Studio: international art (10.1897)

Recent Bookbindings

No doubt, to the public the design which makes
these volumes resplendent seems to be their chief
feature of importance. Yet without exalting this
aspect above other qualities present, which com-
prise not merely the perfection of mechanism in all
the preliminary stages known as " forwarding," but
are concerned with the colour of the leather, the
thickness of the boards, and a dozen other matters,
each decided on its own merits, his decoration
deserves the widespread eulogy it has obtained.
For, as Mr. Brander Matthews wrote lately, " We
do not find on his books any of the childish sym-
bolism which has been abundantly advocated in
England, and, according to which, a treatise on
zoology or botany must be adorned with an animal
or a flower—a bald and babyish labelling of a book
wholly unrelated to propriety of ornamentation."
Indeed Mr. Cobden-Sanderson has himself said,
" Beauty is the aim of decoration, and not illustra-
tion or the expression of ideas." So that not only
the ingenious method which has evolved dozens of
beautifully individual patterns from a score or two
of " stamps " deserves praise, but also the consistent
effort to avoid the stupid practice of " appropriate "
motives demands no less appreciation. Vulgar
taste loves realistic pictures in place of patterns.
The fight against the picture, which is always
endeavouring to oust the pattern, is an old one,
and it is the business of all who value the new
decorative movement to keep alive to the constant
danger which besets a decorator.

Another notable feature of Mr. Cobden-Sander-
son's work is the well-placed and entirely decorative
effect of his lettering. The characters designed
(many of them by Miss May Morris) are obedient
to the best precedent and eschew all vagaries of
form dear to the " art-binder " of commerce. In
the Book of Job (see page 41) is a capital instance
of decoration obtained chiefly by finely placed in-
scriptions. The actual stamps used are a few small
leaf forms and dots, with scroll work built up
apparently from short curves and straight lines. In
the Chaucer (page 42) no additional stamps appear,
yet a totally new effect is produced. In the Atalanta
(page 43) the actual stamps appear to be but one
floral device, and outline heart-shaped leaves in two
sizes. " Any one could do as well if he had a mind
to ! " True, where the mind is equally fertile a very
few motives may re-combine into unending patterns,
but it all depends on the mind.

Much might be said of the flat backs Mr. Cobden-
Sanderson usually employs, of the proportion of
projecting margin he allows his boards ; but if such
items are not quite evident upon study of the books
44

BOOKBINDING DESIGNED BY D. S. MACCOI.L

EXECUTED BY MISS MACCOLI,

it would be little use to call attention to them.
The lesson they offer is—not that an ambitious
novice should decide to work in Mr. Cobden-
Sanderson's style—that at best would only result in
imitation, but he should study the thoroughness of
his hero's method, and express the final decoration
in his own idiom with a few " stamps " of his own
design, planned to allow a great variety of new
combinations, and worked as superbly as Mr.
Cobden-Sanderson works.

The whole scheme of Miss E. M. MacColPs
decoration is conceived on entirely different prin-
ciples, not merely from those Mr. Cobden-San-
derson has developed so harmoniously, but from
those of any previous binder. In the past the
" roll" has been constantly employed; now as a
single line, and again with more or less elaborate
patterns on its rim. These wheels were usually
from two to four inches in diameter.. The pattern,
as a rule, was not continuous, but showed a break
of say half an inch. This was obviously by way of
allowing a clean start for the run. If this was less,
in length than the circumference of the wheel a