Hermann Nitz's "Kombination" Binding, the Ur-Fancied-up Book

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Back in August 2012, Henry Hebert who was at the time a NBSS student coined a new term, fancied-up books. By this he meant trade books that were disbound in varying degrees and then rebound in more attractive bindings, whether paper, cloth, leather, ... Essentially budget design bindings, and we've all done it. Reading some new additions to my collection, I came upon what could be considered the ur-type of this.

With industrialization, bookbinding became more and more simplified with consequences for aesthetics and structural integrity. Away from sewing on raised cords and lacing those through the boards, the cords became thinner, were sewn in, sewing became mechanized (with staples being used like sewing in Germany), case binding developed, and some will say devolved from there. In Germany, the arts and crafts movement contributed to a return to sounder structure and better design, a movement the larger binderies also appropriated with the addition of extra binding departments that produced works on par with those of hand/fine binders. Leading binderies in Germany, these located in Berlin, and the book capitol of Leipzig were: E.A. Enders, Fritzsche, Hübel & Denck, Lüderitz & Bauer, Spamer, Wübben, and W. Collin among others.

Hermann Nitz (1881-1965) was a student of Paul Adams and Paul Kersten who worked as a craft bookbinder at Hübel & Denck and Spamer, and became a member of the Jakob-Krause-Bund (J-K-B) and the Meister der Einbandkunst (MDE). Despite this fine craft pedigree, he dedicated his life to working in large trade binderies where he merged the work of machines and fine craft bookbinding to create durable and pleasing bindings. He also taught and wrote on this topic, including about materials, industrial binding processes, and innovations to merge the craft and trade. This tension allegedly created animosities with peers, so that he left the MDE.*

One of these innovations was the Kombinationseinband, that combined machine sewing with simplified forwarding to give the appearance of an extra binding at lower cost, and without sacrificing quality. It was first described in this pamphlet Über einen neuen Einband-Typ published by Spamer in 1923.

Cover for Hermann Nitz's Über einen neuen Einband-Typ (About a New Binding Structure)

Spamer's Bindery in Leipzig: Most modern commercial bindery, 250 machines, 400 employees.
All kinds of bindings: Extra binding department for hand-binding, decorated papers, folders
At right an example of a handbound book. Other illustrations depict these and Kombinationseinbände
so comparisons can be made.

So, something about Spamers Kombination Bindings...

So, what was it. From the pamphlet, "the distinguishing characteristic of this style is the board attachment by hand with a 90° joint before covering," essentially extra binding. Nitz further describes the book being sewn on a modified sewing machine hemp fibers rather than gauze, backing to 90°, stuck-on endbands, covering by hand, and gilding using the blocking press and dies. At additional costs, the book might be hand-sewn, receive hand-sewn endbands, and other details. The binding style was developed for smaller or larger print runs of the classics, literature, encyclopedia, etc, in full or quarter leather, something these simplifications made possible. The pamphlet can also be viewed here, and features numerous images of books using this structure.

The style was also described by Nitz in his Die Technik des Bucheinbandes (1931), and Heinrich Luers' Das Fachwissen des Buchbinders (1943, 1946 (271)) where it is described as the Kombinationsfranzband, linking it to the extra binding. As a formal binding manual, it provided greater detail on the process, including for gilding. In it, after preparing the textblock and attaching the boards, a spine stiffener with raised false bands if desired is prepared, and pasted to the covering leather that has been pared, working the bands... When dry it is gilt in the blocking/stamping press..., and the binding then completed per the style.

Die Technik des Bucheinbandes, a work that like Collin's 1922 Pressbengel (The Bone Folder) described bookbinding for bibliophiles and was issued in an edition of 500 copies by the Gesellschaft der Bibliophilen, Berlin. In contrast to Collin's dialog format, his is written more like a manual but in lay terms. A contemporary counterpart would be Jamie Kamph's A Collector's Guide to Bookbinding (1982) in an edition of 250 copies. More in a later post...

Einschlagpapier, wrapping papers of the DDR

Just received my copy of Don Rash​'s latest Boss Dog Press imprint, Einschlagpapier. Beautifully done with wonderful samples of these very ephemeral papers. Design-wise, something for everyone. Would be a great addition to institutional collections with graphic and surface pattern design holdings, never mind personal collections... Below the text of the prospectus.

The Boss Dog Press takes great pleasure in announcing the upcoming publication of

Einschlagpapier: Wrapping Papers
of the Deutsche Demokratische Republik

By James H. Fraser

PDF of the prospectus 

The late Dr. James Fraser (and here) was a personal friend and a valued patron of the Boss Dog Press. Quite a few years ago he felt it appropriate that Loyd Haberly's bookbinding equipment be placed in my care. This act of kindness made the 2012 BDP catalog of Dr. Haberly's tools possible. His longstanding interest in East German wrapping papers (arguably one of the more esoteric fields of graphic arts history) resulted in a collection of 63 different wrapping paper patterns, which he acquired both personally and through the efforts of friends over several decades. These papers are the core of the forthcoming Boss Dog Press title: Einschlagpapier: Wrapping Papers of the Deutsche Demokratische Republik.

The text, written by Dr. Fraser and edited by his wife Sibylle, describes how his interest in these papers developed, and documents his research into their history. The samples consist of 38 pattern swatches in each book, with sizes ranging from 5" x 7" to 5" x 1 9/16" There are six patterns cited in the text; these samples are situated near their respective citations. Another pattern is used as a tailpiece to the text. The other 31 swatches are arranged by decade as per Dr. Fraser's original dating. In order to maximize the sizes of the samples per volume, the edition size had to be limited to 20 copies; of these, three are reserved for the Fraser family and one for the Press.
Although the remaining samples were insufficient in area to be used in all of the copies, most were large enough to provide one 5" x 7" swatch. Twenty of these will be used as frontispieces, each unique to its copy of the edition.

Page size for the edition is 7 1/3" x 11" in landscape format.· The book is imposed in seven quarto signatures with 51 numbered pages plus colophon. The paper for the text and for this prospectus is handmade Old Master Gaspe from La Papeterie Saint-Armand in Montreal, Canada. As with prior Boss Dog titles, the paper will be dampened and printed on our Washington handpress.

The typeface for Einschlagpapier is Linotype digital Kabel, set in Adobe In Design here at the Press. Kabel was designed by Rudolf Koch in 1926; a monoline face with rather eccentric features, it has a marked affinity to the aesthetic of these wrapping papers. Polymer plates for the project are by Boxcar Press in Syracuse, NY.

Bindings will be full Scholco Half-Linen cloth over boards, with paper labels scanned from wrapping bands in the collection. Each book and an accompanying DVD of images of the complete collection of papers will be housed in a matching full cloth clamshell box.

As noted above, the edition size is 20 copies, with 16 for sale. The price per copy is $750, payable by check or credit card. Payment over time can also be arranged. As usual, standing order customers receive 20% discount plus free shipping. Dealer discount is 30%, but given the miniscule size of the edition the Press regretfully has to limit one copy per dealer. The cost of shipping is $15.00.

While normally we send along an order card with each prospectus, due to the unique content and very small size of this edition we are asking interested parties to contact the press via email or phone in order to ensure prompt processing of orders.

Don Rash
The Boss Dog Press
50 Burke Street
Plains, Pennsylvania 18705 USA
Telephone +001 570 239 8643
Email bossdogpress@donrashfinebookbinder.com

Below scans of the cover and selected pages from the introduction, of illustrations, and the colophon.

The book also contains a CD of images of the full sheets. While not at reproduction quality, they give a wonderful overall sense of the surface pattern design of these papers. The CD also provides descriptive data for the swatches included in the book, swatches that were produced from these sheets.

Images from the CD

A wonderful complement to Einschlagpapier is Freude am Einkauf – Papiertüten in der DDR, a book that while in German is richly illustrated with images of the paper bags produced for shoppers in the DDR, bags that shared the joy of shopping. The book can be ordered worldwide from Edition Panorama Berlin. ISBN: 978-3938753545.

Freude am Einkauf – Papiertüten in der DDR

Both books are wonderful to an collection related to decorated papers, surface pattern design, historical studies.

Hands-on Workshops at Book Fairs

Via the Pirckheimer-Gesellschaft, a Berlin-based bibliophilic society I am a member of, I was made aware of this video of the Buch Druck Kunst fine press fair at the Museum der Arbeit (Museum of Labor) in Hamburg. In addition to vendors selling antiquarian books in addition to fine press editions…, they also had hands-on workshops for young and old in making bookish Jacob’s ladder like folders, silk screen printing, and papermaking.

Über die Pirckheimer-Gesellschaft, eine bibliophile Gesellschaft bei der ich Mitglied bin, wurde ich auf dieses Video von der Buch Druck Kunst Ausstellung beim Museum der Arbeit in Hamburg aufmerksam gemacht. Zusätzlich zu den Ständen von Antiquaren und buchkunst und graphischen Verlagen gab es auch Workshops zum machen von einer Zaubermappe, Siebdruck, Papier machen. Alles mit Klebstoff, Messer, Schere...

Click here for the video in German

This reminded me of visiting the Cologne-based model railway trade show where the large manufacturers also had layouts on the floor, platforms, or tables for kids to play with any way they wanted. Even had kits for the kids to put together with glue, scalpels, snips. Anything for them to be hands on. Still have the house my daughter built at 5 or so on my layout.

Wonder how many books fairs have these kinds of activities…? Would be a great way to connect with the next generation on a multitude of levels.

Hierbei wurde ich an unsere Reise zur Modellbahnmesse in Köln erinnert wo die größeren Hersteller fast alle ganz auf die Kinder ausgerichteten Spielanlagen mit Rollmaterial auf Teppich, Plattform, oder Tisch hatten. Die konnten sogar mit Hilfe oder von selbst ein Fallerhaus basteln mit Kleber, Skalpell, ... Habe noch immer das von meiner damals um die 5 gebaute auf meiner Anlage...

Ich wundere mich wieviele Buchmessen auch auf Kinder gerichtete Ausstellungen und Aktivitäten haben? Wäre ein super weg die nächste Generation für das Buch als Objekt zu gewinnen...

W. Collin Mappe und Etikette

[Geändert 5/11/16: Diese Abbildung meiner W. Collin Mappe und verschiedene Etikette und Stempel von W. Collin sind in Die Collins zu sehen]

Diese Geschichte der Collins und die folgende Bibliographie der Schriften von Ernst Collin beansprucht nicht vollständig zu sein, vor allem, weil sie aus der Ferne mittels digitalisierten Sammlungen, Fernleihe und angekauften Büchern zusammengestellt wurde. Sie will einen Anfang machen und darüber hinaus einen Einblick in die Welt der Familie Collin geben. Ernst Collins Ansichten und Schriften über Buchbinderei sind unter allen Quellen die wichtigsten. Die Arbeit soll auch dazu dienen, das Vermächtnis und die Leistungen dieser Berliner Familie wieder ins Gedächtnis zu rufen.

Es folgen in weiteren Teilen Kapitel zum Leben von Ernst Collin, seinen monographischen Schriften, Aufsätze in Zeitschriften, eine Beschreibung der Quellensuche, und ein Verzeichnis seiner einzelnen Schriften.
Das Gesamtwerk ist noch im Aufbau und wird Ende 2016 vollendet sein. 
Mehr hierzu können Sie unter „Colliniana“ wo einige Teile des Inhalts vorab beschrieben wurden.

Mappe von 1892

Bookbinding Caricatures, 1948

Mehr Karikaturen aus'm Falzbein, 1948. Das Falzbein war die Lehrlingszeitschrift und erschien als Beilage zum Allgemeinen Anzeiger für Buchbindereien. Es ersetzte den Buchbinderlehrling (1927-1943). Alle Zeichnungen von Jopf ausser dem Obersten.

More cartoons out of the Falzbein, 1948. The Falzbein was the magazine for bookbinding apprentices, appearing as an insert in the Allgemeiner Anzeiger für Buchbindereien. It replaced the Buchbinderlehrling (1927-1943). All drawings by Jopf, except for the top one.

Wenn das nur gut geht!
If only nothing goes wrong!

Ha, ist dann der Titel schief oder bin ich schief. Dumme Frage alles Schief.
Ha, is the title crooked or am I crooked. Dumb question, everything's crooked.

Nit möglich, raucht der Stift doch meine Zigarren!!
Really, the apprentice is smoking my cigars!!

So, wenn Du nicht sofort sagst wer mir den Kleister in meinen Spinat getan hat,
werde ich Dich mit 'ner Hülse hinterkleben und bis morgen so stehn lassen...!!
So, if you don't tell me right now who put paste in my spinach,
I'll put a hollow on you and leave you in here overnight...!!

Ich werde Dir helfen die Bücher zu flicken...
I'll help you "fix" those books...
"Zweimal Old Shatterhand" refers to one of the lead characters in Karl Mey's
Western series, as well as the hand of the Meister that is about to strike the apprentice...

Paul Kersten's Decorative Leather Work

There are very few mentions, never-mind articles about German bookbinders and bookbinding in English-language publications. Octave Uzanne's article "Paul Kersten's Decorative Leather Work," published in The Studio: an illustrated magazine of fine and applied art, is one of the few that I have found.

Frontispiece portrait of Paul Kersten from
Collin, Ernst. Paul Kersten: Festschrift des Jakob Krausse-Bundes zum 60. Geburtstage seines Ehrenvorsitzenden Paul Kersten. Berlin: Corvinus-Antiquariat E. Collin, 1925.
Lithograph by Edmund Schäfer

Wrote Octave Uzanne in his article:

The bindings of Mr. Paul Kersten, who has been established for a short time at Aschaffenbourg, and displayed some very fine examples of his work at the recent International Art Exhibition at Dresden, are the most striking manifestation yet made by the young German school of binding. He shines especially as a gilder. After a long course of work for a big firm at Leipzig, under the management of M. Sperling, for whom he did his earliest bindings, Paul Kersten was confident enough to start on his own account, in order to bring his name before the public and do justice to his signature.
[snip]
Having awarded full praise to the heavy leather covers of the bouquins of the seventeenth century, Mr. Kersten has to admit that the eighteenth century produced nothing but copies of French bindings; and, further, that if German bindings attracted any attention in the course of the nineteenth century, soon after 1840, it was solely due to the binders. Purgold and Trantz, men of German origin, living in Paris, and to Kalthoefer and Zaehnsdorff, who were established in London. As a matter of fact, try as one will, it is impossible to deny that Germany, during the centuries in question, was very poor as regards art binders, and this fact makes its recent efforts to achieve celebrity in this direction all the more meritorious. Mr. Paul Kersten had few predecessors, and when he talks of Trantz and Kalthoefer he must mistake the facts connected with these artists. They did no work "at home " - that is in Germany - but were "outsiders," who cannot be taken into account on the present occasion. Mr. Kersten himself is one of the foremost German exponents of his art, and he may without vanity be proud of the eminent position he holds.

Unidentified binding from Octave Uzanne's article

The complete article can be read in The Studio: an illustrated magazine of fine and applied art, Vol 24, Nr. 104, 1902. The Studio was one of the premier arts & crafts journals.

Paul Kersten (1865 - 1943) was one of the seminal German fine bookbinders, and his Der Exakte Bucheinband (1923) helped define German fine binding. Ernst Collin wrote the biographical "Festschrift, Paul Kersten," of this in honor of this seminal binder's 60th birthday in 1925. It was published by Collin's Corvinus-Antiquariat E. Collin for the Jakob-Krauße-Bund. The publication is divided into 6 essays titled The Pioneer, Apprenticeship and Journeyman Years, The Author, The Artist, The Craftsman, and The Man. Also included are a bibliography of Kersten’s writings and illustrations of 48 bindings created between 1896 and 1925. Among them also a binding of Der Pressbengel. The illustrations were taken from Kersten’s Der exakte Bucheinband, and the Archiv für Buchbinderei, one of the premier arts & crafts bookbinding journals. Like Georg Collin with whom he worked at W. Collin, Kersten was heavily involved with teaching, including at the Lette Verein (a trade school specifically for women founded in 1866) where he succeeded Maria Lühr, Germany's first woman Meister. Other notable students included Otto Dorfner and Otto Pfaff, both of who Collin also wrote about in articles.

Colophon from Paul Kersten

Below Kersten's Bundverzierungen, Spangen und Schliessen in moderner Richtung für die Vergoldepresse (1898), a sampler of dies available for embellishing raised bands and boards. While in German, the illustrations speak for themselves. Below, embedded text from HathiTrust.

Kersten was the author of numerous manuals for bookbinding, design, gilding, ... , however his Der exakte Bucheinband; der gute Halbfranzband, der künstlerische Ganzlederband, die Handvergoldung is considered the first manual for arts & crafts design binding. What makes the book especially interesting are the 133 depictions of bindings, technique, and design patterns, in addtion to 48 samples of decorated papers and other materials provided by various vendors at the back. Below, embedded text from HathiTrust.

Der exakte Bucheinband was also mentioned in Ernst Collin's Der Pressbengel (translated as The Bone Folder) when the Meister and Bibliophile were discussing board attachment. See "Aufschabeblech - What would it be called in English?", a post published back in 2011 for more information.

More Paste Papers - Mehr Kleisterpapiere

Some more paste paper covered books from my collection, one by a "professional," the others by apprentices.

The first is on Buch und Bucheinband: Eine Festschrift für Hans Loubier, Verlag von Karl W. Hiersemann in Leipzig, 1923. The book (text and binding) was designed by Walter Tiemann. There is a description in a review (in German) in Das Werk, vol 11, 1924. Whether that is the case with this binding is not clear, but there is another just like it (see below). The binding is in quarter vellum with labels and gold tooling on spine.

Noch mehr Kleisterpapier bezogene Bücher aus meiner Sammlung, eins aus "Meisterhand," die Anderen vom Lehrlingen...

Das erste ist Buch und Bucheinband: Eine Festschrift für Hans Loubier, Verlag von Karl W. Hiersemann in Leipzig, 1923. Die Gestaltung von Text und Einband ist von Walter Tiemann. Eine Rezession aus Das Werk, Bd. 11, 1924 ist hier zu finden. Ob das auch für diesen gilt ist mir unklar, aber noch einer konnte bei einem Antiquar unten gefunden werden. Der Einband ist in halb-pergament mit Rückenschild und Vergoldung.

Buch und Bucheinband: Eine Festschrift für Hans Loubier, Verlag von Karl W. Hiersemann in Leipzig, 1923.

Verlagswerbung aus dem Archiv für Buchbinderei Vol. 24, 1924.
Advertisment for the book in Archiv für Buchbinderei Vol. 24, 1924.

Rezession aus Das Werk, Bd. 11, 1924

Here a dealer description for another copy. I did not get my copy from John Windle.

Hier der Inserat von einem Antiquar für noch ein Exemplar. Ich habe meins nicht von John Windle bezogen.

Antiquarian dealer notice from viaLibri

Next, an apprentice binding on Paul Adam's Lebenserinnerungen eines alten Kunstbuchbinders (Memoires of an old Craft Bookbinder) published by the Meister der Einbandkunst (MDE) in 1925. The book was published in further editions in 1929 and 1951. My copy is 223/300.

Als Nächstes, Lehrlingsarbeit an Paul Adams Lebenserinnerungen eines alten Kunstbuchbinders herausgegeben von den Meister der Einbandkunst (MDE) 1925. Das Buch wurde 1929 und 1951 in weiteren Auflagen herausgegeben. Mein Exemplar ist 223/300.

Paul Adam, Lebenserinnerungen eines alten Kunstbuchbinders, 1925

Below a detail of the title on the spine. You can see clearly how it was pieced together using pallets and gouges. This is the same technique that was used on both spine and front cover (with onlays) on my copy of the 1927 Meister der Einbandkunst Jahrbuch der Einbandkunst.

Unten ein Detail von dem Titel, zusammen gesetzt aus Linien und Bogen. Dies ist die selbe Technik die bei meinem Exemplar vom Jahrbuch der Einbandkunst, herausgegeben von den Meister der Einbandkunst, 1927.

Title detail from Paul Adam, Lebenserinnerungen eines alten Kunstbuchbinders, 1925
Click to enlarge

You can see another binding on this text, this one by W. Collin student Maria Lühr in the Sammlung Max Hettler in Stuttgart, Germany.

Man kann einen anderen Einband an diesem Text, diesmal gebunden von der W. Collin Schülerin Maria Lühr in der Sammlung Max Hettler in Stuttgart finden.

Der Buchbinderlehrling
Volume 14, 1940 - 1941; Volume 15, 1941 - 1942; Volume 16, 1942 - 1943.

I have many more apprentice bindings using paste papers (see above), most in my collection of Der Buchbinderlehrling to which I dedicated a post here last summer.

Ich habe noch viele weitere Lehrlingseinbände mit Kleisterpapier eingebunden in meiner Sammlung (siehe oben) vom Buchbinderlehrling über die im letzten Jahr geschrieben habe.