Learn more about the American Bookbinders Museum at bookbindersmuseum.org/ and twitter.com/BkBindersMuseum Adam learns how old books were made: th-cam.com/video/uauXBgeImFc/w-d-xo.html How ledgers were originally made: th-cam.com/video/lnMFpv2Ta7I/w-d-xo.html
For a museum curator, having Adam come in must be such a treat, because he will hang on your every word and have a genuine respect and fascination for all the knowledge you have to impart.
I've been loving these videos. While the machines are old, trust me, they're not necessarily out of use. I work in a bindery making small edition art books and we're using a German arming press from the late 1800s to stamp our covers day after day.
This series on bookmaking has been some of the most eye-opening stuff for me. It’s just amazing how these were made, and it’s something we so easily take for granted these days. Thanks for taking the time to make these and for once again showing me things I never knew I wanted to know!
I now know what those embossing foils in the craft section can be used for. This vid joined the dots from the past to the present for me. Giving me ideas for DIY book making.
While examining Kenneth Grahame's "Dream Days," Adam remarks that the illustration by Maxfield Parrish "almost looks like a composite photograph." Maxfield Parrish's illustrations were not photographs, but they were paintings that combined elements painted from various photographic reference elements; he may even have projected transparencies onto his surfaces and traced them directly. By combining elements and manipulating scale, he was able to compose the most bizarre, off the wall fantasy subjects and make them look convincingly realistic. Today's digital artists owe a debt to Maxfield Parrish, and others who used similar techniques.
I'm just absolutely blown away to think that Maxfield Parrish and Kenneth Grahame collaborated. I can't even imagine what this book is about but I'm imagining some fantastical version of "Wind in the Willows". I'm off to look it up!
His magazine illustrations I believe were mostly pen-and-ink (black-and-white), and he used a shading technique which resembled the mechanical or etched mezzotint technique of intaglio printing. HOW he actually did the shading I do not know.
I am loving these streams from the American Bookbinders Museum. I would love if you could do one about the papers that were used. Papyrus, parchment, rag paper etc.
The small-scale embosser is still used! I used to work in a bookstore that sold a lot of Bibles, and a lot of people wanted a name put on their Bible. We had an embosser machine very much like that. We had gold and silver foils, and we could also do it with no color onto leather or faux leather. New sets of letter dies were expensive, so the really common letters (like e or s) were usually kind of worn out and not very sharp. We had to be careful, because if we botched up the imprint, we had to start over on a new Bible and the botched one was clearanced, and some of them were expensive!
Our state used to print the official state manual every other year that included a list of all state agencies, all state employees and their positions (and even individual salaries/wages from the highest elected officials right down to minimum wage temps), and similar things that explained the structure and costs of the entire state. They used the industrial press you mentioned, and it was so heavy that it registered on seismometers in the region every time they used it to press the binding of the books. You could specially request one for a fee and have your name printed on it in the way you were showing here. Unfortunately for book binding, but fortunately for trees everywhere, they stopped printing them and went digital several years ago.
This was fascinating to me. I worked for a book binding company in the 70's. I was hoping they'd show how the hardback covers are assembled. I spent many hours doing that. We also assembled black binders with silver printing on them for US Navy technical binders. We only made the binders, never saw the contents.
Haha awesome! I own a kwikprint for debossing / foiling leather accessories that I make; the thing's a tank and absolutely wonderful to work with. Though I modified mine with a PID temperature controller to make it much more reliable.
I said it in another video, but Madeleine needs her own TH-cam channel. She's so engaging, knowledgeable and seems very comfortable in front of the camera. Love her enthusiasm.
“MP” is Maxfield Parrish, a prominent American illustrator. The “FREE TO SERVE” cover looks like many of his pieces which were based on balanced vertical symmetry, one of his common layout schemes. My father actually met Mr. Parrish once when after WWII, one of Dad’s army buddies whom he was visiting took him over to a friend’s farm... turns out it was the Parrish homestead. I have always liked Mr. Parrish’s style and use of color, and to find out that my Dad actually met him blew my mind.
My dad worked in printing for more than 30 years starting in the 1960s. What they call ‘plates’ he called ‘cuts’. A ‘plate’ for him was a photo-etched piece of zinc sheet metal used in offset printing.
10:27... ugh... she didn't lock the print head down. The lever on the top pushes into parallel with the letter block. I used to work at a luggage store that this exact press. We would monogram luggage, books, writing pads, wallets or other leather goods.
If there's an option to stamp a cover blind or with foil, heated or not, better results come from stamping an assembled case. The adhesive and board or flexible spine inlay will have a bit of softness, creating an actual impression to protect the foil from unnecessary wear, or making a slightly more "impressive" blind stamping.
Cloth insulated wiring, in my mind, dates it to maybe the 1940s. I know I have seen devices of an older sort with that as well but plastic or rubberized sorts of coverings were coming along in that period already. So that machine is probably late 1930s, as I look at it. As noted, just because its old, doesn't mean it can't still do the job! I love seeing this sort of stuff!
Adam, I think you're closer on estimating the age of that foil embossing press than the lady showing it... the raised lettering on the cast iron arm and the overall styling indicates early 1900's, as does the wooden letter type holding clamp mechanism. I LOVE the older, stoutly built machinery style of the late 1800's/early 1900's. I'm your age, and that machine sure doesn't look like one built in the '60's!
I found the website for the company and it looks like they still make the same machine. They started in the 1920s so either of them could be correct. You would have to look at the serial number to find out. But I have noticed people saying 50 years old when they mean 1950s. People don't realize how fast time goes by I guess.
@@alexgibson4782 Thank you. I found their site, too, thanks to you... it's amazing their still making the same machines after 100 years. I wonder if they're still using the cloth insulated wiring? Very aesthetic designs.
@@IAMSatisfiedFWIW, cloth-insulated wire is still commercially available. It's often called "pushback" wire (because you can just push the insulation back instead of having to strip it). The premier manufacturer (at least in the electric guitar scene) seems to be Gavitt.
The text on the machine itself says "PAT'D US AND CAN 1928", so it can't be 100 years old, though it's certainly possible that the design predates a labeling update.
Awesome! Thank YOU A.Savage! Also for all interested, there is a great free documentary about the Printing Press: "The Medieval Invention That Changed The Course Of History" -Narrated by Stephen Fry.
I love books, I love collecting book series. But I wish more book series spent more time making beautiful covers. Even hard covers seem to be going away which is a shame
Not cover related but why do some US casebound books have uncut pages? From this film, it's clearly not age-related nor an homage to historical tomes, as older books with gilded page edges had all-around trimmed pages. Many thanks!
It's primarily a cost-cutting measure, although it could be "sold" as a physical proof that the book is indeed new and not used, as the pages are uncut. Even in the mid-50s, textbooks were still issued to students at the start of the school year with partly uncut pages, so the teacher would pass them out and then demonstrate the proper corrective technique. (Definitely no sharp instruments involved - it was a ruler run obliquely inside the few remaining foreedge folds, as I recall. The top edge had to be more completely cleaned prior to casing in.)
In mass production, EVERY time a product has to be handled or “processed” in some way-like trimming the edges-cost is incurred as per Robert Phillips’ answer. However, leaving the feathery edge known as the deckle at the leading edge of the pages can be an aesthetic choice as well.
If you really want a book binding project, I have a copy of “The Five Books of Adam”, l think, printed in 1796, that could use restoration. I’ll give it to you.
People in the 19th century was smarter than people from the 20th and 21th cents but they didn't have any of the technology we have now. They wanted to do something, they figured it out by themselves.
Executive Director?... She is a poor example of historian, Right! whoever gave her this job was obviously stuck for decent candidates Right!.... Unwatchable Right! ...
Learn more about the American Bookbinders Museum at bookbindersmuseum.org/ and twitter.com/BkBindersMuseum
Adam learns how old books were made: th-cam.com/video/uauXBgeImFc/w-d-xo.html
How ledgers were originally made: th-cam.com/video/lnMFpv2Ta7I/w-d-xo.html
For a museum curator, having Adam come in must be such a treat, because he will hang on your every word and have a genuine respect and fascination for all the knowledge you have to impart.
as long as you have stuff he can touch that nasa lady had to reign him in a few times lol
@@zachmoyer1849* rein
I've been loving these videos. While the machines are old, trust me, they're not necessarily out of use. I work in a bindery making small edition art books and we're using a German arming press from the late 1800s to stamp our covers day after day.
This series on bookmaking has been some of the most eye-opening stuff for me. It’s just amazing how these were made, and it’s something we so easily take for granted these days.
Thanks for taking the time to make these and for once again showing me things I never knew I wanted to know!
This series brings me so much joy, I don't have the words.
Thank you, Adam and everyone in the Tested crew.
There all in the book Ahh ha ha ha
I now know what those embossing foils in the craft section can be used for. This vid joined the dots from the past to the present for me. Giving me ideas for DIY book making.
While examining Kenneth Grahame's "Dream Days," Adam remarks that the illustration by Maxfield Parrish "almost looks like a composite photograph."
Maxfield Parrish's illustrations were not photographs, but they were paintings that combined elements painted from various photographic reference elements; he may even have projected transparencies onto his surfaces and traced them directly. By combining elements and manipulating scale, he was able to compose the most bizarre, off the wall fantasy subjects and make them look convincingly realistic. Today's digital artists owe a debt to Maxfield Parrish, and others who used similar techniques.
thnx for this cool bit of info!
I'm just absolutely blown away to think that Maxfield Parrish and Kenneth Grahame collaborated. I can't even imagine what this book is about but I'm imagining some fantastical version of "Wind in the Willows". I'm off to look it up!
His magazine illustrations I believe were mostly pen-and-ink (black-and-white), and he used a shading technique which resembled the mechanical or etched mezzotint technique of intaglio printing. HOW he actually did the shading I do not know.
This is my favourite series of videos from Adam. No question.
Any time Adam does a video about books it makes me really hope a grail diary one day build is around the corner.
This is the kind of class I would have loved back in college
I am loving these streams from the American Bookbinders Museum. I would love if you could do one about the papers that were used. Papyrus, parchment, rag paper etc.
It’s like a class field trip, but, you know, 40 years ago when I was in class.
Having had some books custom bound in the past, it's been fascinating to see the processes involved. This series has been wonderful!
The small-scale embosser is still used! I used to work in a bookstore that sold a lot of Bibles, and a lot of people wanted a name put on their Bible. We had an embosser machine very much like that. We had gold and silver foils, and we could also do it with no color onto leather or faux leather. New sets of letter dies were expensive, so the really common letters (like e or s) were usually kind of worn out and not very sharp. We had to be careful, because if we botched up the imprint, we had to start over on a new Bible and the botched one was clearanced, and some of them were expensive!
I've really enjoyed the video series at the American Bookbinders Museum. Classic content!
I love Tested but have to say this series at the ABM has been my all-time favorite.
Our state used to print the official state manual every other year that included a list of all state agencies, all state employees and their positions (and even individual salaries/wages from the highest elected officials right down to minimum wage temps), and similar things that explained the structure and costs of the entire state. They used the industrial press you mentioned, and it was so heavy that it registered on seismometers in the region every time they used it to press the binding of the books. You could specially request one for a fee and have your name printed on it in the way you were showing here.
Unfortunately for book binding, but fortunately for trees everywhere, they stopped printing them and went digital several years ago.
This was fascinating to me. I worked for a book binding company in the 70's. I was hoping they'd show how the hardback covers are assembled. I spent many hours doing that. We also assembled black binders with silver printing on them for US Navy technical binders. We only made the binders, never saw the contents.
Haha awesome! I own a kwikprint for debossing / foiling leather accessories that I make; the thing's a tank and absolutely wonderful to work with. Though I modified mine with a PID temperature controller to make it much more reliable.
Any reason to use the term "deboss" instead of "imprint" or "impress"?
The appearance of books is as important as the emergence of the internet. Thank you Adam for bringing this medium to the masses 👩🏫
Thank you Adam I’ve really enjoyed this series, reminds me of the wonderful “how it’s made” series
I said it in another video, but Madeleine needs her own TH-cam channel. She's so engaging, knowledgeable and seems very comfortable in front of the camera. Love her enthusiasm.
Yay, more bookbinding stuff!
Not only is Adam very knowledgeable but he seems like a truly nice likable guy. Like he would be so easy to be friends with.
I sincerely would love to see Adam make some books of various types/styles.
this little series is just awesome. I really love to see more
That MP on Free to Server stands for Maxfield Parrish
“MP” is Maxfield Parrish, a prominent American illustrator. The “FREE TO SERVE” cover looks like many of his pieces which were based on balanced vertical symmetry, one of his common layout schemes. My father actually met Mr. Parrish once when after WWII, one of Dad’s army buddies whom he was visiting took him over to a friend’s farm... turns out it was the Parrish homestead. I have always liked Mr. Parrish’s style and use of color, and to find out that my Dad actually met him blew my mind.
My dad worked in printing for more than 30 years starting in the 1960s. What they call ‘plates’ he called ‘cuts’. A ‘plate’ for him was a photo-etched piece of zinc sheet metal used in offset printing.
10:27... ugh... she didn't lock the print head down. The lever on the top pushes into parallel with the letter block. I used to work at a luggage store that this exact press. We would monogram luggage, books, writing pads, wallets or other leather goods.
I have about 5 of these Kwikprint machines in my leather shop. We produce about 10,000-20,000 leather keychains per year on them!
If there's an option to stamp a cover blind or with foil, heated or not, better results come from stamping an assembled case. The adhesive and board or flexible spine inlay will have a bit of softness, creating an actual impression to protect the foil from unnecessary wear, or making a slightly more "impressive" blind stamping.
Cloth insulated wiring, in my mind, dates it to maybe the 1940s. I know I have seen devices of an older sort with that as well but plastic or rubberized sorts of coverings were coming along in that period already. So that machine is probably late 1930s, as I look at it. As noted, just because its old, doesn't mean it can't still do the job! I love seeing this sort of stuff!
Incredible!
Adam, I think you're closer on estimating the age of that foil embossing press than the lady showing it... the raised lettering on the cast iron arm and the overall styling indicates early 1900's, as does the wooden letter type holding clamp mechanism. I LOVE the older, stoutly built machinery style of the late 1800's/early 1900's. I'm your age, and that machine sure doesn't look like one built in the '60's!
I found the website for the company and it looks like they still make the same machine. They started in the 1920s so either of them could be correct. You would have to look at the serial number to find out. But I have noticed people saying 50 years old when they mean 1950s. People don't realize how fast time goes by I guess.
@@alexgibson4782 Thank you. I found their site, too, thanks to you... it's amazing their still making the same machines after 100 years. I wonder if they're still using the cloth insulated wiring? Very aesthetic designs.
@@IAMSatisfiedFWIW, cloth-insulated wire is still commercially available. It's often called "pushback" wire (because you can just push the insulation back instead of having to strip it). The premier manufacturer (at least in the electric guitar scene) seems to be Gavitt.
The text on the machine itself says "PAT'D US AND CAN 1928", so it can't be 100 years old, though it's certainly possible that the design predates a labeling update.
I'm Lovin this series. God Bless Y'all.
When I was in college, I became the editor of the college newspaper. The paper was printed using plates made of plastic.
Wonderful! I'm curious about the development of dust jackets and slip cases as well.
I've learned so much from this series of videos. Thank you so much.
I love this series!
Adam you are fantastic sir
This is how Creative Memories adds tcustom titles to your album and spine!
Gotta love 12:00 when we get a Fred the Baker joke !
Consistency is the key to success
You should go see a concert at The Carven in Grundy County, Tennessee too!
Pretty cool what people with a will can do. Nice video!
Adam inherited the objectivity energy
I wish the people making hardback covers for kids graphic novels would learn more about bindings.
The “MP” on the FREE TO SERVE book is Maxfield Parrish.
Awesome! Thank YOU A.Savage!
Also for all interested, there is a great free documentary about the Printing Press:
"The Medieval Invention That Changed The Course Of History" -Narrated by Stephen Fry.
Also, I feel that my native 'Haarlem' dude was the first to invent the book-press:
"Laurens Janszoon Coster"
im glad Madeleine Robins came back later in the video... I was sad to see her absent
Would be interesting to know why kit gloves don't appear to be a use choice here.
The MP monogram is for Frederick Maxfield Parrish
Totally engaging subbed👍📚🖋️✒️❤
I love this.
I love books, I love collecting book series. But I wish more book series spent more time making beautiful covers. Even hard covers seem to be going away which is a shame
Not cover related but why do some US casebound books have uncut pages? From this film, it's clearly not age-related nor an homage to historical tomes, as older books with gilded page edges had all-around trimmed pages. Many thanks!
It's primarily a cost-cutting measure, although it could be "sold" as a physical proof that the book is indeed new and not used, as the pages are uncut. Even in the mid-50s, textbooks were still issued to students at the start of the school year with partly uncut pages, so the teacher would pass them out and then demonstrate the proper corrective technique. (Definitely no sharp instruments involved - it was a ruler run obliquely inside the few remaining foreedge folds, as I recall. The top edge had to be more completely cleaned prior to casing in.)
@@robertphillips93 Thank you, Mr Phillips. I'm sure I've also seen brand new books sold in this state - is this simply an affectation?
In mass production, EVERY time a product has to be handled or “processed” in some way-like trimming the edges-cost is incurred as per Robert Phillips’ answer. However, leaving the feathery edge known as the deckle at the leading edge of the pages can be an aesthetic choice as well.
This is a rerun. We saw this video a month ago
If you really want a book binding project, I have a copy of “The Five Books of Adam”, l think, printed in 1796, that could use restoration. I’ll give it to you.
Adam handles the books with more care than she does. When she folds the dog book in half it makes me cringe.
She did not like your "Judge a book by its cover" quip.
Banging your head against a wall for one hour burns 150 calories. But don’t do that lol
M P, Maxfield Parrish Cover
Unsubscribe all channels posting Shorts. #TiktubeYouTok
People in the 19th century was smarter than people from the 20th and 21th cents but they didn't have any of the technology we have now. They wanted to do something, they figured it out by themselves.
Executive Director?... She is a poor example of historian, Right! whoever gave her this job was obviously stuck for decent candidates Right!.... Unwatchable Right! ...