Secret Belgian binding
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185370454
2008-01-19T05:58:55Z
69.143.178.181
Added link to instructions
The '''secret Belgian binding''' is a method of [[bookbinding]] that uses an exposed sewing to bind a textblock to the cover boards and spine. The cover is made using three separate pieces: front cover, back cover, and spine piece. The covers are attached by sewing through holes on the cover boards and passing over and under the spine piece. The previously sewn textblock is attached when the threads that pass under the spine piece also pass through the stitches on the spine of the textblock. The spine piece is held in place only by these threads passing over and under it. It creates an interesting thread pattern on the cover and it is a very sturdy binding that allows the book to open completely flat.
[[Image:SecretBelgianBinding.jpg|thumb|Sample of Secret Belgian Binding]]
The true origin of this binding style is not certain but may have been developed between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries in [[Belgium]]. It was probably some bookbinder's "secret method" and therefore was not well known until it was rediscovered centuries later. This discovery is attributed to Hedi Kyle.
{{unreferenced|date=February 2007}}
== External Links ==
* [http://members.usvoicedata.com/~dearsam/bookarts/ Secret Belgian Binding Instructions]
[[Category:Bookbinding]]
[[Category:Book design]]
[[Category:Book arts]]