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Endband

A green and white secondary endband being sewn over a white primary endband. Front beads are visible.

An endband is a cylindrical band sewn and/or glued to the head and tail of the spine of a book. It is slightly raised above the bookblock.[1] An endband along the top edge of the book is called a headband, and one along the bottom edge is called a tailband. Sewn endbands, or ‘true’ endbands, are sewn into the gatherings of the bookblock and perform a mechanical function.[1] They strengthen the sewing of the bookblock and sometimes the joint as well (the connection between the spine and cover boards).[1] Endbands can also be used to shape the spine.[1] Sewn endbands never occur on ‘perfect’ bindings (paperbacks), and are today mostly practiced in book arts, conservation settings, and traditional book binderies.

An endband, more so the headband, helps to resist the strain placed on the book when shelved upright with the spine facing outward, especially as it is common to pull a book out by hooking a finger over the top edge of the spine.

Terms

Book binding terms vary by time period and location. Christopher Clarkson first used the word ‘endband’ in 1967 to speak about medieval book binding.[2] The following terms are used by Conservation Wiki (operated by the American Institute for Conservation, also called AIC Wiki), Ligatus (full name The Language of Bindings Thesaurus), and J.A. Szirmai's book The Archeology of Medieval Bookbinding published in 1999.[3]

The basic elements of an endband are the support (sometimes called the core), which is made of cord, leather, catgut, or vellum, and the thread, which is usually silk or linen. Sometimes there is no support.

Tie-downs are a type of stitch that passes through the gathering, right below a sewing support on the spine.[1] This stitch helps to keep the endband in place and improves the strength of the spine, especially near the head and tail of the bookblock.[1] It is a common way to affix the endband to the book.

Primary endbands are sewn first and are typically structural. They are usually executed with the same thread used to sew the spine.[4] A compound endband is created when a secondary endband is sewn over the primary endband.[1] This secondary endband is decorative. ‘Beads,’ or the knots formed from securing the sewing, can appear on the front and back of the endband.[1]

Hand-sewn endbands before casing-in of the book blocks.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Bua, Lyudmyla (February 20, 2025). "BPG Endbands". AIC Wiki; A Collaborative Knowledge Resource.
  2. ^ "Endbands". Ligatus (Language of Bindings Thesaurus). February 16, 2022.
  3. ^ Tourais, Ana; Casanova, Conceição; Cardoso, Isabel Pombo (November 2024). "Unveiling Alcobaça endbands: A new 'Romanesque' variant?". Conservation Update. 2: 6–39. doi:10.48341/03wy-ew21 – via Abstracts of International Conservation Literature Online.
  4. ^ Szirmai, J.A. (1999). The Archeology of Medieval Bookbinding. London: Routledge. p. 205.

Terms

Quelle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endband