THE RESTORATION OF LEATHER BINDINGS.

Fourth edition, revised and expanded from the 1998 edition. A welcome new addition in this book is a full-color section for the identification of leather and marbled papers. From the author of HISTORY OF ENGLISH CRAFT BOOKBINDING TECHNIQUE (also published by Oak Knoll & The British Library), this classic in the field of bookbinding is a practical guide to the restoration of leather bindings. Revised and expanded, this work reflects advances in techniques and materials, and contains current information on suppliers and related publications. The book has chapters concerning definition of terms, tools and materials, cleaning, removing the spine, resewing and alternatives; gluing, rounding and backing; headbanding, back lining, preparation of boards, rebacking, replacing the spine, repairing caps and outer joints, repairing caoutchoue bindings, repairing corners, blending new endpapers, straightening warped boards, rebinding pasteboards, salvaging old sides; staining, aging, tooling and refurbishing, recording repairs, and a section of selected reading. Alternative approaches are included for rebinding when the original covers have been lost or are beyond restoration, modern rebinding, and replication of original bindings by combining elements of both modern and historical binding techniques. Middleton's work is designed to be a comprehensive handbook for practitioner and student alike when formal training in restorative techniques are unavailable. Also included is an updated listing of binders' suppliers. With numerous photographs and line drawings. Co-published with The British Library.

Occasionally a reviewer is presented with a volume which he knows instantly from author and subject he is going to praise. The Restoration of Leather Bindings by Bernard Middleton is such a work. Middleton is pre-eminent as practitioner, demonstrator, and writer on this subject. Restoration is the authoritative work on leather binding repair. It should be required reading for anyone who owns or is responsible for the care of valuable leather binding. --Frank Broomhead

"The definitive work on the subject." --Robert Salisbury