Found a 1902 ledger with all the binding done by hand

I was digging through an estate sale last weekend and found this old ledger from a general store in Ohio. Every single signature was sewn on cords, no machine work at all. The spine was deteriorating but the stitching was still holding strong after 122 years. Has anyone else come across old bindings that made you rethink your own techniques?

2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

2 Comments

the_betty3mo ago

Oh man, have you opened that thing up to really look at the stitching? I found an old medical textbook from the 1880s at a flea market once and the way those signatures were laced onto the cords blew my mind. Every single thread was done by hand with such precise tension, no glue or machine work at all. It made me realize how much patience those old bookbinders had compared to just slapping things together with a perfect binder today. The spine was basically dust but the sewing held it together solid for over a hundred years. I actually took a few photos of the binding before I resold it because I wanted to try and copy the method on my own journals. It really changes how you think about the whole process when you see it done that well.

10

nancy8203mo ago

I mean, I get why that would be impressive and all, but idk if "patient" is the word I'd use. A lot of those old binders were just working fast with what they had, not necessarily being super careful. Maybe it's just me but I've seen some pretty janky old bindings too where the tension was all off and the threads were loose and breaking.

5