Research Guides: History of Text Technologies: Animal Skins

Different types of animal skins commonly used for bookbinding

Parchment

Parchment and vellum bindings are often found in early modern books. They are very durable and practical. They are typically not ornamented because the material is somewhat harder to work on with decorative tools.

Topographia antiquae Romae by Giovanni Bartolomeo Marliani
Call Number: Vault ; DG62.5 .M3

Publication Date: 1534

The book uses hollow back binding, were the binding is basically separate from the sewing structure of the text block. Here, the text block has been attached to three cords on the spine. The book has endpapers of a recycled illuminated manuscript on parchment. You can see sewing marks on the manuscript leaves from where they were previously bound. This is an excellent example of hair side (recto) and flesh side (verso) for front endpapers.

Liber domus Sororum in Coesfeldia ordinis Santi Augustini.
Call Number: Vault ; ND3385.A87 L5

Publication Date: 15th century

This book has an odd, flexible vellum binding with covers not attached to a separate strip of vellum that is the spine. The upper and lower covers are basically part of the gathering structure, with visible tabs between first and second gathering (for upper cover) and third and fourth gathering (for lower cover).

Calf

Calf skin began to be used in bookbinding in the 15th century. It soon became the most common leather variety in bookbinding due to its natural tanned brown color, which proved practical and aesthetically pleasing without a need for dye.

The lady's assistant for regulating and supplying the table by Charlotte Mason
Call Number: Rare ; TX705 .M39 1787

Publication Date: 1787

This book is an example of tree calf binding, in which the calf binding is highly polished and stained to produce a dark tree-like pattern along the front and rear. It originated in the late 18th century. The book has a flat spine, and one can feel the cords to which the binding is attached on the inside cover. It is evident calf is the binding material; it displays soft, characteristic rubbing, as opposed to the rips in sheepskin. The style is characteristic of mid-18th century binding, though by 1787, this binding would have been conservative and almost out of style.

A new survey of the West-India's: or, The English American his travail by sea and land by Thomas Gage
Call Number: Vault ; F1211 .G14 1655

Publication Date: 1655

This book has a speckled calf binding, meaning the leather was treated with acid to form patterns of small dark spots or specks. It also has blind tooled frames (fillets that are either double or repeated singly fillets). It contains corner decorations with individual tools. It is an example of mid-market binding.

Goat/Morocco

Morocco binding usually uses goatskin that is tanned (often with sumac) and boarded in the wet condition. Straight-grained morocco was popular in the 18th and 19th centuries with bright red and green as the most popular colors.

Marmion, a tale of Flodden Field. by Walter Scott
Call Number: Vault ; PR5311 .A1 1811

Publication Date: 1811

This book contains a fore-edge painting and is bound in straight grained morocco (goat).

The Lord of the isles; a poem. by Walter Scott
Call Number: Vault ; PR5310 .A1 1815b

Publication Date: 1815

This book also contains a fore-edge painting and made of green straight grain morocco (goat).

Sheep

Sheepskin began to be used in the 15th century, developing alongside the use of calfskin. Sheepskin bindings were also popular, though they were often used for cheaply produced books.

The works of the British poets : with lives of the authors
Call Number: Rare ; PR1105 .W65 1819

Publication Date: 1818-1823

This book is an example of cheap tan sheep binding with characteristic rips and wear. It was originally tanned in a tree(ish) calf pattern. The book's binding befitting its cost. The spine is divided into 5 compartments: two red and black leather pastons with embossed title “British Poets Volume 23” in the second compartment and “Watts & Selections” in 4th compartment. The paper headbands are pasted on.

Essai sur l'histoire naturelle des corallines... by John Ellis
Call Number: Rare ; QL375 .E42

Publication Date: 1756

This book is an example of sheep binding with characteristic rips. It has plain upper and lower covers. It has six spine compartments divided by raised bands. The printed leather label with title is in the second compartment, and it is calf, not sheep.

External Sources for Animal Skin Bindings

Medieval Books in Leather
An article providing a brief overview of leather-bound books, the benefits of binding with leather, and the various animals whose leather was used in bookbinding.