Title: The Works of Alexander Pope Efq., v. 7
Author: N/A
Published/Created: London: J. and P. Knapton, 1751
Owner: privately owned by Yungjin Shin
Dimensions: H 11.0cm x W 17.0cm x D 4.0cm
The book is a full leather binding with blind and gold tooling decorations on the spine, board exteriors, and edges. It has a tight back, five raised bands, and a tight joint with mild rounding and minimal backing. The front-bead endbands are sewn with red and white threads. The textblock is ploughed and decorated with red sprinkles. The text was abbreviated-sewn on five cord sewing supports, with two cords trimmed flush to the shoulder and only three cords laced through the binder’s boards. Each section consists of four folios. The endsheets are double folios sewn all along, with two flyleaves.
The book is generally in good condition. The leather cover shows mild red rot and partial splitting along the outer joints. The endcaps are missing, exposing the endbands. The red thread of the tailband is broken into pieces. The endpapers are stained from the acidic leather, and the textblock shows sporadic foxing and general grime.
This volume was purchased by Ann for me to practice full leather rebinding, including washing the entire textblock, despite the book’s good condition. The book was completely disbound with collation. The textblock was washed in two calcium-enriched deionized water baths for 15 minutes each and then sized in a methylcellulose-dissolved water bath. After drying and guarding the individual leaves, the textblock was sewn on five cords following the original sewing pattern. The new binder’s boards were laced on with the cord slips. The spine was first lined with Uso Mino Thin paper, followed by sanded calf leather to create a smooth spine. Finally, the book was fully covered with hand-pared calf leather.
This treatment was completed in consultation with Ann Lindsey.
