Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books
A Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology

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grooves

1. The V-shaped or rectangular incisions made on the outside of the boards connecting the holes made for LACING-IN with the edges of the board. The use of grooves in craft bookbinding was not common until the end of the 18th century, which is somewhat surprising because it is an important technique, in that, while the weakening effect on the board is only slight, it permits thick cords to be laced-in without unattractive lumps being seen under the covering leather. In the 19th century, however, the insistence upon neatness and ultra-fine finish led many bookbinders to reduce the thickness of the slips greatly before lacing-in, even though grooves were still cut. Since lacing-in of the cords is one of the major differences between a cased and a bound book, the reduction of cord thickness reduces the strength considerably.

Douglass Cockerell was the first, or one of the first, craftsmen to show that the slight projection of the cords was acceptable not only because it showed that the book was solidly constructed, but because the lumps actually provided a starting point for the decoration of the book.

Grooves in the shape of an inverted V, ending with a hole to take the cord to the inside of the board is the usual method of cutting; however, the tendency today is to cut a groove ending in a rectangular slot at right angles to the groove.

2. The depression along the binding edge of the upper and lower covers of a book. See: JOINT (1) . 3. The space between the board and spine of a book having an open joint. See: FRENCH JOINT . See also: CLOSED JOINT . 4. Cuts made in the spine of a text block in the shape of an inverted V, into which cords are recessed when sewing single leaves. See also: KERF . (83 , 196 , 236 )




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