Book bindings

Many volumes in the special collections bear interesting bindings in a variety of materials. These give an insight into the history of each book, perhaps providing an indication as to when, where, and even by whom, an item was bound, and possibly also who it might have been owned by. The following is a, by no means exhaustive, selection of some of the more interesting bindings in the collections arranged by the type of material used in their construction, and the type of decoration applied to that material.

If you would like to see any of the early printed books or manuscripts mentioned in the index, please contact the Special Collections Librarian (tel. 01223-339393).

Calfskin - Blind-tooled

Calfskin - Gold-tooled

Morocco

Pigskin

Vellum

Textile

Other binding materials

Book furniture

Fore-edge decoration