James Edwards of Halifax Obtains an Early Patent in Bookbinding

Relatively few aspects of hand bookbinding were patented, since most of the techniques were passed on through apprenticeship, and were rarely original. One of the earliest patents in that field was granted to the highly successful bookseller James Edwards, originally of Halifax, West Yorkshire, who 1784 in set up business and Edwards & Sons in Pall Mall, London. In 1785 James Edwards was granted specification No. 1462 for Embellishing Books bound in Vellum, by making Drawings on the Vellum which are not liable to be Defaced but by Destroying the Vellum itself. The patent describes vellum bindings that became known as Edwards of Halifax bindings. These were either produced by binders in Edwards & Sons employ or by binders hired by the firm to produce bindings for its clientele. The full patent text is only 2.5 pages long, and there are no illustrations.

The single paragraph of the patent that describes the bookbinding process reads as follows:

"Having chosen a skin with a firm grain, take off with a sharp knife all the loose spongy part of the flesh, then soak the part to be ornamented with water, in which a small quantity of pearl ash has been dissolved, till it is thoroughly wet, afterwards press it very hard, and it becomes transparent. In that state it may be drawn upon, beginning with the most light and delicate shades, afterwards with the stronger, and ending with the coarsest, because a rough outline at first cannot be concealed with a fine finishing or shading, as where the drawing is made upon the surface which is looked at. When it is made a finished drawing, it may be painted with strong opake colours; but in this case the shades must be painted first, and lights afterwards. Copperplates may also be impressed, so as to have a similar effect. When the ornaments are compleated it must be lined with fine wove paper, put on with paste made of the best flour, and is then ready for covering, as other vellum books."