Cutting books. Bookbinders say cutting books for removing the area of the margins that is still rough and uneven. One cuts books three times and on three sides, beginning with the top of the volume that one calls the head; before cutting this part, one must lay the cutting press on the tub. See Cutting Press & Tub. Then one takes care to lower the two sides of the board to cut the edges of it with the margin; [1] then putting two strips of board coming out of the volume, of which the one to the left surpasses the edge, and the one to the right is just in the place where one wants to cut, one holds this book and boards between the two cheeks of the cutting press that one tightens equally with the two screws; next one puts the plow in the groove of the trindle that is on the rear cheek of the cutting press, and driving it along the press, one cuts with the knife, by constantly tightening the plow’s screw, such that it moves forward, until it gets through to the raised board that is against the rear cheek. This done, one rubs the edge with the scraps that one just cut, to remove whatever could remain there; then one removes the book from the press with the two strips of board, and taking dividers, one measures on a page of the book the place where one must cut the tail that one marks on the board with the point of the dividers, leaving a height for the squares of the board; this done, one takes the volume on the side where it must be cut, and lowering the two sides of the board sufficiently for the squares, one puts in the two strips of board, as for the first operation, watching that the strip to the right is just at the edge of the holes; [2] then one tightens the press, and one cuts the lower edge, with the same care that one took for the upper edge. One must watch to give the two sides of the board the same height, without which one of the edges would find itself higher than the other; that makes a very disagreeable impression. Thirdly, one cuts the edge on the front; that which is called making the fore-edge. One measures the place where one must cut, with the same exactitude as the bottom, and one marks it with the point of the dividers; then instead of strips of board, one takes two little planks of beech wood, the wider one is put behind the book, while letting the board fall that one is not cutting at this time, the other more square on puts on the front of the book, up to the holes one made with the dividers. Following this, the worker takes these two boards in his hand, skillfully lowers the two sides of the book, and makes the middle rise, such that putting the book in the press as before, and having cut it, he finds the fore-edge made, in taking out his book nothing repains except the front of the boards to cut. Other than the dividers, the worker must always have near his press, which is on the tub, a stone to hone his knife and an iron pin to tighten and untighten the screw of his press. See Plow, Cutting Press, Cambered Dividers, Edges. See Plate I of Bookbinding, Figure C .

Notes

1. To not cut the edges of [the board] with the margin? There should be enough play in the cords, and the boards appropriately sized, so that they can be made to lower far enough to trim the now extended head of the textblock without cutting the boards: the necessity of the strips of waste board makes it obvious that the author does not describe a situation in which the boards also need trimming, and are cut at the same time as the paper.

2. The holes made by the dividers to mark the margin