The New Bookbinder, a new annual journal issued by the Designer Bookbinders. Volume 1, Fall 1981, will contain the first of several newly revised installments of Anthony Cams' previously unpublished Workshop Manual the development of a James Brockman binding; outside influences on the work of Philip Smith; the Cockerell tradition by Marianne Titcombe; innovations in bookbinding equipment; little-known information about tanning and dyeing goatskins in Sokoto, Nigeria; new design bindings; and book reviews. Free to DB menders, £13 overseas for nonmembers. Write to: The Hon. Secretary, Designer Bookbinders, 21 Gainsborough Court, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey KT12 1NH, England. The New Bookbinder will take the place of the DB Review.
An American source for ICCROM publications: PRG, 5619 Southampton Dr., Springfield, VA 22151.
J. Kelly, "The Construction of a Low Cost, High Capacity Vacuum Freeze-drying System." Studies in Conservation 25 (4), Nov. 1980. Publisher: International Institute for Conservation, 6 Buckingham St., London WC2N 6BA.
Care and Conservation of Collections, Vol. 2. AASLH (American Association for State and Local History), 1400 Eighth Ave. South, Nashville, TN 37203. $10.00 ($7.50 to members).
Ray Desmond, librarian of the Institute of Paper Conservation in England, is developing a large subject index of books, articles and periodicals on conservation of books, archives and art on paper.
Kathryn M. Carey, "Preservation of Colonial Court Records: Treating a Vast Collection of Historic Documents." Technology and Conservation, Spring 1981, pp. 42-45.
Geoffrey Wakeman, "Papermaking by Hand: The Major Mills." ABMR June 1981, pp. 212-217.
"Preservation of Library Materials" is a slide/cassette program produced by the Preservation of Library Materials Committee at the University of Wisconsin -Madison. This presentation is intended for staff at all types of libraries. The focus is common problems that cause damage, and suggested solutions, relating to books, non-book materials, processing problems, and environmental problems. A few of the topics covered are shelving and circulation of books, non-book storage, and employee awareness of potential damage.
The 25-minute program was designed for presentation on a slide projector with a sync feature cassette tape player, but the sync feature is not required. The booklet in the kit includes a bibliography on preservation, a copy of the script, and instructions for tying the "library knot," all of which nay be kept by the viewer. This package can be obtained through the Inter-Library Loan Department, Memorial Library, University of Wisconsin, 728 State Street, Madison, WI 53706.
John Ashman. Bookbinding, a Manual for Beginners. Adam and Charles Black, London, 1981. 112 pp. j7.95.
Public Archives, Canada. Archives Branch Conservation Committee. A Guide to the Preservation of Archival Materials. Minister of Supply and Services Canada, 1977. 20pp. Cat. No. SA2-9O/1977. Based on the 1976 photographic exhibit "Handle with Care - Fragile - Avec Soin." Topics covered:
Removal of material from boxes
Underlining & marginal notations
Applying pressure to documents
Material left in light
Holding documents while reading them
Mixing of files
Researcher etiquette
Use of fountain pens
Propped books
Oversize documents
Rapid researching
Xerox flagging
Returning material
This booklet should get some kind of a prize for communicating its message clearly and with maximum impact. Each point is illustrated by a picture of someone dressed up in a gorilla suit doing it the wrong way, above a picture of a nice lady - or gentleman - doing it the right way.
North West Book Arts, A Bimonthly Journal of The Book in The Pacific Northwest, 621 25th East, Seattle WA 98112. $18.00/year in the U.S.A. Features articles about all the bookmaking arts, explores topics of general interest to book lovers everywhere, and contains regular columns on calligraphy, collecting, and preservation, according to its flyer,
The DeSimon Company, Booksellers, in its Catalog No. 10, lists 7 books on bookbinding at prices ranging from $18 to $275, including the following briefly described books (see the catalog for fuller descriptions):
A Catalogue of Books Bound by S.T. Prideaux. . . 1979
Catalogue of the Sumptuous 'Attic' Library of the Late Alfred J. Cox, Master-Binder of Chicago, Illinois. . . 1918.
A History of Scottish Bookbinding, 1432-1650. 1955.
H.J. Plenderleith. The Preservation of Leather Book- bindings... 1957.
The DeSimon Company is at 111 West 24th St., 7th Floor, New York, NY 10011 (212-242-1252).
Lydenberg and Archer's The Care and Repair of Books is available from University Microfilms International under catalog number 2013679. Paper-cover xerographic reprints are available for $29.20 each. UMI is at 300 N, Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48106 (313-761-4700).
Microbibliophile, 1627 Bob O'Link Drive, Venice, Florida 33595, will publish articles about miniature books or doll house miniatura (collecting, making, publishing, selling, or any other phase). $15 for 6 issues. For more information write editor and publisher Robert F. Hanson at the same address. This notice was in the December 1980 issue of Konglomerati Newsletter: Konglomerati Florida Foundation for Literature and the Book Arts, Inc., P0 Box 5001, Gulfport, FL 33737.
J. George Ort, "Reflections on Bookbinding: from Apprenticeship to Retirement." Library Scene 9: 20-21, Sept. 1980. Brief account of his apprenticeship in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany, over 50 years ago; and his professional experience in this country. Mr. Ort describes present-day apprenticeships in Germany and Switzerland:
"Today, apprentices receive wages and paid holidays and vacations. The employer can no longer exercise parental punishment. But in Germany the apprenticeship system still exists and every German newspaper has column after column of ads offering apprenticeship opportunities in all crafts. . . . In Switzerland there exists a compulsory apprenticeship law. Both boys and girls who terminate their education at the completion of eight years in the elementary school system, who drop out of secondary school or who decide not to advance their education after high school must enter into an apprenticeship agreement with an employer of their choice."
Kirstin Tini Miura, My World of Bibliophile Binding. This recent publication is available through the Harcourt Bindery, 9-11 Harcourt St., Boston, MA 02116.