Traditional binding and cover making

In the topic of traditional binding and cover making: Traditional binding in our traditional culture is a profession and an art in which the owner of that profession made a book without a cover, repaired and repaired a defective book, embroidered shiraz, and tabulated the book’s paper. Also, to give a new life to the rat-eaten, worm-eaten and burned-out papers by means of text and bordering.

Buying handicrafts

History of traditional binding and cover making

The art of traditional binding and cover making and preservation of writings is as old as writing itself. Even Assyrian inscriptions on clay tablets needed a protective coating; But the book cover in the form that is common today in the West dates back to the early Christian era.

In the ancient world, the book existed only in the form of a scroll of different lengths or in the form of a tablet, and in neither of these two forms, the order of the pages was important, nor was it possible to refer to its text in an easy way. At that time, the length of some ancient Egyptian scrolls reached about six meters, and it was very difficult to read a scroll shorter than this length. Although in ancient times, reading a Chinese scroll that was folded in the form of a ladder, It was easier; But in general, it was difficult to read the book and use it easily because of its tablet shape or scroll shape.

The background of traditional cover making 

The oldest book cover in the Islamic period belongs to Egypt, which belongs to the second century of Hijri. During the Seljuk period, the art of binding flourished along with gilding, and paper and cardboard were used in making covers.

In the Timurid period, the art of binding was popular and the best works of journalism and book binding belong to this period, and this art reached its perfection in Herat. The outer part of the cover usually has pressed decorations, and the inner parts have cut designs on a blue background, and decorative elements are bergamot, flowers, plants, and animals such as the Chinese anga. In this period, instead of geometric motifs, natural landscapes and animals and birds are drawn with great care. Apart from Herat, Mashhad, Samarkand, Merv, Balkh, Neishabur, Shiraz and Tabriz were also centers of this technique.

In the Safavid period, this method was continued and for the gilding, the percussive (pressing) method was used, and oil paper was used for the lining of the cover and the leather of the cover. In this period, gilding was used more than in the Timurid period. In the Safavid period, hand pressure was not used for stamping and pressing, but copper and steel molds were used.

At the time of Shah Tahmasab, it was common to have a lacquered cover, which was first applied to a thin layer of lacquer on cardboard or thin wood. Then a layer of plaster with a decorative design was painted on this background with water and paint, and to protect the painting, it was covered with several sheets of varnish.

The decoration of the cover of the book continued in the same style. Among the famous roles that can be seen in the Qajar era. The role of flowers and chickens. Another method of embalming in the Qajar period is the use of velvet and gilded velvet.

Binding and binding, which is considered one of the essential techniques of books and bookmaking in the Islamic civilization, has grown and developed in parallel with other techniques of book design, and even in monotheistic vision, it has provided the means for poetic themes like this:

The oldest version

The oldest copies with traditional binding and binding were the Coptic versions of the Bible. The mentioned works were written in Egypt during the first six centuries after Christ. The pages of this version were made from papyrus sheets   , and the cover was prepared from several layers of papyrus, on which leather was drawn, and leather straps were used to close the book.

In the Islamic world, about two centuries after the revelation of the Holy Qur’an, when the companions of the Prophet (PBUH) recorded the Qur’an on palm leaves, bones, cloth, etc., the Holy Qur’an was written in the Kufi script with gold-plated inscriptions. From this time until nearly a thousand years, the method of bookmaking was continuously perfected and hundreds of copies of each great book were created.

The art and craft of traditional binding and cover-making has been continuously receiving the attention of art scholars, and studies have been conducted and new methods have always been used to protect and record books and manuscripts from damage, possession, and distress, and to facilitate their reading and study. has been

In different eras, there have been scribes who were skilled in several arts, i.e. they were both scribes and calligraphers, and they were also involved in the art of gilding, and they were engaged in tabulation, ahar, beading, and double-skinning of paper, and sometimes except for preparing the cover. They used to make mirror frames and pencil cases. In the preparation of the cover, Sahafan personally did the work of cardboard making, leather preparation, hammering, gold plating, poetry making, dyeing, and shirazing. Shiraza bandi has been one of the most valuable works of the Sahafans, and strong Shiraza and silk with good designs and colors have been an expression of excellent art.

Technical methods of cover making

 

Binding and binding have been done in different ways in different periods and different cities. So that today, from the style of each one, it is possible to determine in which period and where that volume was made. The technical methods of cover making, known as the Coptic-Islamic method, entered Iran, and the first covers were made of wood, covered with leather, and decorated with customs and geometric shapes.

In book design, which originated from the Coptic tradition, the horizontal axis of the book was usually longer than its vertical axis, and the covers were decorated in a striking manner – without gold coating. From the end of the fifth century A.H., the simple designs on the cover were gilded with gold and silver water and sometimes with lapis lazuli and shangraf. And the cover was made into two separate parts of the text and the margin with different and distinct decorations, and basically they used it to cover the Holy Quran and other religious books as well as very valuable books.

Seljuk period book design

During the Seljuk period, the traditional bookbinding industry and its cover making and decoration flourished, and books that were written on leather until then. It went on a new path, while it should be said, the paper-making industry, which was imitated from the Chinese, spread from the sixth century A.H. in the workshops of Samarkand and then throughout the Islamic world. To make it easier for writers and other artists related to books and book design.

Book arrangement of the Timurid era

In the era of Timurids and following the introduction of Chinese culture and art by the Mongols, the back covers are also changed and accompanied by a special precision and elegance borrowed from Chinese culture and art. In this period, although the method of working is the same as that of cut leather on light backgrounds, the difference between this type of back cover and previous works is the use of natural patterns and plants. As we know, basically, Chinese art is nature-oriented art and pays special attention to nature and designs inspired by nature.

The traditional bookbinding and bookmaking industry of Iran reached its peak in the Timurid era by bookmakers and bookmakers of Herat Technical School and became an Iranian industry. It should be said that in this period, the best, most beautiful and most valuable books with very beautiful handwriting and excellent decorations and gilding, original paintings and precious covers were created.

Safavid era book design

The preparation of book covers in the Safavid era, following the growth of handicrafts and traditional arts, takes on a more industrial form, and there is a faster pace in the work of traditional binding and cover making. This form of cover making is known as lacquer cover and although the preparation of leather covers continues, instead of using hand pressure on the surface of the leather, large steel and copper molds are used. The lining of the book is mostly gilded, while there is more diversity in the background colors of the lining, and colors such as red, black, purple and green – which were new in the lining of the book cover – are also used.

There is a lot of connection between painting and gilded motifs and book covers in the Safavid era. But these roles still have elements of Chinese art. Gilding is also used on the back of the cover and sometimes in the lining of the cover more than before. In this period, slime motifs with the shape of bergamot are sometimes used on the back cover. In this covenant, the name of the designer and cover maker is mentioned in the cover of the book or its last pages, and the last point is that although lacquered covers became common in the Safavid period, the most valuable covers are the leather covers. The famous cover makers of this age should also be mentioned “Master Muhammad”.

Covering Ahed Zandiyeh

In the era of Zandiya and in the era of Qajar, lacquered roads are still of interest, and the patterns that are painted on these types of covers are mostly “flowers and birds”. In addition, it should be said that leather and velvet covers still exist in the mentioned eras. And although the value of leather covers has decreased compared to previous eras, artistic aspects are evident in the velvet covers that are accompanied by gilding.

The art of traditional binding and cover-making lost its prosperity from the 19th century A.H., and among other things, European style and method influenced them during the period of Fath Ali Shah, and the extra edge of the cover, which was in the front of the book, was gradually removed. Although the influence of Iranian binding in terms of engravings was quite noticeable.

Foreignization

With the return of Mirza Mohammad Taghi Sahafbashi and a group of his students from Farang in the second half of the 13th century A.H., a new bookbinding called “Farangi making” matured, and traditional bookbinding and bookbinding gradually fell into oblivion. Due to the necessity of growing book production all over the world, machines were invented that speeded up the process of binding, but naturally, the use of these machines caused the decline of traditional manual binding.

Threadless binding

During the 1950s, threadless binding was born. This method of binding, which was done without sewing by machine, replaced the bottom of the book. In the early 1960s, various stages of bookbinding, such as sewing or cutting off excess pieces, gluing, rounding, preparing the cover, pressing and packing, were done without manual intervention. Despite all this, the value and credibility of traditional binding has never decreased, at least among experts and artists.

Binding materials and materials

• Paper

There are different types of old papers and they are used for “Vasali” and “Badragh lining”. Famous and artistic quality papers such as Khanbalg, Kashmiri, Samarkand, Bukhara, Ahar and Mehre, etc., which are used in traditional binding and cover making, are very rare today. Therefore, foreign papers are mainly used and they are colored.

In the market, the weight of the paper is determined in grams per square meter. In Iran, the weight of paper per square meter is usually between 40 and 120 grams, which varies according to their type and use. For example, the weight of Shamiz cardboard is usually from ten grams and above and from three hundred grams and below. This type of cardboard, which is known as chamiz paper, is actually one of the relatively thick papers and is used to prepare the lining of large cut books and make thin covers for books and pamphlets, as well as to prepare book covers or cardboard covers that have a leather or hardcover cover. the river

Among the light weight papers is “graph paper”, which is special for sticking to the book’s hinge before binding due to its special strength and adhesion and light weight.

• cardboard

In the old days, they used black papers and scrap notebooks, old cotton clothes or chelwar cloth to make cardboard. Today, one of the paper products that weigh three hundred grams or more per square meter is called cardboard. In bookbinding, cardboard is used to make covers and boxes – to store books. The cover is a sheet of paper, half of which is attached to the cardboard of the book cover and the other half forms the first page of the book.

• leather

It consists of Timaj, which means goat skin, Mishan, which means sheep skin, and Sagri, which means donkey skin. The skins in terms of durability are:

• Saghri,
• Timaj,
• And they will

These leathers are used in all kinds of traditional binding and cover making (simple, multi-purpose and fuel). Because the amount of their bending and bending is high and it can be shaved and thinned without reducing its resistance.

• hardcover

Linen is a cloth or a kind of thick paper. Linoleum is in different colors, which is usually used for making covers instead of leather, and its types are:

• Glazed and cloth back;
• Without glaze and paper back.

The first type has more resistance, durability and thickness, and gold plating on it is also stable and bright.

• glue

Adhesives include starch, egg white, and vinegar. Experts believe that the best glue is serish, which is used for most of the binding work. Today, in traditional binding and cover making, white glue is used – special glue for binding. This glue has the ability to dissolve in water and when exposed to air, it thickens and closes, so it dries quickly during work.

• Shiraz

It is a narrow fabric strip with a thickness of one to one and a half centimeters, one side of which has a colored border – about one millimeter. Shiraz was and is the main source of work and the reason for keeping and guarding the papers. Another solid pillar of the cover in traditional binding and cover making is the connection of the inflectional part, i.e. the indented area, with the inflectional part of the book. Shirazeh is used to glue the top and bottom of the book. It also covers the edge for beauty.

• Cloth

In binding, cotton cloths are used to stick to the book cover. The fabrics used in this work are:

• pants,
• chit,
• Muslin

Also some exquisite fabrics such as velvet and cashmere or even fabrics that are embroidered on them. Sometimes, instead of leather or hardcover, decorative covers are used on satin fabric covers instead of lining.

• thread

Thread is used to sew the execution of the book together. And the threads used in traditional binding and cover making are perc, nylon and silk. In the past, due to the non-availability of thread with the necessary strength, they were waxed so that it would be strong and not torn during sewing. Perak thread is used to tie to the workshop, connect it to the binding and twist it to the binding of the book.

• gold

Gold is used in binding, for gilding the cover, and it has different types, which are:

• 8×8- Its carat is 18 to 24 and it is available in yellow (yellow gold) and white (silver).
• The back of the glue is dry and dull gold that crumbles quickly.
• Bobini (roll – scroll) – its material is softer than other types and its color is completely the same color as gold, and it is called Ashrafi gold.
• 16×16- because the original gold is transparent and shiny and it is made of bronze.

Explanation that 8×8 gold is mentioned as one of the most expensive and high-quality types due to its originality, and it is not possible to use it on varnished and hard-wearing leather, and it is only possible on mission. In addition, it should be said that the gold of Bobini is currently the most consumed. Because gilding is easier and faster with it.

• Colors

Colors such as henna, walnut skin, onion skin, fenugreek, runas, and seed red, which are all obtained from colored plants, or such as seed red, which is obtained from some kind of insect, are the most widely used and necessary.

Bookbinding tools

• Rock

The stone used in traditional binding, which is used as an underlay.

It is made of marble and its dimensions are usually 35×40, 40×40 or 55×50 cm and its thickness is about 15 cm.

• Adverb

It is a wooden device with dimensions of 50 x 100 cm, which is used for gluing, gilding and gluing in traditional binding and making book covers.

• workshop

It is a wooden device that is used for sewing books and it consists of a page with dimensions of approximately 50 x 40 cm, which is installed on a three to four cm base. Also, two round rods whose cross-section is one centimeter and whose height is equal to the distance between the bases form the other components of this device.

• Score

It is a tool made of wood – of course, sometimes it is made of bone, and it is fifteen centimeters in size, one side of which is cut like a reed pen and is slightly sharp, and it is used to draw lines on the cover. Its side is used for folding the paper and gluing the edges of the leather to the cardboard, and the groove at the bottom is used for drawing a line around the book, in traditional binding and cover making. This is also called folding paper and ruler – in the term of the old scribes.

• a handful

It is a device similar to a mortar handle, made of brass with a height of approximately fifteen centimeters and a larger cross-sectional area than a mortar handle. This device is used to punch and round the inflection of the book and to punch the leather after gluing the cardboard. Of course, this device is also made of steel or cup, which is the best one.

• Shafra

It is a wide iron knife with a wooden handle and a sharp edge, approximately ten centimeters long. This device is used to thin and shave the back edge of the leather and also to thin the edge of the turning bar. The mentioned device is similar to a hoe, in shoemaking, and has the same use. Of course, the blade is narrower than the blade and can be used instead of the blade in binding, but the blade is a tool with less resistance that cannot be used in shoemaking.

• round the corner

It is an iron tool with a wooden handle, 15 to 20 cm long, with a sharp point and a hollow semi-cylinder shape, which is used to round the corners of the cardboard cover. This device is available in different sizes and can be used depending on the roundness of the tip of the cover.

• gilding clip

It is a brass tool with a wooden handle that is used to gild the book cover.

• Pres

It is a metal device, made of metals such as iron or alloys such as brass, which has two fixed and movable plates. This device is used in traditional binding and cover making to press the book and glue different parts of the cover.

• Multiplication

It is an instrument, each of which has different shapes and also has different names, and it is made of steel or brass and has beautiful engraved patterns, after preparing the cover and dividing it, these molds are used to decorate the cover. to be Usually, the parts that are marked with the names of the middle of the cover and the pendant of Kalgi are seen on both sides of the top and bottom of the tang – they are more useful. Sometimes, Sahafans write their name on the pendant of Kalgi. Lach is used in the corner of the cover, which is also very useful, and sometimes pieces called slime are used to decorate the cover. Also, a large stamp that is often rectangular is used to decorate the cover and inside the cover.

• Garce

It is a box with dimensions of approximately 80 x 100 cm and a depth of approximately five centimeters with several houses in each of which there is a large number of a letter or symbol or number for gold plating.

• Letters

It is a metal piece made of alloy – lead, tin and antimony – with three dimensions – length, width and height – on the upper surface of which there is a prominent writing. Each letter contains the following components:

• Body or trunk – is a cube on which letters are engraved upside down. The height of the body is fixed in any case and what is variable is the length and width. Actually, this is a metal body that makes the letters small or large.
• The prominent shape of the letters on the body is called “face”. .
• Radeh – the semi-cylinder indented in front of the letters is called “Radeh”. With this groove, you can specify the back and front of the letters.
• Groove – the lower depression of each letter is called “Groove”.

Letters are used to gild the title of the book, author’s name, etc.

• the heat

It is a brass tool with a wooden handle fifteen to twenty centimeters long and a relatively narrow edge – including two lines – and a curve of about fifteen centimeters. This object is used for heating and marking the cover leather, book binding, in traditional binding and cover making.

• needle

Different types are used for bottom embroidery, of course, according to the coarseness and fineness of the work.

• his door

This device is used to pierce the book’s inflection in the embroidery circle or in the unsawed area of ​​the inflection in the bottom of the embroidery.

• Brush

It is chosen from the type of paint and oil painting brush, and it is used for gluing and damping the book’s edges in traditional binding and cover making.

• File and sandpaper

It is used for scraping cardboard and book edges.

One of the delicate and very precise Iranian arts, which has continuously attracted the attention of art scholars and masters of taste, is the art of cover making, which is used to protect and record books and copy papers from damage, possession, and distress, and to facilitate reading and studying. is in the works
These arts have a long history in Iran. In ancient Iran, compartments were used to preserve parchment, toz, or diba, and these compartments were built and prepared for separate books. These containers were made of iron, steel, or bronze, and later they were made of gold and wire, and the surface of these containers was decorated with gems according to the importance of the book. Paying attention to the decoration of the covers caused the art of the book to emerge and become one of the beautiful arts of the book. During the Sassanid era, golden covers were also common in addition to leather covers. Zari weaving was one of the most distinguished arts of Iran during the Sassanid era, which continued until the era of the Boyas and Samanids, and then went into decline and was revived again during the Safavid era. On leather covers, tapestry embroidery, bead embroidery, glabton embroidery, navy blue embroidery, pearl and shell embroidery were also used. In the early Islamic period, leather covers were prepared in a simple way and with basic tools from the skin of some animals. With the help of thin sheets of wood and with several rows of paper or paste, the skin was made into a solid and cardboard-like body and used for embalming with the same condition and natural color. Later, the cover was decorated with detailed geometric designs and decorations, and the recesses and protrusions of the patterns were decorated and marked with black and white colors. From the end of the fifth lunar century, the simple Roman motifs and motifs were painted on the cover with gold water and They decorated and gilded with silver and sometimes with lapis lazuli and shangraf, and decorated the cover with two parts of the text and separate borders and with different and distinguished decorations, and these decorative covers were mainly used to enshrine the Qur’an and prayer books for pilgrimage.

 fuel cover

The 9th century of Hijri should be considered as the beginning of the evolution of Iran’s bookmaking art, and it is at that time that perhaps the most beautiful books were used. dropped, sometimes they cover the copper with gold, flowers and bushes and other motifs are brought out in relief on a mass principle, sometimes reflected, and sometimes the whole surface of the cover, which is sunken and raised and has a border, text, explanation, etc., is made of plain gold Or the color of the syringe is covered and sometimes it is motley, that is, narrow and precise patterns are cut from leather and placed on the wax, which is often made of alvan paper, sometimes they thought that the contents with decorative lines on the edges of the cover. In this technique, the famous masters and artists of Tabriz and Herat were the leaders of the peers in the field of the creation of the oil-burning cover, most of the experts agreed that with Singar Mirza, he asked the famous volume and book of the master Qawamuddin from Tabriz to Herat. He performed all kinds of art in bookbinding, and among them, he made Maraq, which was not available until that time. The cover was plated with gold and the back was made with pearls. Although during this period, Herat and Tabriz took the lead in the art of bookbinding and binding, but apart from them, there were other centers, the most important of which were in Khorasan, Samarkand, Marv, Mashhad, Balkh, Bukhara, and Neishabur. Cover makers, unlike the old methods used in decoration, to decorate the covers, these artists used pressure to decorate natural landscapes and the shapes of real and legendary animals and birds. The same pressure showed the shapes of plants and animals and the human figure prominently on the cover.

 Percussive or punched cover

In order to make a percussive cover, the desired patterns and shapes are carved on the metal pieces and the metal is beaten on the leather with a suitable and balanced pressure until the effect of the metal pattern is reflected on the surface of the leather, and sometimes the indentations are filled with They were covered with gold and silver, and as a result, the patterned ridges on the leather remained the same as the original, and sometimes the patterned leathers were decorated in a special and elegant way, or by hammering the patterns on the plain text of the leather with gold. , they added the beauty of the covers.
Usually, the leathers that were used to make and cover the covers were from sheep, horse, ester, zebra and donkey skins. The leather obtained from the rump of these four-legged animals was known as Saghri leather and was very durable. It can be considered the period of improvement of this type of cover around the 10th century of Hijri. In order to further protect the copy papers, some covers were hammered and burned, and in simple covers made of timaj or leather, a longer edge than the original material of the cover was embedded, and if necessary The edge was decorated according to the cover itself, and this type of cover was called hinged.

 Oil cover (lacquered)

They drew a bow until it became a thick and delicate layer and covered the painting and decorations like a crystal curtain and a transparent cover. In these types of covers, the color of the canvas (text) on the cover is usually different from the inside, and its painting is inconsistent with each other, and most of the decorations inside the cover are limited to the pattern of lily or maryam flowers or a few blooming Alvan branches.

The importance of traditional binding

Traditional bookbinding is rightfully considered one of the original and valuable traditional arts of Iran, and its importance is enough that the most beautiful pieces of calligraphy, the most exquisite gilding and poetry, and the most valuable works of painting, and finally, exquisite and beautiful and valuable collections In the name of the book, which was embellished with the artistry of various artists, it was arranged and recorded by the artist’s writers in such a way that it would be a permanent work and be used by people of books and people of taste and thought for decades and centuries.

Examining the valuable examples of traditional binding and cover making, which have been left from the past and are still strong and durable as the first day, shows the value of the work of traditional bookmakers. It is obvious that traditional binding cannot be done except in cases where it is unique to a work of art, because it worked in the past, but the value of the work of the artist’s binders still remains, and accuracy, elegance, patience, practice, experience and expertise are still the basis of the work.

Masters of bookbinding

Qawam al-Din Maglad Tabrizi is one of the artists of the Timurid period, he lived in Tabriz and his fame in bookbinding and bookbinding reached Herat. Baisanqar Mirza requested him and employed him in his library. The inlaid cover (embroidery on the cover) is the invention of Qawamuddin Tabrizi, after whom the masters created works of art.

• Mohsen Magald is one of the writers and cover makers of Shah Tahmasb’s period. • Sultan Ibrahim Mirza Safavi is the son of Bahram Mirza, the son of Shah Ismail I. In 964, he was chosen as the governor of Khorasan by Shah Tahmasab. He was one of the art-loving Safavid princes. Maulana Ghasemi Bey Tabrizi was an incomparable scholar and incomparable volume. During the Iran-Ottoman wars and the destruction of Tabriz, Jalai Watan Kurds came from Tabriz to Qazvin and settled there and worked on bookbinding. He continued the work of Qavam al-Din Tabrizi in making the cover and renewed it. The cover was made with a black canvas instead of a gold-plated typeface, which had a variety of slime and error motifs.

Journalist

Binding is also one of the arts of bookmaking. With this art, the pages of books that were handwritten were put together in one volume, and in this work, the art of Shirazehbandi was the basis of the work, and this art was one of the phenomena of the people of Shiraz. First, they arranged the pages of the book in the form of pamphlets, and then they covered them with silk, and with this process, the pages of the book were placed so firmly and evenly next to each other that they did not tear apart over the centuries. And now we have books in our hands that are still preserved after 1100 years of their life and their pages are organized and written. Sahafans cut the edges of the books after binding them, and the process of binding the book was with them, they also did the repair of books and papers, and the art of binding and binding was also later with the Sahafans.

Types of binding

In the middle of the staple: in this type of binding, pages are paged in such a way that half of the first pages and the other half of the selected pages of the book are placed in each form, which when the forms are placed one after the other, in the middle of the book in the form of a staple wire. is hit Most of this type of binding can be found in magazines and books with a maximum of 80 pages. 2. Binding with glue: This type of binding is done in two ways, hot and cold glue. which is done by binding with hot glue by binding machine, but in binding with cold glue it is done by hand. They are placed together and connected to each other from the end by glue. In this type of binding, mostly in books and more than 80 pages to 400 pages can be bound in this way. 3. Bottom binding: