During the first years of the 19th century, most books produced in the United States were still being bound individually in leather or paper, but the late 1820’s saw the introduction of cloth covered boards as bindings for books. Initially, the covers were quite simple, but as the century progressed they became much more ornate. Michael Sadlier, in The Evolution of Publisher’s Binding Styles, calls it a “movement from dignified utility to decoration for decoration’s sake.” This site, highlighting of the holdings of the Baldwin Library, is a chronologically arranged visual trip through 19th century American children's books cloth covers.
The following articles and books offer more
information on 19th century book cover design:
Allen, Sue and Charles Gullans. Decorated Cloth in America, Publisher’s Bindings, 1840-1910. Los Angeles: William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, c 1994.
Only In Cloth: Publisher’s Book Bindings, 1830-1910. Exhibition Catalog. Calvin P. Otto, Curator. Charlottesville, Va.: Book Arts Press, c1998.
Sadlier, Michael. The Evolution of Publisher’s Binding Styles, 1770-1900. New York: Garland Publishers, c. 1990.
Send comments and/or questions about this site to: Suzan Alteri
Created May 1, 2003