Newark, N. J., 1808 
 
 32 Society of the Cincinnati 
 
 Cincinnati, with the Bye-laws and 
 Rules of the New-Jersey State So- 
 
 * Most of the volumes in this class contain binders' tickets. 
 In the few cases where they are lacking, evidence has seemed 
 sufficiently strong to warrant the inclusion of the volumes here. 
 
 26
 
 BINDINGS BY CHAMPLEY 
 
 ciety. Trenton: Printed by James 
 Oram, for the Society. 1808. With 
 member's certificate left blank. 
 
 &i" x 5"!" inches. 
 
 Bound in crimson, straight-grained morocco 
 with gold rolled border, and " Cincinnati " in 
 gold lengthwise in center of upper cover ; back 
 divided by rolls into gold tooled compart- 
 ments ; marbled end-papers ; binder's ticket 
 as follows: "Benjamin Olds, Book Binder & 
 Stationer, Sign of the Bible, Newark." 
 
 G. CHAMPLEY 
 New York, i8i6(?)-i824 
 
 33 Hervey, James 
 
 Meditations and Contemplations . . . 
 London : Printed for J. Walker and 
 Co. . . . 1816. Frontispiece and title- 
 page engraved by C. Warren. 
 
 4|-x2-g- inches. 
 
 Bound in brown calf, with gold rolled border 
 and inner border, blind rolled, with gold tools 
 at the corners ; back in compartments, gold 
 tooled, title in center ; green end-papers, and 
 binder's ticket as follows: "G. Champley, 
 Fancy Binder, 61 Barclay-st., N. York." 
 
 This and No. 35 are of interest as they 
 bear London imprints and the tickets of a 
 New York binder. 
 
 27
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 34 Hogg, James 
 
 The Pilgrims of the Sun . . . 
 Philadelphia: Published by Moses 
 Thomas. J. Maxwell, printer, 1816. 
 
 5x3 inches. 
 
 Bound in reddish brown morocco, with dou- 
 ble gold rolled border of same design as the 
 preceding, and narrow blind inner border with 
 blind tools at the corners ; back in compart- 
 ments, gold tooled ; title in center ; light brown 
 end-papers, and binder's ticket like the above. 
 
 35 Langhorne, John 
 
 The Correspondence of Theodosius 
 and Constantia . . . London : Printed 
 for Walker and Edwards . . . 1817. 
 Frontispiece and title-page en- 
 graved by A. Warren. 
 
 4f-x 2-J inches. 
 
 Bound in brown calf, with double gold 
 rolled border of same design as the two pre- 
 ceding, and blind inner border like that of 
 No. 33, with corners elaborately blind 
 tooled ; back in compartments, gold tooled, 
 title in center; brown end-papers, and 
 binder's ticket like Nos. 33 and 34. 
 
 28
 
 BINDINGS BY CHAMPLEY 
 
 36 Bible 
 
 The Holy Bible . . . New York: 
 Stereotyped by E. and J. White, 
 for "The American Bible Society." 
 1818. 9x5! inches. 
 
 Bound in crimson, straight-grained morocco, 
 with wide border formed by a gold roll and 
 fillets and waving dotted lines, interrupted at 
 the corners by gold tooled squares. Within 
 the wide border is a very narrow border, 
 formed by a blind roll, and blind tooled at 
 the corners. The design of the corner pieces 
 is repeated, with elaborations, in two com- 
 partments of the back, which is otherwise gold 
 tooled and rolled, with title in the center; 
 leather hinges, and a peculiar end-paper, 
 marbled in shades of pink and brown. This 
 is a remarkable specimen of binding of the 
 period, but bears no binder's ticket. The 
 wide gold roll, however, is the same as that 
 used in the next number, and is, in both 
 cases, repeated on the back ; a waving dotted 
 line is used in both, and the workmanship 
 and the leather are similar, leading to the con- 
 clusion that this is the work of Champley. 
 
 37 Lockwood, F. & R., Publishers. 
 The Album. 
 
 Go lovely volume grace fair Beauty's 
 
 bowers. 
 Improve her heart amuse her listless 
 
 hours. 
 
 29
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 New- York: F. & R. Lockwood, 
 154 Broadway. J. & J. Harper, 
 Printers. 1824. Title-page en- 
 graved by Danforth. 8jx 5 -J- inches. 
 
 Bound in red, straight-grained morocco, in 
 manner similar to the preceding, but less 
 elaborate. The border of the inside of the 
 cover is an unusual roll of gold leaves and 
 tendrils, similar to one used on No. 74. The 
 binder's ticket is especially ornate, consisting 
 of a scroll bearing the name " G. Champley, 
 Binder, N. York," wrapped about a bunch 
 of roses. 
 
 The volume is one of those collections of 
 miscellaneous poems so popular at the period. 
 The aims of the publishers are thus set forth 
 in the Advertisement: "The Subscribers in 
 the publication of the Album, have had in 
 view this specific object; to present to the 
 Ladies a work of taste and elegance. To 
 them they submit their book ; and if it shall 
 at any time call forth an approving glance 
 from virtue's eye, or light up a smile in beauty's 
 face, they will feel that their exertions have 
 not been altogether in vain. F. & R. Lock- 
 wood." To add to the "taste and elegance" 
 of the Album, they employed M. I. Danforth 
 to engrave a title-page with a pleasing vig- 
 nette. Danforth was an engraver of merit, 
 whose chief work was in portraits and bank- 
 note vignettes. He was one of the founders 
 of the National Academy of Design in 1826.
 
 BINDINGS BY CHAMPLEY 
 
 38 Another copy 
 
 Bound in red, straight-grained morocco, in 
 the same general style as the preceding, but 
 without the corner pieces, and with the name 
 of the owner, "Catharine Ann Stuyvesant," 
 in gold, lengthwise on the upper cover : light 
 blue end-papers. In both copies of the 
 "Album" blank leaves are inserted at the end 
 for manuscript additions, and in this copy 
 several poems have been written. 
 
 While this is probably the work of Cham- 
 pley, it shows interestingly the repeated use 
 of roulettes of the same pattern by various 
 New York binders. The gold border is like 
 that used by Megarey on No. 40, and also by 
 Brown on No. 48, while the blind roll is seen 
 on No. 46 bound by Wilson and Nichols. 
 The points of resemblance between the work 
 of Megarey and Champley in particular are 
 numerous enough to give rise to the question 
 of a possible connection between the two. 
 
 39 Sproat, Mrs. N. 
 
 Village Poems. New- York : Pub- 
 lished by Samuel Wood & Sons 
 . . . [n.d.] Woodcut frontispiece 
 by Anderson. 5i x 3f inches. 
 
 Bound in brown calf, with gold and blind 
 rolled borders, and, on its front cover, " in an 
 oval, a sphere, books, and hour-glass, quills, 
 and, in a flash of lightning, the name of 
 America. In the border of the oval, Prix 
 
 3'
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 Institution deMd. O'Kill is inscribed"; back 
 gold tooled ; marbled end-papers and edges, 
 with ticket of G. Champley. 
 
 From the McKee collection. 
 
 The stamp in the .center has the appear- 
 ance of having been added when the volume 
 was chosen for use as a prize in the school of 
 Mrs. Mary O'Kill. "Before 1837 Mrs - Mar 7 
 O'Kill, a lady of refinement, the daughter of 
 Sir James Jay, had her institution in Barclay 
 Street. Here almost every young miss of 
 distinction had her first training, and many 
 completed their education under her guid- 
 ance." [Memorial History of the City of New- 
 York, edited by James Grant Wilson.] 
 
 This binding is reproduced in American 
 Bookbindings in the Library of Henry W. 
 Poor. 
 
 HENRY I. MEGAREY 
 New York, 1819-1821 
 
 40 Prayer-Book 
 
 The Book of Common Prayer . . . 
 Stereotyped by D. & G. Bruce, New- 
 York. New- York: Published by 
 Henry I. Megarey. 1819. [Printed 
 byj. & J. Harper.] Frontispiece by 
 Gimbrede, and plates engraved by 
 Heath. The engraved title, by Tan- 
 ner, Vallance, Kearny & Co., reads: 
 "Megarey's Elegant Edition of the 
 
 32
 
 BINDINGS BY MEGAREY 
 
 Book of Common Prayer according 
 to the use of the Protestant Episco- 
 pal Church in the United States of 
 America [Vignette] Published by 
 Henry I. Megarey New York 1818." 
 
 9f x6 inches. 
 
 Bound in crimson, straight- grained morocco, 
 with border formed by wide gold roll between 
 two narrow blind rolls, interrupted at the 
 corners by squares, gold and blind tooled. 
 Within this border are two narrow blind rolls, 
 forming a panel containing the name of the 
 original owner, " Beverly Chew." The back is 
 divided by raised bands into compartments, 
 three of which are elaborately gold tooled, 
 those at the head and foot are rolled ; orange 
 end-papers. The binder's ticket reads: 
 "Bound by H. I. Megarey, New York." 
 
 A newspaper clipping of about 1875, bear- 
 ing Mr. Richard Grant White's panegyric 
 upon another copy of this book, similarly 
 bound, which is quoted by Mr. Andrews in 
 his Bibliopegy in the United States, is inserted, 
 and we give portions which refer to the bind- 
 ing: 
 
 "The binding, which is in straight-grained, 
 crimson morocco, is such as William Matthews 
 need not be ashamed of, and such, indeed, as 
 he himself puts only on the finest, specially 
 ordered, 'extra' work. The taste of the or- 
 nament would not have satisfied Count Grolier, 
 but it is far better than that of the usual Eng- 
 lish work of its period, and the delicacy of 
 
 33
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 the tooling, both the gilt and the dead work, 
 and the exactness of the mitring are quite 
 equal to that of the most celebrated English 
 binders of the time. ... It might be supposed 
 that this copy was specially bound to order 
 . . . but it is not so. This copy is not only 
 one of two exactly alike which were in my 
 father's pew in St. George's Church in Beek- 
 man Street, but I have seen other copies of it 
 exactly like these in design and execution, 
 although the work is not done with a stamp ; 
 but what is known as hand-tooling. This 
 shows that the book was bound up for general 
 sale in this style, and although it, of course, 
 must have been very costly at the time, par- 
 ticularly as it is illustrated with line engrav- 
 ings, none the less is it like St. Paul's Church, 
 the old City Hall, and the statue of Hamilton, 
 a witness to the taste and culture of New 
 York and the skill of her artisans fifty years 
 and more ago." 
 
 Mr. White regretted that the binder of the 
 volume was unknown to him, but the ticket 
 in the present copy shows that the publisher, 
 who is also known as a stationer, printer, and 
 print-seller, was also the binder of the edition. 
 The two other copies displayed here show 
 slight variations only. 
 
 41 Another copy 
 
 Bound in blue, straight-grained morocco, 
 in the same style as the above. The chief 
 difference is in the wide gold border, which 
 is formed, in this copy, by fifteen gold lines, 
 
 34
 
 BINDINGS BY MEGAREY 
 
 and in the design of the corner pieces, which 
 is more delicate, and all in gold. The same 
 tools appear in the compartments of the back, 
 with some additional blind work. The name 
 of the owner, " Harriet Ann Corp," is length- 
 wise in gold in the center panel ; purple end- 
 papers. 
 
 42 Another copy 
 
 Bound in crimson, straight-grained mo- 
 rocco in the same style as the others, but 
 more closely resembling the first ; gothic let- 
 tering on the back ; yellow end-papers. 
 
 This copy is reproduced in Bibliopegy in 
 the United States, by W, L. Andrews. 
 
 43 Prayer-Book 
 
 The Book of Common Prayer . . . 
 Stereotyped by D. & G. Bruce, 
 New- York. New- York: Published 
 by Henry I. Megarey. 1820. Front- 
 ispiece engraved by Durand. 
 
 6f x4 inches. 
 
 Bound in light brown calf, with gold rolled 
 border, and two narrow inner rolls in blind 
 work ; back in compartments gold tooled and 
 rolled; marbled end-papers and edges. 
 There is no binder's ticket, but the likeness 
 of the rolls and the back to the preceding 
 numbers seems to show that this is Megarey's 
 work. 
 
 Copy of Alexander J. Davis, the artist and 
 architect, with his autograph. 
 
 35
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 44 Rogers, Samuel, and Merry, 
 
 Robert 
 
 The Pleasures of Memory, and other 
 Poems by Samuel Rogers, Esq. To 
 which is added The Pains of Memory, 
 by Robert Merry, A.M. New- York: 
 Published by R. & W. A. Bartow 
 . . . and W. A. Bartow, Richmond, 
 (Vir.) J. Gray & Co., Printers. 
 1820. Title-page engraved by P. 
 Maverick. [An engraving by Du- 
 rand is lacking in this copy.] 
 
 5f x3^ inches. 
 
 Bound in brown calf, with gold rolled 
 border and inner blind roll, forming a panel 
 which is entirely covered by a single blind 
 stamp ; back in compartments, gold tooled, 
 with title in center compartment ; marbled 
 end-papers, and binder's ticket. The gold 
 palmette border is the same as one of the 
 blind rolls found in No. 41, and was much 
 used by Megarey. 
 
 45 Gray, Thomas 
 
 Gray's Letters & Poems, with a 
 Life of the Author. New-York : 
 Published by R. & W. A . Bartow, 
 and by W. A. Bartow & Co., Rich- 
 mond, (Vir.) Gray & Bunce, Printers. 
 
 36
 
 BINDING BY WILSON AND NICHOLS 
 
 1821. Frontispiece engraved by 
 Pekenino. 5f x 3-J inches. 
 
 The binding with Megarey's ticket is prac- 
 tically the same as that of the preceding 
 number, the two books being published uni- 
 formly by Bartow ; green end-papers. 
 
 WILSON AND NICHOLS 
 New York, 1825 
 
 Golden, Cadwallader David 
 
 Memoir, prepared at the Request of 
 a Committee of the Common Coun- 
 cil of the City of New York, and 
 presented to the Mayor of the City, 
 at the Celebration of the Completion 
 of the New York Canals . . . Printed 
 by Order of the Corporation of New 
 York, by W. A. Davis. 1825. En- 
 gravings by A. B. Durand & others ; 
 lithographs by Imbert & Co., colored 
 maps engraved by B. T. Welch & 
 Co., and other illustrations. 
 
 10x8 inches. 
 
 Bound in red, straight-grained morocco, 
 with double gold rolled border, interrupted 
 at the corners by gold tooled squares. (See 
 also No. 50.) An inner blind roll is the same 
 as that used in No. 38 and the gold roll in 
 No. 43 which have been for other reasons as- 
 
 37
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 cribed to Champley and Megarey. At its 
 corners are blind tools, repeated in gold on 
 the back. The seal of the City of New York 
 is blind stamped in the center. Three of the 
 compartments of the back are occupied by 
 the Tudor rose in gold, surrounded by geomet- 
 rical figures and gold tools. At the foot is 
 the name of the binders ; yellow end-papers. 
 Preceding the Memoir are "Directions to 
 Messrs. Wilson and Nichols, Bookbinders, 
 No. 2, Pine Street, for placing the Plates," 
 ending with : " NOTE. The seal of the City 
 to be impressed on the Books designated by 
 the Corporation." 
 
 The names of Wilson and Nichols are in 
 Longworth's New York City Directory for 
 1826-7, with the address, Pine Street, corner 
 of Broadway. 
 
 The Memoir is followed by a copious 
 appendix giving full details of the celebration 
 and events connected with it, and careful 
 descriptions of the illustrations used in the work. 
 
 In the "Order for the Procession," which 
 took place on November 3, 1825, we read 
 that 1 44 bookbinders formed the twenty-fourth 
 body in line, preceded by the printers and 
 followed by the booksellers, stationers, and 
 music dealers, after whom marched the 
 students of Columbia College. The names 
 of several binders are saved from oblivion by 
 this notice, for it states that Charles Starr, 
 mounted, was marshal of the bookbinders, 
 assisted by Joseph Foster and Robert Batie. 
 After these came the banner borne by Chris- 
 tian Brown, supported by John Day and 
 
 38
 
 BINDING BY WILSON AND NICHOLS 
 
 William Walker. The bearer of the banner 
 was doubtless that C. Brown who was em- 
 ployed, two years later, by the Protestant 
 Episcopal Press, and could do excellent work, 
 as No. 48 of this exhibition shows. The 
 banner, devised by William Wrag, who, with 
 the Committee of Arrangement, marched next 
 in the procession, is described thus: "On 
 the left Time, with his scythe, prepared to 
 destroy the literature with which the world is 
 favoured through the instrumentality of the 
 Press ; On the right, with a roll in her 
 hand stands the Genius of Literature, with a 
 smiling countenance, pointing to the centre 
 of the piece, which represents the interior of 
 a Bindery workmen in the act of binding 
 books to preserve them from the ravages of 
 .Time. On the reverse the Arms of the State 
 of New York." Each binder in the procession 
 wore a silk badge, representing the Erie 
 Canal and its Locks, with the motto, " De- 
 vised by Genius, Performed by Industry," 
 suspended from two morocco stars, with gold 
 rays darting from the center, which contained 
 the same device as the central part of the 
 banner. " About midway from front to rear 
 appeared a ponderous Volume preceded by 
 the finishers, John Bradford and Isaac Peck- 
 ham, it was labelled 'Erie Canal Statistics,' 
 and was prepared for the occasion ; when 
 spread open it measured fourfeet eight inches 
 by three feet. It was bound in red morocco, 
 and superbly ornamented with gold, in the 
 first style of workmanship, and mounted on a 
 hand-barrow, tastefully decorated, borne by 
 
 39
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 four apprentices, and supported by four 
 ribbons attached to its upper part, held by 
 four other apprentices." 
 
 A similar copy is reproduced in Bibliopegy 
 in the United States by IV. L. Andrews. 
 
 47 Another copy 
 
 Bound in half calf, with paper label bearing 
 the inscription: [Printed] "Presented By the 
 City of New- York, to [written] Theodorus 
 Bailey Esquire Post Master for the City of 
 New York 1827." 
 
 C. BROWN 
 New York, i827-i834(?) 
 
 48 [Hart, Miss] 
 
 Letters from the Bahama Islands. 
 Written in 1823-4. Philadelphia: 
 H. C. Carey and I. Lea Chestnut 
 Street. 1827. 6^x4 inches. 
 
 Bound in dark blue, straight-grained mo- 
 rocco, bordered with the same gold roll as that 
 used by Megarey in Nos. 40 and 42, and by 
 Champley (?) in No. 38. It is interrupted at 
 the corners by gold tooled squares. Within, a 
 panel is formed by fillets, with small gold tools 
 at the corners. Back broken by fillets into 
 gold tooled and dotted panels ; yellow end- 
 papers. Binder's ticket as follows : " Bound 
 at the New- York Prot. Epis. Press, No. 8 
 Rector-St., New- York. C. Brown, Binder." 
 
 40
 
 BINDINGS BY TURNER 
 
 C. Brown is probably that Christian Brown 
 on whom the honor of bearing the binders' 
 banner was conferred, in the great Canal 
 Celebration of 1825. (See No. 46.) 
 
 The authorship of this work is ascribed by 
 Gushing to "Miss Hart." The presentation 
 inscription reads : " Miss H. H. Hart, with 
 the respect and tender affection of the Au- 
 thor." 
 
 49 Macvickar, John 
 
 The Early Years of the late Bishop 
 Hobart . . . New- York: Printed at 
 the Protestant Episcopal Press. 
 1834. [B. Curtis Brown, Printer.] 
 
 7^x4-!- inches. 
 
 Bound in red, straight-grained morocco, with 
 gold rolled border, and narrow inner border, 
 blind rolled ; back broken into two small, and 
 one large, gold tooled panels, at foot the same 
 roll used in border of the preceding ; violet 
 end-papers. 
 
 This seems to be the work of C. Brown, 
 who bound for the Protestant Episcopal 
 Press in 1827. 
 
 LEVIN TURNER, 
 New York, 1827-1828 
 
 50 The Talisman for mdcccxxviii. 
 Elam Bliss, Broadway, New- York. 
 
 41
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 1827. [J. Seymour, Printer.] Fron- 
 tispiece and plates engraved by 
 Peter Maverick, V. Balch, G. B. 
 Ellis, A. B. Durand, and G. W. 
 Hatch. 5fx if inches. 
 
 \s o *J O 
 
 Bound in dark blue calf, with gold rolled 
 border, like that used by Wilson & Nichols in 
 No. 46, and which is found again in No. 
 94; center panel entirely covered by a 
 single blind stamp, the same as that used by 
 Megarey in Nos. 44 and 45 : back gold and 
 blind rolled, title in center; old blue end- 
 papers. 
 
 From the preface of The Talisman for the 
 next year, which is quoted in the following 
 number, and from certain resemblances, it 
 seems reasonable to ascribe the bindings of 
 both volumes to Turner. 
 
 The Talisman was edited by William Cullen 
 Bryant, Verplanck and Sands, under the 
 pseudonym of Francis Herbert. In this first 
 annual volume, we are told, in explanation 
 of the title, that " the book was printed with 
 virgin types; the type-setters were all born 
 under the planet Mercury; the burines of 
 the engravers have moved under benignant 
 stellar aspects ; and my publisher has the 
 most auspicious and fortunate name that can 
 be found in the whole Directory [Bliss]. The 
 paper was sized with strict observation of the 
 planetary hour, when Jupiter and Mars were 
 in conjunction in Libra, in the seventh house 
 of heaven, whilst Venus lorded the ascendant, 
 
 42
 
 BINDINGS BY TURNER 
 
 culminating from the very ridge of the plan- 
 etary house." 
 
 This binding is reproduced in American 
 Bookbindings in the Library of Henry W. 
 Poor. 
 
 51 The Talisman for mdcccxxix 
 
 Elam Bliss, Broadway, New-York. 
 1828. [J. Seymour, Printer.] Fron- 
 tispiece and plates engraved by 
 A. B. Durand, G. W. Hatch, G. B. 
 Ellis, and Peter Maverick. 
 
 5fx3f inches. 
 
 Bound in light brown calf, with gold rolled 
 border, and very narrow inner blind border ; 
 back in gold tooled panels; marbled end- 
 papers. 
 
 From the following extract from the preface 
 it may be inferred that Turner was the binder 
 of The Talisman for both years, especially as 
 the present volume has on the inside of its 
 cover the gold roll used on the preceding. 
 
 "I have entered with interest into the 
 minutest arrangements made by my book- 
 seller for printing and embellishing this vol- 
 ume ; and when, in addition to those already 
 mentioned, he promised me DONALDSON'S 
 paper and TURNER'S binding, I was satis- 
 fied that the mechanical execution of the work 
 would be every thing that I could expect. I 
 therefore send forth to the world this Second 
 Talisman. Private information has justified 
 
 43
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 me in my claim of mystic efficacy for the first. 
 This has been prepared under the same aus- 
 pices and with the same ceremonies ; nor can 
 I doubt that it will possess the same virtues 
 with its predecessor." 
 
 The name of Levin Turner, bookbinder, ap- 
 pears in the New York Directory for 1828. 
 
 ARCHIBALD E. MILLER 
 Charleston, S. C., 1818 - 1827 
 
 52 Charleston City Council 
 Digest of the Ordinances of the City 
 Council of Charleston, from the year 
 1783 to July, 1818 . . . Charles- 
 ton . . . Archibald E. Miller, Prin- 
 ter. July 15, 1818. 8fx 5^ inches. 
 
 Bound in red skiver, with conventional 
 gold rolled border, and name of owner in 
 gold letters, lengthwise on upper cover; 
 marbled end-papers. From the similarity of 
 the bindings of the three books which bear 
 Miller's imprint we are led to suppose that 
 they are the work of the same binder, who 
 was probably Miller himself. 
 
 53 The same as No. 52, with 
 
 another bound in, bringing the ordi- 
 nances down to 1823. The latter is 
 also printed by Archibald E. Miller. 
 
 44
 
 BINDING BY SEYMOUR 
 
 Bound in crimson morocco, with a graceful 
 rolled border of grape-vines in gold (see also 
 Nos. 54 and 91); back gold rolled; mar- 
 bled end-papers. 
 
 54 [Turnbull, Robert James] 
 
 The Crisis : or, Essays on the Usur- 
 pation of the Federal Government. 
 By Brutus. Charleston : Printed by 
 A. E. Miller, 1827. Sfxsi inches. 
 
 Bound in dark brown calf, with the same 
 rolled border as the preceding, but with the 
 addition of fillets and a center panel, with 
 small tools in the corners ; back elaborately 
 tooled in gold ; terra-cotta end-papers. 
 
 WILLIAM SEYMOUR 
 Albany, N. Y., i8ao(?) 
 
 55 Trumbull, John 
 
 The Poetical Works of John Trum- 
 bull . . . Hartford : Printed for Samuel 
 G. Goodrich, by Lincoln & Stone. 
 1820. Two volumes in one, with 
 portrait, engraved title-pages and 
 plates engraved by P. Maverick, Du- 
 rand & Co., and others. 
 
 9x5!- inches. 
 
 Bound in brown calf, with wide gold and 
 narrow blind rolled borders, both resembling 
 
 45
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 those used by Megarey; a center panel is 
 formed by a painted band, within blind lines 
 and blind tooled corner pieces ; within the 
 panel a lozenge is formed by painted bands 
 and blind rolls ; back with broad raised bands, 
 and elaborately gold tooled and rolled com- 
 partments; title in center; marbled end- 
 papers, and binder's ticket with inscription 
 within a wreath, as follows: "Wm. Seymour 
 Fancy & Blank Book Binder Albany." 
 
 H. DE SILVER 
 
 Philadelphia, 1823-1826 
 
 56 Autograph Album. 1823 
 
 9f x 7f inches. 
 
 Bound in dark green, straight-grained mo- 
 rocco, with a gold roll of detached flowers, 
 open dots and ornaments, within which is a 
 blind roll of minute flowers. A lozenge, 
 formed in the center by two narrow gold and 
 two blind rolls, with small gold tooled flowers 
 at the corners, contains the name of the 
 owner in gold, " Miss Mary F. Donnell." 
 The back is gold rolled and tooled and has a 
 label of red morocco, with the word 
 "Album," and the date, " 1823." Marbled 
 end-papers, and binder's ticket as follows : 
 "Bound by H. De Silver No. no Walnut 
 Street, Philad'" 
 
 Much of the skill of the binders of the 
 early eighteenth century was exercised in the 
 coverings of these tokens of friendship which 
 
 46
 
 BINDING BY GIHON 
 
 all young ladies of well regulated up-bring- 
 ing seem to have owned. 
 
 57 [O'Keefe, John] 
 
 Lopez & Wemyss' edition. The 
 Acting American Theater. Wild 
 Oats, with a Portrait of Mr. Francis, 
 (Father of the American Stage,) as 
 Sir George Thunder . . . Pub- 
 lished by A. R. Poole, Chestnut 
 Street, for the Proprietors, and to be 
 had of all the principal booksellers 
 in the United States. Price, 37^- 
 cents. [Philadelphia] J. R. M. Bick- 
 ing, Printer, 1826. Portrait en- 
 graved by J. B. Longacre. 
 
 7^x4! inches. 
 
 Bound in citron calf, with same gold and 
 blind rolled borders as the preceding ; back 
 ornamented with fillets, rolls and small tools 
 in gold, title in center ; marbled end-papers. 
 There is no binder's ticket, but the combined 
 use of the two unusual rolls makes it probable 
 that this also is the work of De Silver. 
 
 D. W. GIHON 
 
 Philadelphia, 1839 
 
 58 Hymns of Zion with Appropriate 
 Music . . . By an Evangelist. Phil- 
 
 47
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 adelphia : Thomas, Cowperthwait 
 & Co. 1839. [Printed on yellow 
 paper.] 6^x43- inches. 
 
 Bound in black, straight-grained morocco, 
 with gold rolled border and large gold stamp 
 in the center, consisting of a rectangle with 
 the title, surmounted by a cross surrounded 
 by rays, reproducing a gold design on the 
 fly-leaf made to contain the owner's name ; 
 back broken into panels formed by gouges 
 and small tools; yellow end-papers, and 
 binder's ticket as follows: "D. W. Gihon, 
 Book Binder, S. W. cor. of George & Swan- 
 wick St." 
 
 GEORGE COLMAN 
 Portland, Maine, 1832 (?) 
 
 59 Bryant, William Cullen 
 
 Poems. New- York: Published by 
 E. Bliss, 1832. 7 j- x 4-J inches. 
 
 Bound in red morocco, with gold rolled and 
 filleted border, and small gold tools at the 
 corners ; back decorated by a roll extending 
 lengthwise, with panels at top and bottom, 
 formed by fillets and gouges, bearing the title 
 and the inscription "Mrs. J. S. Little, from 
 Wm. Paine"; marbled end-papers. The 
 binder's ticket reads: "Bound by Geo. Col- 
 man, Portland." 
 
 48
 
 BINDINGS ORNAMENTED 
 BY ROLLED BORDERS 
 
 A LARGE number of early bindings have 
 their sides decorated with more or less elaborate, 
 rolled borders, with little further adorn- 
 ment, except upon the backs of the books, 
 which are sometimes very ornate. This 
 manner seems to have attained its highest de- 
 gree of excellence in the twenties and thirties 
 of the nineteenth century. 
 
 60 [Bentley, William] 
 
 A Collection of Psalms and Hymns 
 for Public Worship. Boston : Printed 
 by Rowe & Hooper. 1814. Third 
 edition. 5i x 3 inches. 
 
 Bound in red morocco, with gold rolled 
 border almost identical with that used by 
 Megarey in 1821 (see No. 45), small blind 
 tools in the corners, and large gold tools used 
 twice in the center ; back broken into com- 
 partments and gold tooled; marbled end- 
 papers and goffered edges. 
 
 6 1 Buckminster, Joseph Stevens 
 
 Sermons . . . Boston: Printed by 
 John Eliot, No. 5, Court Street. 
 
 49
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 1814. First edition, with portrait 
 engraved by D. Edwin. 
 
 9f x6f inches. 
 
 Bound in light green, straight-grained 
 morocco, with three narrow rolled borders of 
 delicate design, one blind between two gold. 
 At the corners are Roger Payne tools, used 
 twice in each corner, giving a graceful effect ; 
 back divided by gold fillets, dotted lines and 
 small meander roll, into compartments decor- 
 ated in the manner of Roger Payne ; marbled 
 end-papers. 
 
 62 The Mirror of the Graces; or, 
 
 The English Lady's Costume . . . 
 By a Lady of Distinction . . . New- 
 York: Published by I. Riley . . . 
 L. Deare, Print. N. Brunswick. 1815. 
 Colored engravings. 5^x3^ inches. 
 
 Bound in citron morocco, with narrow gold 
 rolled border ; back gold rolled and tooled ; 
 marbled end-papers and edges ; " Directions 
 to the Binder to place the Plates," on verso 
 of title-page. 
 
 63 Thomson, James 
 
 The Seasons . . . New York : Printed 
 for Richard Scott, and Forbes & Co., 
 . . . 1816. Four plates engraved by 
 Roberts. 5fx 3% inches. 
 
 5 

 
 BINDINGS ORNAMENTED BY ROLLED BORDERS 
 
 Bound in crimson roan, with gold rolled 
 border of minute flowers and leaves ; back 
 gold rolled and tooled, with title in center ; 
 marbled end-papers and yellow edges. 
 
 64 Bennett, John 
 
 Letters to a Young Lady . . . Phila- 
 delphia: Published by Anthony 
 Finley . . . William Fry, Printer. 
 1818. 5^ x 3-5- inches. 
 
 Bound in dark brown calf, with border 
 formed by gold band and two gold and two 
 narrow blind rolls, with figures formed by 
 gouges at the corners ; back gold rolled and 
 tooled ; marbled end-papers and edges. 
 
 65 Key to the First Chart of the 
 Masonic Mirror . . . Philadelphia: 
 Published by H. Parmele. J. Max- 
 well, Printer. 1819. Frontispiece 
 engraved by A. Anderson. 
 
 5f" x 3~i" inches. 
 
 Bound in dark red morocco, with minute 
 gold rolled border; back decorated with 
 masonic emblems in gold. 
 
 Copy " presented by the author to his Ex- 
 cellency De Witt Clinton," with the latter's 
 book-plate engraved by Maverick. 
 
 5 1
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 66 Harris, Thaddeus Mason 
 
 Hymns for the Lord's Supper . . . 
 Boston : Printed by Sewell Phelps, 
 No. 5, Court Street. 1820. 
 
 5i x 3! inches. 
 
 Bound in dark blue, straight- grained 
 morocco, bordered by gold fillets, a very 
 narrow gold roll and a slightly wider blind 
 roll. The gold roll is the same as one used 
 in No. 61, and the back is very similar, mak- 
 ing it probable that Phelps, who succeeded to 
 the same address as John Eliot, came into 
 possession of his tools, or employed the same 
 binder, whose work is unusual and some of the 
 best of this period ; purple end-papers. 
 
 67 Autograph Album. About 1823. 
 
 8 x 6|- inches. 
 
 Bound in red, straight- grained morocco, with 
 wide gold rolled border of bold design, and 
 narrow blind rolled inner border, which is re- 
 peated in gold four times on the back and on 
 the inside of the cover. (This is the palmette 
 roll used repeatedly by Megarey, who is 
 also suggested by the general design of the 
 back and the quality of the morocco.) Back 
 otherwise rolled and figure formed by small 
 tools repeated in two compartments on a 
 dotted ground, title in center; bright green 
 end-papers.
 
 BINDINGS ORNAMENTED BY ROLLED BORDERS 
 
 68 [Furman, Garrit Maspeth] 
 Rural Hours . . . [Maspeth, 1824.] 
 Title-page and plates designed by 
 G. Furman, engraved by A. B. 
 Durand. 8x5 inches. 
 
 Bound in blue, straight-grained morocco, 
 with gold rolled border, and blind rolled inner 
 border of same design ; back in gold tooled 
 and pointille panels; marbled end-papers. 
 
 The author's copy, with his autograph at 
 the end of the volume. 
 
 69 [Hymn-Book. Title-page want- 
 ing. Preface date, 1825.] 
 
 inches. 
 
 Bound in dark blue morocco, with wide 
 gold and narrow blind rolled borders, resem- 
 bling two used by Champleyand Megarey of 
 New York ; back gold rolled and tooled ; 
 marbled end-papers. 
 
 70 Bible 
 
 The Self Interpreting Bible, with an 
 Evangelical Commentary by the late 
 Revd. John Brown . . . Brown's 
 Splendid Bible. 1826. Frontispiece, 
 engraved title-page and plates. 
 
 18x1 ij- inches. 
 
 Bound in Russia leather, with gold rolled 
 palmette border, and names of owners in gold 
 
 53
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 in center of upper cover, "Joseph & Margaret 
 Perego"; back in compartments elaborately 
 gold rolled and tooled ; marbled end-papers. 
 
 71 Quotations from the British 
 Poets . . . Philadelphia: R. W. 
 Pomeroy . . . 1826. Frontispiece 
 engraved by Longacre. 
 
 5f xsf inches. 
 
 Bound in light brown calf, with wide gold 
 rolled border, within which are three dotted 
 lines, with small tools at the corners ; back in 
 gold tooled compartments; marbled end- 
 papers and edges. 
 
 72 A Selection of Hymns and 
 
 Psalms . . . Boston: Stereotyped at 
 the Boston Type and Stereotype 
 Foundry late T. H. Carter & Co. 
 1826. 6 X3f inches. 
 
 Bound in brown calf, with narrow gold 
 rolled border ; back gold rolled ; marbled end- 
 papers. Owner's name, "J. H. Thayer," 
 lengthwise in center of upper cover, in gold. 
 
 73 [Halleck, Fitz-Greene] 
 
 Alnwick Castle, with other Poems. 
 New- York: Published by G. & C. 
 
 54
 
 BINDINGS ORNAMENTED BY ROLLED BORDERS 
 
 Carvill . . . Elliott & Palmer, 
 Printers. 1827. First edition. 
 
 &T x ST inches. 
 
 Bound in brown calf, with two blind rolled 
 borders ; the outer border, which is a roll 
 much used by Megarey, Champleyand others, 
 is outlined by gold and painted bands, with 
 small flowers gold tooled at the corners ; back 
 with painted raised bands, outlined by fillets ; 
 marbled end-papers and edges. 
 
 74 Autograph Album. About 1828. 
 
 9 x 7-|- inches. 
 
 Bound in old blue calf, with gold rolled 
 border representing a grape-vine similar to that 
 used by Champley on the inside of the cover of 
 No. 37, but not the same as that used on Nos. 
 53i 54> 83, and 91 ; a center panel is formed 
 by a series of blind rolls, giving an elaborate 
 effect ; back gold tooled with the Tudor rose 
 in manner similar to No. 46, bound by 
 Wilson & Nichols, which, together with the 
 use of the grape-vine roll, makes it probable 
 that this was done in New York ; marbled 
 end-papers, and red leather ex-libris of "A. M. 
 Hall." 
 
 75 The Picture of New-York, and 
 Stranger's Guide . . . New-York : 
 Published by A. T. Goodrich . . . 
 [1828]. Frontispiece, plates and 
 
 55
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 map engraved by J. Yeager and 
 others. 5f x 3t inches. 
 
 Bound in red, straight-grained morocco, 
 with very narrow gold and blind rolled 
 borders ; back gold rolled and tooled, title in 
 center. 
 
 76 Pollok, Robert 
 
 The Course of Time . . . Published 
 by Crocker and Brewster, Boston 
 . . . Stereotyped at the Boston Type 
 and Stereotype Foundry. 1828. 
 Third American, from the third 
 Edinburgh edition. Portrait. 
 
 6|x4-g- inches. 
 
 Bound in red, straight-grained morocco, 
 with gold rolled border and fillets, slightly 
 tooled at the corners ; back in gold tooled 
 panels ; marbled end-papers and goffered edges. 
 
 77 The Token, a Christmas and New 
 Year's Present. Published by S. G. 
 Goodrich, Boston . . . 1828. [Isaac 
 R. Butts & Co. Printers.] Frontis- 
 piece, engraved title, and plates, en- 
 graved by Thomas Kelly, John 
 Cheney, V. Balch, G. B. Ellis, Wil- 
 liam Hoogland and C. Toppan. 
 
 6^x4 inches. 
 
 56
 
 BINDINGS ORNAMENTED BY ROLLED BORDERS 
 
 Bound in dark green calf, with gold rolled 
 border, and inner blind rolled border of inter- 
 secting bands, back divided by broad gold 
 tooled raised bands into compartments, elab- 
 orately gold tooled ; light blue end-papers. 
 
 This is the first of those annual volumes, 
 the plan of which was suggested to Mr. 
 Goodrich, he says " by the beautiful volumes, 
 which appear annually in London under the 
 general title of Souvenirs." All of the con- 
 tributions and illustrations were the work of 
 American authors and engravers, and the en- 
 couragement that the publisher gave to young 
 authors, among whom was Nathaniel Haw- 
 thorne, became proverbial. 
 
 " In the literary department," says Mr. 
 Goodrich, in his preface, of the English Sou- 
 venirs, " they are, with some exceptions, 
 light and trifling. Among the engravings, 
 however, are many of the most exquisite 
 specimens that the art has produced. If, in 
 respect to the embellishments, the Token is 
 found inferior to the English Souvenirs, the 
 Publisher hopes that this disadvantage may 
 be compensated, in some degree, by the 
 higher interest in the literary contents of the 
 volume ; at all events, as many of the embel- 
 lishments relate to American history, scenery, 
 and manners, he trusts that the work may 
 find favor with those, who would encourage 
 every attempt to explore our native mines, 
 and draw from them the treasures of poetry 
 and romance." 
 
 57
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 78 Autograph Album. 
 
 Album. New York. 1829. Title- 
 page engraved by V.Balch. 
 
 8 x 6|- inches. 
 
 Bound in crimson, straight-grained morocco, 
 with wide gold border of startling design, and 
 inner border, blind rolled ; owner's initials on 
 upper cover in gold, "W. H. S." ; the blind 
 roll is repeated in gold on the back, which is 
 also decorated with fillets, and a very wide 
 roll ; yellow end-papers. 
 
 79 Buckminster, Joseph Stevens 
 
 Sermons . . . Boston. Published by 
 Carter and Hendee . . . 1829. 
 [Examiner Press.] 8-f xsf inches. 
 
 Bound in bright green calf, with gold rolled 
 border and inner blind border (the same as 
 the gold roll used in No. 77) ; back in gold 
 tooled panels, with gold roll at foot ; marbled 
 end-papers. 
 
 80 Table of the Post Offices in the 
 United States . . . Washington : 
 Printed by Duff Green. 1831. 
 
 7 x 4^ inches. 
 
 Bound in light brown calf, with gold and 
 blind rolled borders, of design used in the 
 roll on the back of No. 79, and again on the 
 inside of No. 81 ; a center panel is formed 
 by narrow blind and gold rolls, the latter be- 
 
 58
 
 BINDINGS ORNAMENTED BY ROLLED BORDERS 
 
 ing the same interlacing design as that used 
 blind in No. 77, with gold fleurons at the 
 corners ; back with gold tooled panels, rolls 
 and painted bands ; marbled end-papers. 
 
 The resemblance to the three Boston 
 volumes (Nos. 77, 79, and 81), which seem to 
 be the work of the same binder, suggests that 
 this also was done by him ; but it is probably 
 a coincidence, due to the repetition of the same 
 designs by the tool makers. 
 
 Chief Justice Taney's copy, with his name 
 lengthwise in the center panel, " Hon. Roger 
 B. Taney, Attorney General." 
 
 8 1 The American Almanac and Re- 
 pository of useful Knowledge, for the 
 year 1833. Boston: Published by 
 Gray and Bowen ; and Carter, Hen- 
 dee, and Co. . . . [1832.] 
 
 7^x4-! inches. 
 
 Bound in red, straight-grained morocco, 
 with gold rolled border, and narrower inner 
 border, blind rolled ; back divided by broad 
 raised bands, gold tooled, into compartments, 
 three of which contain gold tooled panels ; 
 marbled end-papers. The broad gold roll is 
 the same as that used in No. 77, and again, 
 blind, in No. 79, making it seem possible that 
 the three are the work of the same binder. 
 
 59
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 82 Flora's Dictionary. [Privately 
 printed " In the Month of Fruits and 
 the City of Roses."] 
 
 9T X 7f inches. 
 
 Bound in purple calf, with double gold 
 rolled border like that used singly by Megarey 
 in No. 43, and inner gold border like that 
 used on No. 89 ; within is another border, 
 blind rolled, and a blind band, with small 
 blind tools at the corners ; back gold tooled ; 
 bright green end-papers. 
 
 83 Flora's Dictionary. Baltimore, 
 1832. 10x8^ inches. 
 
 Bound in olive, straight-grained morocco, 
 with broad blind and gold rolled borders, and 
 two narrow inner borders, blind rolled ; one 
 of the last is in the grape-vine design seen in 
 Nos. 53, 54, and 91 ; back in gold tooled 
 panels ; on the insides of the covers is a por- 
 tion of the gold roll used by Champley in Nos. 
 36 and 37 ; bright blue end-papers. 
 
 84 Jenks, Benjamin 
 
 Prayers and Offices of Devotion . . . 
 Stereotyped by A. Chandler. New- 
 York: Published by Swords, Stan- 
 ford, & Co. . . . 1832. 6 X3f inches. 
 
 Bound in reddish brown morocco, with 
 gold rolled border of bold design ; back dec- 
 
 60
 
 BINDINGS ORNAMENTED BY ROLLED BORDERS 
 
 orated with the same border and small de- 
 tached flowers, outlined in gold ; marbled 
 end-papers. 
 
 85 Bedell, Gregory Townsend, 
 
 Translator. 
 
 The Basket of Flowers . . . Phila- 
 delphia: Published by French and 
 Perkins . . . 1833. Frontispiece by 
 Longacre, and woodcuts. 
 
 6x3-5- inches. 
 
 Bound in purple calf, with gold and blind 
 rolled borders, formed by series of short 
 straight lines intersecting at right angles ; 
 back gold tooled ; marbled end-papers. 
 
 86 Tappan, William Bingham 
 The Poems of William B. Tappan. 
 Philadelphia: Henry Perkins . . . 
 1834. [I- Ashmead & Co., Print- 
 ers.] 6 X3f inches. 
 
 Bound in dark blue calf, with gold rolled 
 border, within which is a panel formed by 
 fillets and two narrow blind rolls ; at the cor- 
 ners are large gold tools of a design similar 
 to the gold roll, and these are repeated, re- 
 versed, at the sides ; in the center the name 
 of the owner lengthwise in gold " Mary Ann 
 Miller." The gold roll is repeated in full or 
 in part on the top and bottom and two raised 
 
 61
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 bands of the back, and on the insides and 
 the edges of the cover ; two compartments of 
 the back are gold tooled, and the title is in 
 the center ; marbled end-papers imitating pea- 
 cock feathers. 
 
 87 Bible 
 
 The English Version of the Polyglot 
 Bible . . . Stereotyped by L. John- 
 son. Philadelphia: Published by 
 Desilver, Thomas, & Co. . . . 1835. 
 Frontispieces and title vignettes en- 
 graved by G. B. Ellis. 
 
 5~& X 3% inches. 
 
 Bound in maroon Turkey morocco, with gold 
 rolled border, and inner blind border of fillets, 
 with large device blind stamped at the corners, 
 and the emblem of the Trinity stamped in 
 gold in the center; back decorated with a 
 band of all-over ornament ; pink end-papers. 
 
 88 Knowles, James Sheridan 
 Select Dramatic Works . . . Bal- 
 timore: Edward J. Coale & Co. 
 1835. Frontispiece (portrait of 
 Fanny Kemble). 6 x 3^ inches. 
 
 Bound in green Turkey morocco, with gold 
 rolled border of a palmette design, and an 
 inner blind roll, like that used in No. 81, 
 but narrower; back gold rolled at top and 
 
 62
 
 BINDINGS ORNAMENTED BY ROLLED BORDERS 
 
 bottom, and broken into panels, within which 
 are gold figures formed by small tools ; yellow, 
 watered end-papers. 
 
 89 Butler, Charles 
 
 The American Gentleman . . . Phila- 
 delphia: Hogan & Thompson. 1836. 
 Frontispiece engraved by J. I. Pease, 
 engraved title-page. 5-3- x 3-2- inches. 
 
 Bound in red, straight-grained morocco, 
 with narrow gold rolled border, and inner 
 blind rolled border of the same design as 
 that used in gold and blind on No. 85 ; back 
 gold tooled in colonial design ; yellow end- 
 papers. 
 
 jo Wesley, John, & others 
 
 A Collection of Hymns for the Use of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church . . . 
 New York : Published by B. Waugh 
 and T. Mason, for the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church . . . J. Collard, 
 Printer. 1836. [Stereotyped by 
 Henry W. Rees.] 4*2^ inches. 
 
 Bound in dark red, straight-grained 
 morocco, with narrow gold rolled border, and 
 name of owner lengthwise in gold in the 
 center, " Lucy H. Bigelow " ; back gold rolled 
 and tooled, with title in center ; marbled end- 
 papers and edges. 
 
 63
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 91 Sigourney, Lydia Huntley 
 
 Letters to Young Ladies . . . New- 
 York. Harper & Brothers . . . 1837. 
 Third edition. 7-^x4!- inches. 
 
 Bound in light brown calf, with blind 
 filleted and tooled border ; a center panel is 
 formed by a repeat of the outer border in 
 gold and a gold grape-vine roll, within which 
 is a line of small blind circles ; a simple back 
 with wide, raised bands, gold tooled ; yellow 
 end-papers, covered with small brown figures ; 
 at the foot of the upper cover the owner's 
 name in gold, " Ann Hall." 
 
 Presentation copy, with author's autograph. 
 
 64
 
 ROLLED BORDERS AND 
 CORNER PIECES 
 
 A VARIATION of the rolled border, which 
 seems to have been little used outside of New 
 York, where it was popular with some of the 
 best binders. The most elaborate bindings 
 which are shown here, by Champley, Megarey, 
 and Brown, will be seen to be in this 
 manner. 
 
 92 Anderson, Andrew 
 
 An Inaugural Dissertation on the 
 Eupatorium Perfoliatum of Linnaeus 
 . . . New York: Printed by C. S. 
 Van Winkle . . . 1813. 
 
 8f x 5f inches. 
 
 Bound in diced calf, with gold rolled bor- 
 der, interrupted at the corners by gold tooled 
 squares ; narrow inner border blind tooled ; 
 back gold rolled and tooled ; marbled end- 
 papers. 
 
 An early and simple example of this man- 
 ner of binding. 
 
 93 [Irving, Washington] 
 
 A History of New York ... by 
 Diedrich Knickerbocker . . . Phila- 
 
 65
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 delphia: Published by M. Thomas. 
 J. Maxwell, Printer. 1819. Two 
 volumes. Third edition, with fron- 
 tispieces by W. Finden. 
 
 inches. 
 
 Bound in calf, with border formed by nar- 
 row gold and blind rolls, interrupted at the 
 corners by squares slightly gold tooled ; within 
 this border the blind roll is repeated in gold 
 and there is a blind meander roll ; gold sprigs 
 at the corners ; back divided by rolls and fillets 
 into compartments containing single gold 
 tools; title in center; marbled end-papers. 
 
 Probably a crude attempt in Philadelphia 
 to ornament in the manner successfully em- 
 ployed by Megarey on his Prayer-Books of 
 the same year ; the principal gold roll is one 
 used often by Megarey. 
 
 94 Autograph Album. Probably 
 bound in New York about 1828. 
 
 9f x 7f inches. 
 
 Bound in blue, straight-grained morocco, 
 with gold rolled border, interrupted at the 
 corners by gold tooled squares. The gold 
 roll is repeated on the inside of the cover and 
 at the top and bottom of the back (which is 
 also elaborately gold tooled), and is the same 
 used doubly by Wilson and Nichols in No. 
 46. The corners of the cover within the 
 border are decorated with a combination of 
 blind tools, and the center is filled with two 
 
 66
 
 ROLLED BORDERS AND CORNER PIECES 
 
 six-sided figures formed by fillets and blind 
 rolls interlacing and making a lozenge, which 
 holds the owner's name, "Miss Hall," in 
 gold ; at four corners are small flowers, tooled 
 in gold ; marbled end-papers. 
 
 95 Autograph Album. Probably 
 bound in New York about 1832. 
 
 8 inches. 
 
 Bound in crimson, straight-grained mo- 
 rocco, with double gold rolled border, inter- 
 rupted at the corners by gold tooled squares ; 
 narrow gold inner border of interlacement de- 
 sign ; back with two narrow rolls often re- 
 peated, fillets, and two small panels gold 
 tooled ; title in center ; owner's name in center 
 of upper cover ; blue end-papers. The prin- 
 cipal gold roll seems to be the same as that 
 used by Champley in Nos. 36 and 37 with one 
 edge cut off.
 
 BINDINGS ORNAMENTED 
 BY FILLETS 
 
 A LARGE class of bindings depend for their 
 decoration upon the use of fillets, either alone, 
 or in combination with tools, varying from 
 some of the simplest to some of the most 
 elaborate examples. A favorite use of the 
 fillet in America was its introduction in out- 
 lining panels, broken at the corners by tools, 
 in the manner of Lewis and his followers in 
 England. 
 
 96 Macomb, Alexander 
 
 A Treatise on Martial Law, and 
 Courts-Martial; as practised in the 
 United States of America . . . 
 Charleston, (S. C.) Printed and pub- 
 lished, for the Author, by J. Hoff 
 . . . 1809. 8^x5^ inches. 
 
 Bound in red, straight-grainedjmorocco, with 
 single fillets on sides, and the back orna- 
 mented with rolls, fillets, a cannon, and other 
 decoration in gold. The upper cover bears 
 the inscription in gold, " Major General 
 Samuel Smith from the Author Major 
 Macomb." Probably an early example of 
 binding in the South. 
 
 68
 
 BINDINGS ORNAMENTED BY FILLETS 
 
 97 Prayer-Book 
 
 Livre contenant les Prieres publiques 
 . . . Pour 1' Usage de 1' Eglise 
 Protestante Franchise du Saint- 
 Esprit a la Nouvelle-York. A la 
 Nouvelle- York : Del' Imprimeriede 
 Robert Wilson, 1803. 8^x5 inches. 
 
 Bound in crimson, straight-grained morocco, 
 decorated with single fillets; center panel 
 with narrow, gold rolled border, inclosing the 
 owner's name and date of binding: "John 
 D.Wolfe. 1817"; marbled end-papers and 
 edges. 
 
 98 Belknap, Jeremy 
 
 Sacred Poetry . . . Boston : Pub- 
 lished by Thomas Wells . . . Lincoln 
 & Edmands, Printers. 1820. 
 
 6x3^ inches. 
 
 Bound in red morocco, bordered by sin- 
 gle fillets, with name of owner, " R. Water- 
 ston," in gold lengthwise in center; back 
 with fillets, gold stars and small tools ; name 
 of author on central raised band ; marbled 
 end-papers. 
 
 99 Thacher, Samuel Cooper 
 Sermons . . . Boston : Published by 
 Wells and Lilly. 1824. First edi- 
 tion. 8 x 5^- inches. 
 
 69
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 Bound in purple calf, bordered by single 
 gold lines ; back divided by broad gold tooled 
 bands into compartments containing gold 
 tooled panels ; marbled end-papers and edges. 
 
 100 The Atlantic Souvenir; a Christ- 
 mas and New Year's Offering. 1828. 
 Philadelphia: Carey, Lea & Carey. 
 "Presentation plate," engravings by 
 Durand, Longacre, Ellis, Kearny, 
 and Maverick, and lithograph by 
 Pendleton. 
 
 ST x 3^ inches. 
 
 U -i \j & 
 
 Bound in dark blue morocco, with narrow 
 gold rolled border of interlacement design, 
 and center panel formed by gold fillets broken 
 at the corners by a combination of three gold 
 tools; back ornamented with a wide gold 
 roll ; lining of old-rose watered silk. 
 
 This is the third annual volume of the 
 "Atlantic Souvenir" 
 
 101 Prayer-Book 
 
 The Book of Common Prayer . . . 
 Stereotyped by D. & G. Bruce, New- 
 York. New- York: Published by 
 Caleb Bartlett. 1830. 
 
 6|- x 3f- inches. 
 
 Bound in dark red straight-grained morocco, 
 70
 
 BINDINGS ORNAMENTED BY FILLETS 
 
 with border formed by two gold lines, broken 
 at the corners by gold tools in the manner 
 used in England by Charles Lewis and his 
 followers ; name of owner, with date of bind- 
 ing, " M. B. Baury. 1832." in gold in center ; 
 back in compartments elaborately gold tooled ; 
 marbled end-papers. 
 
 102 Eaton, B. A. 
 
 The Minstrel and other Poems . . . 
 Boston : Russell, Odiorne, and Com- 
 pany. 1833. 5fx3f inches. 
 
 Bound in maroon morocco, with straight 
 and curved interlacing bands, formed by gold 
 lines, and gold fleurons, not unlike a Grolier 
 binding, and greatly resembling some of the 
 volumes bound for Henry II ; in the oval 
 formed at the center is a gold harp ; back 
 gold rolled in corresponding design, with title 
 lengthwise in center ; marbled end-papers. 
 
 Mr. Andrews writes of this volume that it is 
 " at least an approach to the bindings which 
 the collector accepts and places on his shelves, 
 because they are examples, if not elaborate 
 ones, of book-binding practised as an Art, and 
 not as a Trade. The design ... is surpris- 
 ingly Aldine in character, and cleanly tooled." 
 
 The binding is reproduced in his Bibliopegy 
 in the United States.
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 103 The Religious Souvenir ... for 
 
 mdcccxxxiv. Editedby G.T.Bedell. . . 
 . . . Philadelphia: Published by Key & 
 Biddle. 1834. [Printed by T. K. 
 Collins & Co.] Frontispiece and 
 title-page engraved by Ellis, and en- 
 gravings by Tucker, Neagle, Long- 
 acre, Smillie and Lawson. 
 
 6^X3|- inches. 
 
 Bound in crimson morocco, with blind 
 rolled and filleted border and blind tooled at 
 the corners; a center panel is formed by 
 single gold lines broken at the corners by small 
 gold tools ; an unusual back ornamented with 
 gold scrolls, within which are the title and 
 imprint ; yellow end-papers. 
 
 104 Bible 
 
 The English Version of the Polyglot 
 Bible . . . Stereotyped by L. Johnson. 
 Philadelphia : Published by Desilver, 
 Thomas, & Co. . . . 1835. Frontis- 
 pieces and title vignette engraved 
 by G. B. Ellis. 5-J x 3i inches. 
 
 Bound in maroon Turkey morocco, with 
 border of four gold lines, broken at the corners 
 by gold tools and gouges which give a curv- 
 ing effect to the whole border ; name of the 
 owner, " Sarah J. Bigelow," lengthwise in gold 
 on upper cover ; back in compartments gold 
 
 72
 
 BINDINGS ORNAMENTED BY FILLETS 
 
 stamped, with small blind tools at the centers ; 
 light gray end-papers. The leather is of the 
 same color and quality as that used upon 
 another copy of the same work, No. 87. 
 
 105 Sigourney, Lydia Huntley 
 
 Letters to Young Ladies . . . New- 
 York : Harper & Brothers . . . 
 1837. Third edition. 
 
 7 4 X4f inches. 
 
 Bound in bright cherry calf, with panel 
 formed by groups of three blind and three 
 gold lines, connected at the corners by single 
 gold lines. Between the two groups is a 
 broad band of gold ; back with broad raised 
 bands blind tooled, and two gold tooled 
 panels, title in center; yellow end-papers 
 covered with small brown figures, a slight 
 variation of the pattern of No. 91, another 
 copy of the same work. The narrow roll on 
 the edges and the inside of the covers is 
 identical in the two volumes. 
 
 106 The Gift : a Christmas and New 
 Year's Present for 1839. Edited 
 by Miss Leslie. Philadelphia: E. L. 
 Carey & A. Hart. [C. Sherman 
 and Co., Printers.] Frontispiece and 
 plates engraved by John Cheney, 
 J. B. Forrest, J. I. Pease, A. W. 
 
 73
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 Graham, R. W. Dodson, A. Lawson 
 and W. E. Tucker. 7-^ x 4f inches. 
 
 Bound in light brown morocco, with border 
 of blind fillets and small flowers at the cor- 
 ners ; a center panel is formed by a blind 
 roll, within gold fillets, decorated at the 
 corners by gold tools; back in gold tooled 
 panels ; yellow end-papers. 
 
 107 Crashaw, Richard 
 
 Steps to the Temple . . . London, 
 Printed for Humphrey Mofeley, and 
 are to be fold at his Shop at the 
 Princes Armes in St. Pauls Church- 
 yard. 1648. Second edition, with 
 title-page engraved by Thomas 
 Cross. 5-J x 3J inches. 
 
 Bound in red Turkey morocco, with double 
 border of fillets, connected at the corners by 
 single lines ; back in filleted panels ; marbled 
 end-papers. 
 
 George T. Strong's copy, with his auto- 
 graph andthedate, " 1844," on the title-page. 
 Probably boundj in New York at about that 
 date. 
 
 108 Crashaw, Richard 
 
 Carmen Deo Nostro, Te Decet 
 Hymnus, Sacred Poems ... At 
 Paris, By Peter Targa, Printer to 
 the Archbishope of Paris, in S. Vic- 
 
 74
 
 BINDINGS ORNAMENTED BY FILLETS 
 
 tors ftreete at the golden fonne. 
 1652. First edition, with illustra- 
 tions engraved by Crashaw and 
 others. 6^ x 4^ inches. 
 
 Bound in red Turkey morocco, with border 
 of fillets and central panel formed by gold 
 tools; back in gold tooled compartments; 
 marbled end-papers. 
 
 George T. Strong's copy, with his auto- 
 graph and the date, " 1844," on the title-page. 
 Probably bound for Mr. Strong at about that 
 time. 
 
 109 Habington, William 
 
 Castara . . . London : Printed by T. 
 Cotes, for Will Cooke: and are to 
 be fold at his Shop neere Fernivals- 
 InneGatein Holburne. 1640. Third 
 edition, with title-page engraved by 
 William Marshall. S^xsi inches. 
 
 Bound in red Turkey morocco, with border 
 of gold and blind fillets, and slightly blind 
 tooled at the corners ; lozenge in the center 
 formed by double gold lines ; back in filleted 
 panels ; yellow end-papers. 
 
 George T. Strong's copy. The resemblance 
 of the leather, the gold roll on the inside of 
 the covers, and the general workmanship show 
 that the present volume and Nos. 107 and 108 
 were probably bound for Mr. Strong by the 
 same binder and at the same time about 
 1844. 
 
 75
 
 STAMPED BINDINGS 
 
 STAMPED bindings were not used to any 
 extent in America until the second quarter of 
 the nineteenth century, when they became 
 particularly popular for the annual "gift 
 books" of which this period was prolific. " It 
 is not intended . . . ," says Mr. Andrews, "to 
 convey the impression, that a stamped bind- 
 ing is entirely devoid of artistic quality. In 
 the production of a stamped binding, taste in 
 design, as well as a high degree of mechanical 
 skill and accuracy, may be displayed." 
 
 no Arabian Nights 
 
 The Arabian Nights Entertainments 
 . . . Philadelphia: R. W. Pomeroy 
 . . . 1826. Six volumes, with title- 
 pages and plates engraved by G. B. 
 Ellis, F. Kearny, J . W. Steel, and J. 
 Nesmith. 6fx 4 inches. 
 
 Bound in light brown calf, with narrow 
 gold rolled border and large cathedral stamp, 
 filling the entire covers ; back in gold tooled 
 compartments, and gold rolled at head and 
 foot ; marbled end-papers. The blind roll on 
 the insides of the covers, and the gold rolls 
 of the edges, borders, and back, were all used 
 by Megarey in New York at about this period, 
 and the books greatly resemble some of his 
 work. 
 
 76
 
 STAMPED BINDINGS 
 
 in Bible 
 
 The English Version of the Polyglot 
 Bible . . . Stereotyped by L. John- 
 son. Philadelphia: Published by 
 Desilver, Jr. & Thomas . . . 1834. 
 Frontispiece and title vignette en- 
 graved by G. B. Ellis. 
 
 5f X 3i inches. 
 
 Bound in green Turkey morocco with blind 
 rolled and filleted border, and center panel, 
 consisting of straight and curved lines and 
 floral ornaments all in gold ; back gold and 
 blind rolled ; yellow end-papers. 
 
 112 Prayer-Book 
 
 The Book of Common Prayer . . . 
 Stereotyped by D. & G. Bruce, 
 New- York. New- York: R. Bartlett 
 & S. Raynor . . . 1834. Title-page 
 engraved by Illman & Pilbrow. 
 
 5i x 3^ inches. 
 
 Bound in red morocco, with center panel 
 outlined by blind stamped frame, small gold 
 tooled flowers at the center of each side of 
 the panel ; back ornamented with gold in an 
 unusual fashion; cream colored end-papers. 
 
 113 The Gift: a Christmas and New 
 Year's Present for 1836. Edited 
 by Miss Leslie. Philadelphia: E. 
 
 77
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 L. Carey & A. Hart [C. Sherman 
 & Co. Printers.] Frontispiece and 
 plates engraved by J. Cheney, T. B. 
 Welch, W. E. Tucker, G. B. Ellis, 
 Oscar A. Lawson, A. W. Graham, 
 and T. Illman. 6^x4 inches. 
 
 Bound in red morocco, with sides entirely 
 covered with large embossed design, con- 
 sisting of floral border and inner frame- 
 work surrounding an oval in the center, con- 
 taining the American eagle, and the words 
 " Gaskill, Binder" ; back blind stamped with 
 urn holding flowers and foliage, and lettered 
 in gold ; white end-papers, covered with 
 small brown figures in same design as that 
 used in Mrs. Sigourney's Letters. (Nos. 91 
 and 105.) 
 
 This is the first volume of The Gift, 
 an annual of which the editor writes in the 
 preface : " No expense, no pains have been 
 spared in the endeavour to render it in every 
 respect deserving the approbation of its pur- 
 chasers." Of the frontispiece-portrait of 
 Fanny Kemble, painted by Sully and en- 
 graved by John Cheney, Miss Leslie says 
 that it is " a splendid demonstration of the 
 beautiful union of the graphic arts, as they 
 flourish on our side of the Atlantic, and 
 is equally honorable to the taste and genius 
 of the painter, and to the correct eye and 
 exquisite skill of the engraver."
 
 STAMPED BINDINGS 
 
 114 The Magnolia. 1836. Edited 
 by Henry W. Herbert. New-York : 
 Monson Bancroft . . . [Wm. Van 
 Norden, Print.] Frontispiece, title, 
 and engravings by A. B. Durand, J. 
 W. Casilear, J. A. Rolph, T. Kelly, 
 A. W. Graham, G. Parker, J. Smillie 
 and J. E. F. Prud'homme. 
 
 7-5- x 5 inches. 
 
 Bound in dark blue morocco, with covers 
 decorated with large stamped design, con- 
 sisting of a border of conventional vines and 
 leaves with a gold magnolia in the center ; 
 back decorated in gold with an eagle holding 
 in its beak a chain whose links extend the 
 length of the back, some of them containing 
 the lettering. 
 
 115 The National Portrait Gallery 
 of Distinguished Americans. Con- 
 ducted by James B. Longacre, Phil- 
 adelphia : and James Herring, New 
 York . . . Philadelphia, James B. 
 Longacre. New York, James Her- 
 ring. 1839. Volume IV, with en- 
 graved title-page, and portraits by 
 Longacre and others. 
 
 8f x5^ inches. 
 
 Bound in red morocco, embossed in man- 
 ner similar to No. 113, but more elabor- 
 
 79
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 ately; of the medallion centerpiece, repre- 
 senting Aurora in her car, Mr. Andrews 
 says that it links the volume " in a measure 
 to the highly prized bindings said to have be- 
 longed to Demetrio Canevari, physician to 
 Pope Urban VIII." 
 
 In their Address in this fourth volume of 
 The National Portrait Gallery, the editors 
 say : " The materials, both pictoral and lit- 
 erary . . . have been obtained at a cost of 
 labor, time, and money, very far surpassing 
 any calculation that could have been made at 
 the inception of the work." Of the engrav- 
 ing of the portraits Mr. D. McN. Stauffer 
 writes : " Longacre set the standard of en- 
 graving so high, that after employing the best 
 engravers in this country, he was compelled 
 to induce others to come from Europe es- 
 pecially for this purpose. He engraved a 
 number of these himself and drew the origi- 
 nals for other engravers; and taken as a 
 whole it was the best series of portraits en- 
 graved in the United States up to that time." 
 
 A similar binding on another copy of this 
 work is reproduced in Bibliopegy in the United 
 States by W. L, Andrews. 
 
 116 The Gift: a Christmas and New 
 Year's Present for 1840. Edited by 
 Miss Leslie. Philadelphia: Carey 
 & Hart. [C. Sherman and Co. 
 Printers.] Frontispiece, engraved 
 title-page and plates by John Che- 
 80
 
 STAMPED BINDINGS 
 
 ney, J. B. Forrest, J. B. Danforth, 
 A. Lawson, J. Andrews, and J. I. 
 Pease. 7i x 5 inches. 
 
 Bound in dark blue, straight-grained mo- 
 rocco, with border of wide gold band and 
 fillets ; sides covered with large stamped de- 
 sign of flowers, fruits, birds, and animals ; in 
 the center is the bust of Sir Walter Scott, with 
 laurel branches, a harp, trumpet, and sword ; 
 back decorated with pattern of intertwining 
 flowers and leaves ; all in gold. 
 
 117 The Gift: a Christmas and New 
 Year's Present for 1842. Philadel- 
 phia: Carey & Hart. [C. Sher- 
 man and Co., Printers.] Frontis- 
 piece and plates engraved by John 
 Cheney, J. I. Pease, W. E. Turner, 
 A. Lawson and J. B. Forrest. 
 
 7 J x 4j inches. 
 
 Bound in cream-colored morocco, with 
 gold band about the outside of the cover con- 
 taining the name of the binder "S. Moore, 
 Binder, Phila.," large center and corner 
 pieces formed by a blind stamp on a gold 
 ground ; back decorated in similar fashion ; 
 yellow end-papers. 
 
 81
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 118 Cowper, William, and Thom- 
 
 son, James 
 
 The Works of Cowper and Thom- 
 son . . . Philadelphia: Grigg & 
 Elliot . . . 1845. [T. K. & P. S. 
 Collins, Printers.] Frontispiece by 
 Longacre. 9x6^ inches. 
 
 Bound in bright green calf, with border of 
 blind band and fillet, and sides decorated with 
 a large gold stamp of branches, crescents, and 
 straight and curved lines, forming a frame for 
 an oblong floral design in the center ; back 
 decorated in corresponding fashion; yellow 
 end-papers. 
 
 119 Prayer-Book. 
 
 The Book of Common Prayer . . . 
 Hartford, Ct. S. Andrus & Son. 
 King & Baird, Printers, Philada. 
 1847. Frontispiece and plate en- 
 graved by Balch, Stiles & Co. 
 
 6-^x4 inches. 
 
 Bound in light brown calf, with sides 
 entirely covered with gold, and then blind 
 stamped, leaving a small panel for the name 
 in the center ; back with three panels treated 
 like the covers ; light green end-papers. 
 
 82
 
 STAMPED BINDINGS 
 
 1 20 A Sketch of the Life of Rev. 
 John Collins . . . Cincinnati: Pub- 
 lished by Swormstedt and Power 
 . . . R. P. Thompson, Printer. 
 1849. Portrait engraved by Jewett 
 and Anderson. 6x4 inches. 
 
 Bound in crimson Turkey morocco, with 
 border of gold fillets, and sides decorated with 
 gold stamped frame-like design of delicate 
 leaves and flowers, leaving an open space in 
 the center; back in compartments, gold 
 tooled ; rose-colored end-papers. A gold 
 roll on the insides of the covers is the same 
 as that used by a Philadelphia binder in No. 
 89 and also like the narrow gold roll of 
 No. 82. 
 
 121 Pollok, Robert 
 
 The Course of Time . . . New- 
 York : C. Wells, [n.d.] Portrait en- 
 graved by T. S. Woodcock and 
 title-page and plates engraved by 
 Ellis and others. 
 
 inches. 
 
 Bound in black, straight-grained morocco, 
 with large floral decoration surrounding a 
 cartouche, stamped in the centers of the 
 covers ; back gold rolled and with two gold 
 tooled panels; title in center; brown end- 
 papers. 
 
 83
 
 CURIOSITIES OF BOOK- 
 BINDING 
 
 122 The Rainbow 1847. Edited by 
 A. J. McDonald. Albany: A. L. 
 Harrison. New- York, Bell and 
 Gould, 1847. Title-page and plates 
 engraved by James Duthie and F. B. 
 Nichols. 8x5^ inches. 
 
 Bound in cream-colored calf, stamped and 
 colored to imitate a mosaic binding ; on the 
 back, at the head, " A. L. Harrison, Binder," 
 below, " Patent stereographic binding " ; 
 end-papers stamped to imitate a doublure. 
 
 Of a volume of The Rainbow for the fol- 
 lowing year, bound in the same manner, but 
 with different coloring, of which he gives a 
 reproduction in his Bibliopegy in the United 
 States, Mr. Andrews says : " We now come to 
 an exhibition of Yankee ingenuity applied 
 to bibliopegy, which might be described as 
 book-cover decoration made easy. But the 
 name bestowed upon the process by its shrewd 
 inventor is Patent Stereographic Binding. The 
 presumed advantage of the process was, I 
 understand, the facility with which, by the 
 application of different colors, to the compart- 
 ments, mapped out by one and the self-same 
 brass stamp, a surprising, and we may add a 
 
 84
 
 CURIOSITIES OF BOOKBINDING 
 
 startling variety of effects, could be produced. 
 This parody upon the Art of bookbinding 
 seems to have met with the disfavor it de- 
 served." 
 
 123 Events in Paris during the 26, 
 27, 28 and 29 of July, 1830, by sev- 
 eral eye Witnesses . . . Translated 
 from the fourth Paris edition. Bos- 
 ton : Published by Carter and 
 Hendee. Baltimore, Charles Car- 
 ter. 1830. [Printed by I. R. Butts, 
 Boston.] 6x4 inches. 
 
 Bound in half calf. The leather and the 
 marbled paper are divided into thirds, one 
 blue, one white, and one red. On the upper 
 cover is a calfskin label with the name of the 
 owner, " E. Henderson Otis." The tricolor 
 effect is carried out in the paper on which the 
 book is printed, the first third being blue, the 
 second, white, and the third, red in the 
 manner practised in France. The end-papers 
 are different, and are in shades of blue, white, 
 and red. 
 
 The owner of the book, whose name also 
 appears in autograph on the title, was Eliza 
 * Henderson Otis, wife of the second Harrison 
 Gray Otis. She was the first to celebrate 
 Washington's birthday regularly, and finally 
 induced the legislature to make it a legal 
 holiday.
 
 ORIGINAL BILLS OF VALEN- 
 TINE NUTTER, BINDER 
 
 124 Nutter, Valentine 
 
 Receipted bill for binding four 
 ''Quarto Books" and "Putting i Par 
 of Clasps upon a Bible," amounting 
 to ",0-19-6," dated "New York 
 Sept. 27 1773." 
 
 Isaiah Thomas speaks of Nutter as a book- 
 binder and bookseller doing business in New 
 York, opposite the Coffee-House Bridge, in 
 
 I774- 
 
 His advertisement appears in The New 
 York Journal, October 19 and 26, 1775 : 
 
 "Just published and are to be sold by 
 Valentine Nutter, Book Binder, Opposite the 
 Coffee House [a list of books follows] . . . 
 as he continues to carry on the book binding 
 business in all its branches, he hopes for the 
 continuance of his former customers, and the 
 public in general being determined to do his 
 work as good and cheap as can be done in 
 the city." 
 
 125 Nutter, Valentine 
 
 Account against Hugh Gaine for 
 binding Chesterfield's Letters, 1775- 
 7 6. 
 
 86
 
 BILLS OF VALENTINE NUTTER 
 
 The account runs from July 15, 1775,10 
 Junes, 1 7 76, during which time Nutter bound 
 250 "Setts of Chesterfield's Letters ^ p r 
 vol." To this is added " Amount of Account 
 Rendred from the 3d Jan'y ... as per 
 Book .................. ;i8o . . . 95 
 
 "Add Chesterfield to this. . . 74 14 o 
 
 ^255 35. 
 " Contra 
 
 " By Cash and Sundries at 
 Sundry Times .......... 1 3 1 9 
 
 " Ballance Due to Nutter is 122 14 5 
 
 3 5- 
 " Note the above account was never 
 settled with Mr. Gaine. 
 " New York 2oth Feb'y f 1 790. 
 
 " Valentine Nutter."
 
 AMERICAN WORKS ON 
 BOOKBINDING 
 
 126 Hazen, Edward 
 
 The Panorama of Professions and 
 Trades ; or Every Man's Book . . . 
 Embellished with eighty-two En- 
 gravings. Philadelphia: Uriah Hunt 
 & Son . . . [about 1836]. 320 pp. 
 Illustrations. 7^x6 inches. 
 
 Pages 189-194: The Paper-maker and 
 the Bookbinder. 
 
 This description of bookbinding is quoted 
 in Bibliopegy in the United States, by Mr. 
 Andrews, who says that it is, so far as he 
 is aware, the first treatise on the subject 
 printed in the United States, "and considering 
 the backward state of the Art in America at 
 the time it was written, it is noteworthy for 
 the general knowledge of the subject it 
 evinces." 
 
 127 Nicholson, James Bartram 
 
 A Manual of the Art of Bookbind- 
 ing . . . Philadelphia : Henry Carey 
 Baird. . . . 1856. 318 pp. Illustra- 
 88
 
 AMERICAN WORKS ON BOOKBINDING 
 
 tions, plates representing styles of 
 bindings and binders' tools, and 
 samples of marbled papers. 
 
 7f x 5i inches. 
 
 Bound in black morocco, with wide border 
 of interlacing bands formed by gold lines; 
 small gold tools in the squares formed at the 
 corners ; back broken into panels, with the 
 same gold tools at their centers ; doubled 
 with citron calf, with wide gold dentelle bor- 
 der, and outer border of red, gold rolled ; 
 marbled end-papers. 
 
 Mr. Nicholson's own copy, with his por- 
 trait, his autograph letter to Professor G. 
 Allen, and a reproduction of his last binding 
 inserted. It is preserved in a slip case made 
 for it by Nicholson's son, John P. Nicholson. 
 
 James Bartram Nicholson was born in St. 
 Louis in 1820. He was a descendant of 
 John Nicholson, a gunsmith who made the 
 first firelocks for the Pennsylvania committee 
 of safety, and afterward made others for the 
 Continental Congress. James was educated 
 in Philadelphia, where he later set up a 
 bindery, and became distinguished for his 
 fine work. He was twice an unsuccessful 
 candidate for Congress. Aside from his 
 volume on bookbinding, which is the most 
 exhaustive American treatise on the subject, 
 he delivered numerous lectures and ad- 
 dresses. 
 
 89
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 128 DuBois, Henri Pene 
 
 Historical Essay on the Art of Book- 
 binding . . . New York: Bradstreet 
 Press. 1883. 42 pp. 
 
 8 J x 5f inches. 
 
 129 Hoe, Robert 
 
 A Lecture on Bookbinding as a Fine 
 Art delivered before the Grolier 
 Club, February 26, 1885 . . . New 
 York: Published by the Grolier Club 
 1886. [3] 11., 36 pp., [i] 1. 63 plates 
 of facsimile. i Oj x 8^ inches. 
 
 One of two hundred copies on Holland 
 paper. 
 
 130 Matthews, William 
 
 Modern Bookbinding practically 
 considered. A Lecture read before 
 the Grolier Club of New-York, 
 March 25, 1885, with Additions and 
 new Illustrations . . . New York: 
 The Grolier Club. 1889. [2] 1., 
 96 pp. Frontispiece and eight 
 plates of facsimile. 10^ x 8^ inches. 
 
 One of three hundred copies on Holland 
 paper. 
 
 90
 
 AMERICAN WORKS ON BOOKBINDING 
 
 131 Andrews, William Loring 
 
 A Short Historical Sketch of the 
 Art of Bookbinding by William L. 
 Andrews With a Description of the 
 Prominent Styles by William Mat- 
 thews . . . New York 1895. 51 pp., 
 6 plates of facsimile. 7^ x 5-f- inches. 
 
 One of fifty copies on Japan paper. 
 
 132 Matthews, James Brander 
 
 Bookbindings old and new Notes 
 of a Booklover. With an Account 
 of the Grolier Club of New York . . . 
 New York. Macmillan and Co . . . 
 1895. xiii, 342 pp. Frontispiece, 
 illustrations and plates of facsimile. 
 
 7^x5! inches. 
 
 133 Andrews, William Loring 
 
 Bibliopegy in the United States, and 
 kindred subjects . . . Dodd, Mead 
 & Company New- York 1902. xix, 
 [i] pp., [i] 1., 128, [i] pp. En- 
 graved title-page, plates of facsimile 
 (partly colored), vignettes. 
 
 9 x 5f inches. 
 
 One of one hundred and forty-one copies 
 on Van Gelder paper.
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 134 Du Bois, Henri Pene 
 
 American Bookbindings in the Li- 
 brary of Henry William Poor . . . 
 illustrated in Gold-leaf and Colors 
 by Edward Bierstatd. Printed at 
 the Marion Press, Jamaica . . . 
 Published by George C. Smith . . . 
 New- York 1903. [8] 11., 77 pp. 
 Colored frontispiece, 38 colored 
 plates of facsimile. 9f x 6^ inches. 
 
 One of thirty-five copies on imperial Japan 
 paper. 
 
 135 Zahn, Otto 
 
 On Art Binding, A Monograph . . . 
 Memphis, S. C. Toof & Company 
 1904. Colored frontispiece, illustra- 
 tions, plates of facsimile. 
 
 7ix5i inches. 
 
 One of seventy-five copies on Japanese 
 vellum. 
 
 136 Dana, John Cotton 
 
 Notes on Bookbinding for Libra- 
 ries . . . Library Bureau, Chicago 
 1906. 1 14 pp. [2] 11. Frontispiece, 
 illustrations. 7 J x 5 inches.
 
 LIST OF BOOKBINDERS WHO ARE KNOWN TO 
 HAVE WORKED IN AMERICA BEFORE l8oO, 
 WITH THE NAMES OF A FEW EARLY NINE- 
 TEENTH-CENTURY BINDERS. 1 
 
 BOSTON 
 
 1636. JOHN SANDERS, bookbinder, "took the 
 freeman's oath in Boston, in 1636, before any 
 printing was done in the Colonies." 
 
 1661-1663. JOHN RATLIFFE came from England 
 for the purpose of binding Eliot's Indian Bible. 
 (See Introduction,) 
 
 1671-1672. WILLIAM NOWELL, bookbinder, 
 THOMAS RAND, bookbinder. In "A list of 
 seuerall psons returned to ye Countie Courts at 
 seuerall times not admitted or aproued of by ye 
 select men of Boston to be Inhabitants of ye 
 Towne." Boston Record Commissions, January 
 29, 1671-1672. 
 
 1673. EDMUND RANGER "was a binder; but had 
 some small concern in bookselling." History of 
 Printing in America by Isaiah Thomas. 
 
 1685. BARTHOLEMEW SPRINT. " George Pordage, 
 merchant, became surety for Bartholemew Sprint, 
 a Bookbinder." Boston Town Records. 
 
 1690-1728. NICHOLAS BUTTOLPH, bookbinder, 
 joined Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company 
 of Boston in 1692. He is mentioned by Thomas 
 as a printer and bookseller. 
 
 1713-1761. DANIEL HENCHMAN, " Cornhill, Corner 
 of King-Street, opposite the Old Brick Meeting- 
 
 'No printers and booksellers are included in this list unless some 
 reference to their work as bookbinders has been found. The 
 list is, necessarily, far from complete. 
 
 93
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 House," the most eminent of early Boston book- 
 sellers. (See advertisement of Wharton and 
 Bowes, his successors, in 1761.) 
 
 1719-1751. BENJAMIN GRAY, "Head of Town- 
 Dock," was prosecuted for publishing a libelous 
 pamphlet; "though not a very considerable book- 
 seller, was many years in trade, and worked at 
 bookbinding. " Thomas. 
 
 1723. NATHANIEL BELKNAP, "Head of Scarlets 
 Wharf, North End," "bound books, but did not 
 go largely into the sale of them." Thomas. 
 
 1723. JOSEPH EDWARDS, Cornhill, publisher, book- 
 seller,- and binder. 
 
 1723-1771. SAMUEL ROBINSON. "He sold some 
 books, but his principal business was that of a 
 binder." Thomas. 
 
 1725-1763. JOHN PHILLIPS, "Stationers- Arms 
 Corn-Hill," publisher, bookseller, binder, and 
 dealer in English goods. 
 
 1726- 1764. THOMAS HANCOCK, "Anne-Street, near 
 the Draw-Bridge." "After being in trade a few 
 years as a bookseller and binder, he turned his 
 attention to merchandise." Thomas, 
 
 1726. BENNET LOVE, "in Anne Street, near the 
 Bridge. His principal business appears to have 
 been binding." Thomas. 
 
 1727-1766. NATHANIEL PROCTOR, "at the Bible 
 and Dove in Anne Street, " binder and bookseller. 
 
 1728-1771. JOHN ELIOT, "at the Great Elms, 
 South-End," publisher, bookseller, and binder. 
 He was said to be a descendant of the Apostle to 
 the Indians. 
 
 1729-1742. . ALFORD BUTLER, "Lower End of 
 King-Street," an apprentice of Henchman. " His 
 principal business was binding, but he published 
 and sold a few books." Thomas. 
 
 I 73i~ I 7S9- JOHN PEMBERTON, "School Street," 
 "was chiefly employed in binding." Thomas. 
 
 94
 
 LIST OF BOOKBINDERS 
 
 1732. RICHARD FRY, one of the earliest blank- 
 book manufacturers in Boston. The following 
 advertisement from The Rehearsal, May, 1732, is 
 quoted by Thomas : ' ' Richard Fry, Stationer, 
 Bookseller, Paper Maker and Rag Merchant from 
 the city of London, keeps at Mr. Tho. Fleet's 
 Printer, at the Heart and Crown in Cornhill, Bos- 
 ton ; where said Fry is ready to accommodate all 
 Gentlemen, Merchants, and Tradesmen, with Setts 
 of Accompt Books after the neatest Manner. And 
 whereas it has been the common Method of the 
 most curious Merchants in Boston, to procure 
 their Books from London. This is to acquaint 
 those Gentlemen, that I the said Fry will sell 
 all Sort of Accompt Books done after the most 
 acute Manner, for Twenty per Cent cheaper than 
 they can have them from London." 
 
 1739-1745. CHARLES HARRISON, "over against 
 the Brazen-Head in Cornhill, was born and 
 brought up a binder in England. He settled in 
 Boston as a bookseller and binder." Thomas. 
 
 1740-1745. SAMUEL ELIOT, Cornhill, "was a con- 
 siderable bookseller, and was also a binder and 
 stationer. He died May 9, 1745, aged 32. His 
 widow carried on the business." Thomas. 
 
 1743. WALTER MACALPINE, "near the Mill- 
 Bridge," afterward "in Union-Street near the 
 Town-Dock." " He was from Scotland and was a 
 bookseller and binder. He removed to Connecti- 
 cut and died there." Thomas. 
 
 1745. THOMAS RAND, " Cornhill, near the sign of 
 the Three Nuns," afterward "in Anne-Street," 
 was by trade a binder, but sold stationery and 
 some books. 
 
 I 745- JOSHUA WINTER, " Union-Street," book- 
 seller, stationer, and binder. 
 
 1749. JOHN AMORY, "Union Street," bookseller 
 and binder for a few years ; afterward an eminent 
 merchant. 
 
 95
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 1 753 - 1 778- THOMAS LEVERITT, Cornhill, "was a 
 very respectable bookseller, binder, stationer, and 
 dealer in English goods." Thomas. 
 
 1753- 1 77 6 - WILLIAM MACALPINE, "Marlborough- 
 Street,""was bred to binding, &c. , by his brother 
 [Walter MacAlpine] ; and became a considerable 
 bookseller. ' ' Thomas. 
 
 In 1762, he set up a printing-press. He was a 
 Royalist and left Boston with the British troops 
 in 1776. 
 
 1755. TIMOTHY WHITE, Marshall's Lane, "sold 
 small books, but was chiefly employed about plain 
 binding. ' ' Thomas. 
 
 1757-1792. SAMUEL WEBB, "Anne- Street, "binder 
 and bookseller. 
 
 1 760. WILLIAM LANG, ' ' at the Gilt-Bible, Marlboro'- 
 Street." "He came from Scotland, and was 
 brought up to binding, which business he followed 
 in Boston, and accompanied it with bookselling." 
 Thomas. 
 
 1760. WILLIAM LONG. "All Sorts of Books bound 
 and gilt by William Long, from Edinburgh, to be 
 found at Mr. Jas. Maye's, at the Sign of the 
 Stayes, the South Side of the Town-House, Boston. 
 N. B. Any gentlemen that want their libraries neatly 
 gilt off, may have them done at a reasonable rate 
 by said Long." The Boston Gazette and County 
 Journal, April 14, ifbo. 
 
 He may be identical with the preceding. 
 
 1761. WHARTON & BOWES, "Booksellers and Sta- 
 tioners, Hereby inform the Public, that they have 
 opened the shop lately in the Occupation of Daniel 
 Henchman, Esq., deceased, where they carry on 
 the Bookselling and Bookbinding Business . . . 
 and all others, may depend upon being supplied 
 in the best manner, and at the most reasonable 
 Rate." Boston Weekly News- Letter, March, 176 r. 
 
 96
 
 LIST OF BOOKBINDERS 
 
 1762-1781. JOHN HODGSON, " Marlborough- 
 Street," was bred to bookbinding in Scotland. 
 " He was chiefly employed in this business, but 
 sold a few books. By permission of the court he 
 took in shorthand the trial of the soldiers con- 
 cerned in the massacre at Boston on the evening 
 of the 5th of March, 1770. He gave up his shop 
 in 1768, and was employed by John Mein." At the 
 close of an advertisement of books and stationery 
 imported and sold by Hodgson is the note : "N. B. 
 He binds books of all kinds, Gilt or Plain 
 in the neatest and best manner." Boston Post 
 Boy &* Advertiser, November 12, 1764. 
 
 1764. ANDREW BARCLAY, "at the Bible in Corn- 
 hill," binder and bookseller from Scotland. 
 
 1764. ALFORD BUTLER, Cornhill, son of Alford 
 Butler, already mentioned. " He served his ap- 
 prenticeship with William MacAlpine, and became 
 a binder and sold a few books. In 1774 he re- 
 moved to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and there 
 kept a school nearly twenty years, after which he 
 returned, and again carried on business as form- 
 erly." Thomas. 
 
 1764-1769. JOHN MEIN, " at the London Bookstore, 
 north side of King Street, Boston. Binding work 
 of all sorts executed in the best and neatest man- 
 ner." Postscript to The Massachusetts Gazette, 
 October ij, 1767. Mein was a Scotchman and 
 printed in partnership with John Fleming, and 
 published The Boston Chronicle, the Royalist 
 sympathies of which made him obnoxious, and he 
 returned to Europe in 1769. 
 
 1767. JOSEPH SNELLING, " Fish-Street, Corner of 
 Boarded Alley," "was a binder and sold school 
 books and stationery." Thomas. 
 
 1768. JOHN DOUGLAS. " This Day run away from 
 the Subscriber, an Apprentice Boy, named John 
 Douglas, aged about 17 years, small, round- 
 shouldered, wears his own Hair, very much ad- 
 dicted to Coughing and Drinking, by Trade a 
 Bookbinder . . . Whoever secures said Runa- 
 
 97
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 way shall be handsomely rewarded, by Wm. 
 McAlpine." The Boston Gazette and County 
 Journal, November 28, iyb8. 
 
 1770. JOHN LANGDON, Cornhill, served his ap- 
 prenticeship with Wharton and Bowes. He 
 "sold stationery, and carried on binding." 
 Thomas. 
 
 1771. A. ELLISON, Newbury Street, "was born in 
 England, and brought up to binding, which busi- 
 ness he followed in Boston, and sold a few books. " 
 Thomas. 
 
 Later, he removed to Newport. 
 
 1776. JAMES WHILE "Would inform the Public 
 that he carries on the Book- Binding Business in 
 its various branches, at Ponars and Willis's Print- 
 ing Office in Queen Street. 
 
 Account Books ruled and bound in the neatest 
 and genteelest manner Gilding in all its 
 branches." New England Chronicle, June 27 > 
 1776. 
 
 1823. T. H. BURTON, binder (leather ticket). 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 1693-1743. WILLIAM BRADFORD, "at the Sign of 
 the Bible." The following advertisement appears 
 with regularity in his Gazette, the publication of 
 which began in 1725: "Printed and sold by 
 William Bradford in New York where advertise- 
 ments are taken in and where you may have old 
 books, new Bound, either Plain or Gilt, and 
 Money for Linen Rags." 
 
 1 73 1 - 1 734. JOSEPH JOHNSON, " of the City of New 
 York, Bookbinder, is now set up bookbinding for 
 himself as usual, and lives in Duke Street . . . near 
 the Old-Slip Market; where all persons in Town 
 or Country may have their Books neatly new 
 Bound either Plain or Gilt, reasonable." New 
 York Weekly Journal, October 7, 1734. 
 Johnson was made a freeman in 1731. 
 
 98
 
 LIST OF BOOKBINDERS 
 
 1735. HENRY DE FOREEST, printer. "Books 
 neatly Bound, Gilded and Lettered ... by Henry 
 De Foreest, enquire for him at the House of Peter 
 Zenger, or at his House, opposite the Sign of the 
 Black-Horse." New York Weekly Journal, June 
 9' V35- 
 
 1745. JOHN HYNDSHAW, " Book binder and Book- 
 seller at the sign of the Bible, near the Old-Slip 
 Market opposite to Mr. Jacob Goelet's in New- 
 York . . . Also binds Books of any sort and old 
 Bibles, if they want, may be made perfect with 
 new sheets and singing Psalms, in the neatest and 
 best Manner at a reasonable Rate." New York 
 Weekly Post Boy, August ig, 1745. 
 
 1745-1770. ROBERT M'ALPINE, binder and book- 
 seller in Hanover Square and Beaver Street; var- 
 ious advertisements appear in the New York 
 Gazette, Mercury, and Weekly Post Boy. 
 
 1748. MALCOLM McEwEN, binder, was made a free- 
 man in 1748. 
 
 1752-1800, HUGH GAINE, printer and bookseller 
 (see No. 12 of this exhibition). 
 
 1757-1761. JAMES WATT," Bookbinding in general, 
 done with neatness, care, and expedition, by 
 James Watt." New York Mercury, October 77, 
 
 1759. DUNCAN BROWN, bookbinder (witness to the 
 will of John Fedell, mariner, July 16, 1759). 
 
 1761. SAMUEL BROWN, "in Maiden-Lane near the 
 Fly-Market." At the end of a list of books " to 
 be sold, Wholesale or Retail " is the following : 
 " Said Brown does printing and Book-binding 
 with Care and Expedition." New York Gazette, 
 June 29, ifbi. 
 
 1764. T. ANDERTON, " Lately arrived from England 
 and is now at Mr. Charles Gilmore's, the Sign of 
 the Orange Tree, in Cannon's Wharf, New- York, 
 T. Anderton, Bookbinder, letter-case and Pocket- 
 book maker . . . The said T. Anderton performs 
 
 99
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 bookbinding in its full perfection in all sorts of 
 plain and rich bindings . . . and rules paper or 
 bill books . . . &c (as exact to any pattern) but 
 with greater elegance than if taken from copper 
 plate . . . Gentlemen and Ladies who please to 
 try his abilities may always depend on being well 
 used on the very lowest terms. " New York Mer- 
 cury , December 24, 1764. 
 
 Anderton probably removed to Philadelphia 
 before 1768. 
 
 1765. SAMUEL EVANS, " Book-Binder and Stationer, 
 will remove the first of May to his Shop between 
 the Old-Slip and Coenties Market." New York 
 Gazette, April 25, 1763. 
 
 1765. P. PAINE, binder, was made afreeman in 1765. 
 
 1765. J. SOMERINDYKE, binder, was made a free- 
 man in 1765. 
 
 1773. GEORGE LEEDELL, " Bookbinder, late of Lon- 
 don, begs leave to return his thanks to his friends 
 and customers and the public in general for their 
 past favors, and hopes for the further continuance 
 of them." New York Journal, May 20, 
 
 1773-1790. VALENTINE NUTTER (see Nos. 124 and 
 125 of this exhibition). 
 
 1775. PHILIP BROOKS, " Book- Binder from Dublin, 
 carries on that business, in all its branches, at his 
 shop in Dock street. . . . He will study to give 
 general satisfaction to his customers, and flatters 
 himself the public will favor him with encourage- 
 ment." New York Journal, October ig, 1775. 
 
 1775-1776. WILLIAM GREEN, "Bookseller and 
 Bookbinder in Maiden Lane . . . All sorts of Bind- 
 ing executed in the best and neatest Manner by 
 said W. Green." New York Journal, November 
 
 I 775~ l8l 3- SAMUEL LOUDON, printer, binder, 
 and bookseller. " Book- Binding is carried on by 
 S. Loudon, No. 5 Water Street. Gentlemen of 
 the law may have books bound agreeable to their 
 
 100
 
 LIST OF BOOKBINDERS 
 
 orders . . . Gentlemen who wish to have their 
 Libraries repaired may have their books bound, 
 gilded and lettered in the neatest manner." New 
 York Packet^ March 20, 1790. 
 
 1785. ROBERT HODGE, 38 Maiden Lane, publisher, 
 printer, and binder from Scotland (see No. 8 of 
 this exhibition). 
 
 1787-1798. THOMAS GREENLEAF, "No. 196 
 Water Street," printer. " Bookbinding in all its 
 variety is carried on at this office, with neatness 
 and expedition." New York Journal, April 16, 
 1791. 
 
 " In order to give the most ample satisfaction to 
 his customers in his general business, as binding is 
 closely allied with printing, Mr. Greenleaf has en- 
 gaged a complete binder, gilder, and ruler at an 
 extraordinary salary, and will engage that every 
 one who may be pleased to employ him shall be 
 satisfied, or no pay. . . . 
 
 " N. B. A few well-dressed calf skins for sale 
 wanted several hundred Sheep Skins." New York 
 Journal, December 21, 
 
 1789-1792. CHARLES CLELAND, "Bookbinder, 
 lately from Edinburgh, respectfully informs his 
 friends and the Public that he has commenced 
 business at No. 37 Maiden Lane." New York 
 Journal, November f, 
 
 1790-1792. THOMAS ALLEN, "No. 12 Queen 
 Street," binder and bookseller (see No. n of this 
 exhibition). 
 
 1791. BENJAMIN GOMEZ, 32 Maiden Lane, 
 binder and stationer. "Bookbinding carried on 
 with neatness and despatch. Orders from the 
 country will be carefully attended to." New 
 York Journal, April 2, 
 
 1795. SAMUEL CAMPBELL, printer, binder, and 
 bookseller (see No. 16 of this exhibition). 
 
 IOI
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 Late XVIII Century. 
 
 JOHN BLACK, 20 Little Queen Street. 
 ALEXANDER CHRISTIE, i Cliff Street, and 3 Rider 
 
 Street. 
 
 CHARLES CLILAND, 15 Madison Street. 
 PETER KIRBY, 44 Crown Street, 127 Chatham 
 
 Street and 33 Ann St. (also a bookseller and 
 
 stationer). 
 JOHN REED, 17 Water Street and 106 Water Street 
 
 (also a stationer). 
 EDWARD WIER, 52 Maiden Lane. 
 
 1805. WILLIAM SWAIN, received a gold medal from 
 the American Company of Booksellers for the best 
 specimen of binding executed in American leather. 
 
 i8i6(?)-i824. GEORGE CHAMPLEY, 196 Broadway 
 and 2 Barclay Street (see Nos. 33-39 of this ex- 
 hibition). 
 
 1819-1821. HENRY I. MEGAREY, 138 Broadway, 
 (see Nos. 40-45 of this exhibition). 
 
 1825. ROBERT BATIE, JOHN BRADFORD, JOHN DAY, 
 JOSEPH FOSTER, ISAAC PECKHAM, CHARLES 
 STARR, WILLIAM WALKER, and WILLIAM 
 WRAG (?) (see No. 46 of this exhibition). 
 
 1825. WILSON & NICHOLS, " Pine Street, corner of 
 Broadway" (see No. 46 of this exhibition). 
 
 1826. WILLIAM WALKER, 32 Eldridge Street. 
 
 1827 - 1834(?) C. BROWN, " New York Prot. Epis. 
 Press, No. 8 Rector Street," and 211 Water Street 
 (see Nos. 46, 48, and 49 of this exhibition). 
 
 1827-1828. LEVIN TURNER, 183 Reed Street 
 (see Nos. 50 and 51 of this exhibition). 
 
 PHILADELPHIA 
 
 1718. ANDREW BRADFORD, "Sign of the Bible, in 
 Second-Street," printer, binder, and bookseller. 
 
 1729. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, "in Market-Street," 
 was a binder and bookseller as well as a printer. 
 The Pennsylvania Gazette was " Printed by Ben- 
 
 102
 
 LIST OF BOOKBINDERS 
 
 jamin Franklin, Postmaster, at the New Printing 
 Office near the market, where advertisements are 
 taken in and bookbinding is done reasonably in 
 the best manner." 
 
 1742. JOSEPH GOODWIN, "in Second-Street, "near 
 Blackhorse Alley," " bookseller, binder, and sta- 
 tioner, from England." Thomas, 
 
 1743. J. SCHUPPLEY, "at the Sign of the Book in 
 Strawberry Alley," binder and bookseller. He 
 is thought to have been a German. 
 
 1758. BLACK HARRY, "in Laetitia Court," was a 
 binder, and sold a few books. 
 
 1763-1804. ZACHARIAH POULSON, "Sign of the 
 Bible in Second-Street," a native of Copenhagen, 
 and apprenticed to the first Christopher Saur, of 
 Germantown. He was a binder, bookseller, and 
 stationer. 
 
 1764. SAMUEL TAYLOR, "at the Book-in-hand, 
 corner of Market and Water-Streets," binder and 
 bookseller. 
 
 1766-1795 WILLIAM WOODHOUSE, "in Front- 
 Street, near Chestnut-Street," afterward "near 
 Market Street," printer, binder, and bookseller. 
 He established the first slate and slate-pencil man- 
 ufactory in the United States. He was succeeded 
 by his son, of the same name. 
 
 1769-1802. ROBERT AITKEN, Front Street, after- 
 ward "in Market Street." Aitken was a Scotch- 
 man, and served a regular apprenticeship with 
 an Edinburgh bookbinder. He came to Phila- 
 delphia in 1769, and followed the business of a 
 bookseller and binder. In 1774 he became a 
 printer, and eight years later printed and bound 
 his famous edition of the Bible. After his death 
 his business was continued by his daughter, Jane 
 Aitken. 
 
 1771. ROBERT MAC GILL, "Corner of Laetitia 
 Court," binder and bookseller. He was after- 
 ward in Second Street, and in 1778 removed to 
 New York. 
 
 103
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 1773. GEORGE REINHOLD, "in Market-Street," 
 binder and bookseller ; was from Germany and 
 dealt in Dutch books. 
 
 1773-1781. WILLIAM TRICHET, 5 South Front 
 Street, binder and bookseller. 
 
 1823. R. DE SILVER, no Walnut Street (see Nos. 
 56 and 57 of this exhibition). 
 
 1836. GASKILL (see No. 113 of this exhibition). 
 
 1839. D. W. GIHON, " S. W. cor. of George & 
 Swanwick Street" (see No. 58 of this exhibition). 
 
 1842. S. Moore (see No. 117 of this exhibition). 
 
 ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND 
 
 1729. WILLIAM PARKS, printer and publisher of 
 the Maryland Gazette. " N. B. Old Books are 
 well bound by him." Maryland Gazette, 1729. 
 
 GERMANTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA 
 
 1738-1758. CHRISTOPHER SAUR or SOWER (see 
 No. 2 of this exhibition). 
 
 (?) -!777- CHRISTOPHER SOWER, JUNIOR. "He 
 built a paper mill on the Schuylkill, and manu- 
 factured both writing and printing paper. He 
 had previously established a bindery. He made 
 printing ink of the best quality, and excellent 
 lampblack for this purpose. His presses were 
 made under his own inspection, in his extensive 
 establishment. Thus the various branches of 
 business necessary to complete a printed book 
 were executed by him, or by his own immediate 
 workmen. Most of these branches he could per- 
 form himself." Thomas. 
 
 About 1778. SIEBERT, a German bookbinder in Ger- 
 mantown, who purchased part of Sower's stock. 
 
 104
 
 LIST OF BOOKBINDERS 
 
 ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY 
 
 1757. JOHN JONES, "in Elizabeth Town, living near 
 to Mrs. Cheetwood's mill." " Bookbinding in 
 all its parts performed by John Jones . . . " 
 New York Mercury, September 5, 1757* 
 
 ALBANY, NEW YORK 
 
 1759. STEWART WILSON, "Bookbinder and Book- 
 seller, opposite the main guard, in Albany . . . 
 Said Wilson binds all kinds of Books in the new- 
 est and neatest manner." New York Mercury, 
 October 8, /7J9- 
 
 1820. WILLIAM SEYMOUR (see No. 55 of this exhi- 
 bition). 
 
 NEWBURYPORT, MASSACHUSETTS 
 
 1760. BULKELEY EMERSON "was a binder, and sold 
 a few books. He was the only one of the trade 
 who did business in that place before 1775. The 
 office of postmaster was held by him many years." 
 Thomas. 
 
 SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS 
 
 1761. MASCOL WILLIAMS " was a binder, and traded 
 principally in school books, and stationery." 
 Thomas. 
 
 1811. THOMAS PRINCE, bookbinder (binder's 
 ticket). 
 
 CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA 
 
 1764. WOODS, binder and bookseller from Scot- 
 land. 
 
 1771. JAMES TAYLOR, "binder, and an inconsid- 
 erable dealer in books ; he also was from Scot- 
 land. " Thomas. 
 
 1818-1827. ARCHIBALD E. MILLER (see Nos. 
 52 - 54 of this exhibition). 
 
 105
 
 EARLY AMERICAN BINDINGS 
 
 PORTSMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE 
 
 1764. THOMAS FURBER, "had been taught plain 
 binding, and undertook to connect it with print- 
 ing. " Thomas. 
 
 WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS 
 
 1775-1802. ISAIAH THOMAS, publisher, printer, 
 and binder (see No. 15 of this exhibition). 
 
 HUDSON, NEW YORK 
 
 1805. PARSON (see No. 31 of this exhibition). 
 
 NEWARK, NEW JERSEY 
 
 1808. BENJAMIN OLDS, "Sign of the Bible" (see 
 No. 32 of this exhibition). 
 
 In 1836 Benjamin Olds's bookstore was at 
 279 Broad Street . . . Later it was Olds &> Son. 
 
 PORTLAND, MAINE 
 
 1832. GEORGE COLMAN (see No. 59 of this exhibi- 
 tion). 
 
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