Our systems are now restored following recent technical disruption, and we’re working hard to catch up on publishing. We apologise for the inconvenience caused. Find out more

Recommended product

Popular links

Popular links


An Inquiry into the Nature and Form of the Books of the Ancients

An Inquiry into the Nature and Form of the Books of the Ancients

An Inquiry into the Nature and Form of the Books of the Ancients

With a History of the Art of Bookbinding, from the Times of the Greeks and Romans to the Present Day
John Hannett
December 2010
Paperback
9781108024822
£25.00
GBP
Paperback

    John Andrews Annett was the pseudonym of John Hannett, a printer and a pioneer in the study of modern and historical bookbinding methods. An Inquiry into the Nature and Form of the Books of the Ancients was published in 1837, following the success of Bibliopegia, his manual of bookbinding techniques. Having outlined the various ways in which written records were kept, and the development of the codex and of printing, Hannett devotes most of the book to the history of bookbinding. The book is well researched and illustrated, with many quotations from earlier works to support his clearly written narrative. Wills and accounts often describe books in terms of their binding, providing a way of following changing fashions in book coverings. He examines continental and oriental bindings as well as English, before discussing modern binding practice and practitioners.

    Product details

    December 2010
    Paperback
    9781108024822
    248 pages
    216 × 140 × 14 mm
    0.32kg
    30 b/w illus.
    Available

    Table of Contents

    • Preface
    • 1. On the records and writings of the earliest people
    • their form, and method of preservation
    • 2. Books from their first known form, and bookbinding in the times of the Greeks and Romans
    • 3. Monastic and other bindings up to the invention of printing
    • 4. English binding and binders, from the invention of printing to the eighteenth century, more particularly as relates to materials and finish
    • 5. English binding and binders, from the invention of printing to the eighteenth century, in reference to the styles of workmanship, and some other incidental peculiarities
    • 6. Foreign binding and binders, from the invention of printing, to the introduction of modern bookbinding
    • 7. Modern bookbinding
    • 8. Foreign bindings possessing peculiarities not before described
    • 9. Sketches and biographical notices of binders, amateur professors, and others, connected with the art
    • Conclusion
    • Index.
      Author
    • John Hannett