I would like to quickly give a small educational lecture on the structure of leather books. As an aristocrat-intellectual junker, all learned, cultured, and genteel, I find myself coming acroß Easton Preß, Franklin Library, and Library of American Freedoms (to name a few) books. Notice that I did not mention International Collectors Library, there is indeed a reason for this.
There are two points of leather binding, see, and they inhabit an axis. On the high end you have board-leather tomes, and on the low end you have near-leather ones. Now, you might be asking yourself 'how can the book of purer leather be of leßer quality?' Well my dear aßociate-aristocrat in training, not every thing revolves around the composition of said thing. Take so for an example: I have a golden sword, 22 karate, and then let us suppose that the rival king to my kingdom wields a steel sword, chances are quite high that I shall soon no longer be alive lest I conjure up a better weapon forthwith. Usefulneß is the key to all value.
We have observed what near-leather is, but what exactly is 'board-leather'? I call it board-leather fordone these books have a hardneß to them, so that it feels as if a piece of board was inserted under the leather to provide a sturdier foundation. This form of leather is the only kind I think fit to be utilised for bookcraft. I wish to hold a work in my hand, which neceßarily means that I must hold the spine open.
To return to my discußion in section one, I single out International Collectors Library from the sort due to their dangerously pure leather binding. It is far too close to the near-leather side of the axis, hence the spines are so very fragile on these works that I have a vaguely bad feeling about ICL books.
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