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Georgios Boudalis, "On the Edge: Endbands in the Bookbinding Traditions of the Eastern Mediterranean" (Legacy Press, 2022)
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- [00:01]
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- [01:27]
Dr. Georgios Boudalis
Welcome to the New Books Network.
- [01:31]
Lauren Fonto
Hello everyone and welcome to another episode on the New Books Network. I'm one of your hosts, Lauren Fonto, and today I'm pleased to be talking to Dr. Georgios Budalis, author of on the Eight Bands in the Bookbinding Traditions of the Eastern Mediterranean. So welcome to the show and I'd like to start by asking you to please introduce yourself to the listener listeners and tell us a bit about where you grew up, where you studied, and how you got involved with writing this book.
- [02:08]
Dr. Georgios Boudalis
Right, thank you. First of all, thank you for the invitation and thank you to the people listening to us. So my name is Georgios Boudalis. I work at the head of book and paper conservation at the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki, Greece. I've been working in this place, in this beautiful museum since the year 2000. So I've been around in this place for quite a few years. I grew up in Greece, not far away from the city of Thessaloniki, and I studied conservation initially in Florence, Italy. Then I came back to Greece, continued my studies at the university in Athens, always in conservation, although while in Athens I slightly changed my career. So I specialized in book and paper conservation and I started working in 1997. But soon I realized I wanted to expand a bit my knowledge on the subject. So I applied for a PhD in London which I finished in 2006. And the research of my PhD was centered mainly in the book collection of the St Catherine's Monastery in the Sinai in Egypt. I participated in a big survey undertaking in that Library from the St. Catherine's Library Conservation Project. So I had the chance to really go through, well, not all of the manuscripts of the collection. This is a huge collection. It's more than 3,500 manuscripts. But I've seen quite a substantial part of that collection. And I should say that the important thing with that collection is that it's really more or less in pristine condition. So you really find book structures which haven't been repaired or altered in any way for centuries, for many centuries. So it was possible to see fixtures that you don't normally see in libraries like in Europe or in the US etc. And that, I think was the starting of my research on end bands and generally my research on books.
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Lauren Fonto
Thank you for that. So now I'd like to just ask for those of us who are unfamiliar with bookbinding, please explain what an in band is and what makes the in band styles from the Eastern Mediterranean unique.
- [04:55]
Dr. Georgios Boudalis
Right. So it's a bit awkward speaking about bookbinding structural features without using images, but it's an interesting exercise in a way. So end bounds, I'm sure we are all familiar with the idea of books bound at the hardback editions, right? There is normally at the edges of the spine of the book, there are small, very small, tiny pieces of fabric of textile between the edge of the book and the hardback cover. Okay? Now, those are called endbands. And in practice, end bands are small bands of fabric of cold leather, usually worked with threads attached at the two edges of the book block at the spine. Right? The head and the tail. And now, for people not familiar with historic bookbinding structures, it seems that endbuns are really small pieces of fabric pasted at the edges of the spire. In reality, in earlier book structures, n buns were really an integral part of the whole book structure. So they were really worked with embroidery and with sewing at the head and tail edges of the book. And also they extended and they were also shown on the edges of the boards. Now, this is a feature. I mean, this extension of the endpoints on the edges of the boards is a feature which is specifically found in the bookbindings bound by the people living mostly around the eastern part of the Mediterranean. Right. So I'm speaking about Egypt, the Middle east, so Arabs, Muslims, the Islamic culture, book culture in general, then obviously The Byzantines, the Syriacs, the Georgians and the Armenians, all these. And obviously Copts. Right. I just mentioned Egypt. So all these cultures, book cultures of the Eastern Mediterranean, they used somehow a specific, or rather they used book structures with specific features. One of the features of these book structures is the idea of n buns being worked at the edges of the book, but also at the edges of the boards. And that's a feature, as I said, which is specifically Eastern Mediterranean. This is one of those features which really distinguish Eastern Mediterranean books from Western European book structures. Remember, I'm talking about historical book structure. So mostly book structures before the 16th or even 17th century. Right. And obviously beyond that feature, there are
- [08:00]
Lauren Fonto
more
- [08:03]
Dr. Georgios Boudalis
characteristic features of the endbands used in Eastern Mediterranean book cultures. There is a big, big variety of techniques used. Maybe we can say a few more things later on, but this is really interesting and important. The variety of N bands you find in Eastern Mediterrane book cultures you don't find in Western Europe, or at least we think you don't find in Western Europe, because we are still lacking a wide scale research on the subject in the Western European book cultures.
- [08:43]
Lauren Fonto
Thank you for that explanation. I'm sure it will be helpful even if listeners don't have a diagram in front of them. But then they, they could really pick up the book and that would definitely help to explain further. So it was interesting that some of the N bands had cores inside and some did not. So what is the purpose of these cores in headbands?
- [09:13]
Dr. Georgios Boudalis
Right. So as you said, there are endburns with cores and endburns without cores. The difference between them is that N bands without cores are structurally much more weak than N bands with cores. And the reason is that N band cores, normally, as I said before for the Eastern Mediterranean book cultures, extend onto the edges of the boards. And that means that they contribute to the connection between the boards and the book block. And they contribute in an important way. So structurally speaking, those endpoints are really important parts of the structure of the book. Right. So nbands which lack those cores really lack that extra contribution of N bands to the stability and the strength of the whole structure. And obviously having or not having cores obviously affect the appearance and the technique used through the end band. So normally end bands with cores are more have more volume, let's say. And of course more cores you have more volume of the egg band. And also more cores you have, the more strong your end band is. So there are always different small in a way, things that contribute to the whole structure and stability of an end band.
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Lauren Fonto
That's interesting. Indeed. So now I'd like to discuss the use of similar stitching techniques that were used on textiles and books as evidence for certain types of bindings.
- [11:03]
Dr. Georgios Boudalis
Right. So let me first reply to this idea, to this question about the use of the. The same techniques basically used both in textiles and in endbuns. And that's, I think, one of the most interesting features that I discovered through my research, that in a way, N bands work on books in a similar way that edge finishes work on textiles. And when I'm speaking about edge finishes are those techniques used to reinforce and at the same time to decorate the edges of fabrics. Right. I'm sure we all have come in one way or the other across these things on textiles. Maybe we haven't paid much attention, but they're always there. And there is the main reason they are there because they somehow lock the edges of textiles so they prevent the textile to fray out. But at the same time, they also decorate them. And that's in a way very similar to what n bands do in books. So they stabilize, they seal those edges of the spine of the book, and at the same time, they decorate the edges of the books. Right. Now, that's a sort of background we have to have in mind in order to understand a few of the other things. So the other thing is that. Exactly. It's not only that they share the same, in a way, the same role both in textiles and in books, but they also share the exact same technique. So you have specific techniques like twining or like weaving, which are very specifically well known, or at least they were known from the textile kind of research field. They have. They have not been connected with book structures. Right. But exactly. Through my research, I was able to identify several techniques which are identical between fabrics and end bands in books. And some of these techniques are, as I said, the twining technique, weaving technique, the sumac technique, which is very commonly used in kilims and carpets and stuff. They were unknown or they were not recorded before in n bands, but we now know that they were rather commonly used. There are other techniques like tablet weaving, which is a very ancient technique. I mean, it takes us back to classical antiquity. It has been used throughout Europe and the Middle east for centuries to make edges in fabrics and the same. Exactly. Technique. I realized I found examples of end bands made with the exact same technique in books in the 16th century. So there is this very close connection. I'd like for people to understand that, even if I'm sure that the technicalities to some people might not be very clear. But what is important to remember to keep out of this is that books and fabrics, although seemingly different things they share, technically speaking and structurally speaking, they say are common features. Okay. And to answer very briefly your last question about this connection of common types of fan bands. And used in textiles and books as evidence of certain types of bindings, yes, there are certain bindings which are connected or related to specific end bands. For example, Islamic bindings, what we call Islamic bindings or the bindings of Muslim people. They normally or almost always have a very specific type of endpoint, which is the twined endpoint. Right? It's one of those endpants made with the twining technique. The technique itself is not specifically Islamic. I mean, you find it also in Syriac books, in Byzantine books, in Georgian books, you find different variations of the technique. But Islamic books are very interesting because they seem to have retained the exact same endband for centuries. Right? So that's an example of how specific end bands are related to specific book bindings.
- [15:44]
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- [16:15]
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- [16:41]
Dr. Georgios Boudalis
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- [17:01]
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- [17:11]
Lauren Fonto
It's very interesting to see those connections between these two seemingly different things. Now what are the most common types of in bands that you encountered in your research, and which types are the most rare?
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Dr. Georgios Boudalis
Right, yes, there are specific types of N bands which are very common. So, for example, in the Byzantine context, in the Byzantine culture, there is one specific type of N band which seems to be there for centuries in most of these bindings. And for that reason, it is commonly used in bibliography. It is normally very often used in bibliography to be called the Greek endband because Byzantine books were written in the Greek language. So several scholars have associated that N band with Greek books. So they occasionally call it a Greek N band, although I avoid, as much as possible, I try to avoid using ethnic and linguistic designations because they seem to imply a sort of exclusiveness of certain techniques from specific groups of people. And that's not always the truth. So. Yes, and there are other endbands, like what I mentioned before, the tablet woven endbands, or the sumac nbands, which are rather uncommon and they're really, you know, more not as widespread as the other ones. And of course, there are also end bands, which I know from one single example. I'm sure there will be more of these endbuns or those specific, very rare types of nbands in libraries, but they haven't been recorded yet. So some of the examples, some of the nbands I describe are represented by hundreds of examples, and others have recorded represented by just a single example.
- [19:20]
Lauren Fonto
Yeah, thank you for that explanation. Now, the next question I'd like to ask is, to what extent does the act of doing book conservation help in the description of the various types of N bands?
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Dr. Georgios Boudalis
Well, I think it's a very important connection, and the reason is that book conservation is about understanding and interfering closely with the structure of the book. So that means you really, through conservation, you are able to identify and understand technical features which would be impossible otherwise. Right. So it is through conservation that I had the privilege really, to get close to several of these very old books and understand how they were made. And that applies also, obviously, to end bands. Also, consider that a book which is in need of repair often is not in very good shape, and therefore it really allows you to see technical things that a perfectly preserved book does not allow you.
- [20:37]
Lauren Fonto
It's a privilege indeed to interact so closely with these books. So the next question I'd like to ask is, how common is rebinding in the books you looked at? And is there a particular type of in band that was more vulnerable to unraveling or breaking than others?
- [21:01]
Dr. Georgios Boudalis
Yeah, sure. Yeah. Rebinding was a very common Thing. And that is the reason that we have very few examples of nbands prior to the 12th or 11th century, because most of the older books have been rebounded at some point. So yes, rebinding was a very common thing. The reason obviously that books were rebound was in order to preserve them. So in the process, obviously the old binding was removed and all its component constituent parts, like end bands, like sewing, et cetera. So yes, most of those early end bands are really lost. And of course there are techniques of end buns which are much more prone to damage, like twining twined endbuns with those silk colored threads used for the actual twining. Those are much more vulnerable to wear and you often find them not in very, very good shape. Other end bumps obviously made with hemp or linen threads, which are stronger threads than silk. They can last much, much longer. And obviously remember that what we said before about the idea of cores of N band coarse. So N bands which have cores really normally last much better in time than N bands without cores. And obviously more cores you have in an end band, then more stronger N band is and more durable.
- [22:38]
Lauren Fonto
That's really interesting how the different types are affected by damage over time. So next I'd like to ask, in the context of the chevron family of bindings, there is a variant used as a secondary component of compound end bands. And in the chapter you observe that this type of secondary sewing is also common in treasure bindings, in which case metal threads are frequently used. So what are the treasure bindings and did they occur with other types of bindings or only this specific one?
- [23:20]
Dr. Georgios Boudalis
Yes, sure. Treasure bindings are the bindings. I mean, the term is not really a very accurate one, but it describes bindings which have been adorned, their covers have been adorned with often precious metal covers, like silk silver covers or gilt silver covers, and often worked with religious scenes, et cetera. These are normally bindings that have extra things like precious stones, like pearls and things like that. So they're really books made to be presented as very luxurious books. And they were often books, the kind of books that had been shown in the church during the liturgies, they would be carried out in procession. Books that had a performative role. And therefore, as well as the COVID which as I said, is very decorative and very rich and very precious, they occasionally had these end bands, these chevron end bands worked with metal threads. So silver threads or gilt silver threads as an extra. Of course, as an extra thing, adding to the already very precious making and very precious image of this books not necessarily. I mean, the idea of end bands. I don't think there are specific end bands used just for the treasure bindings, but in these bindings you often find the use of metal threads, which are not commonly used in other bindings just because metal threads were very expensive. So we're talking about, as I said, silver or gil silver metal threads. So they were really used in the most precious of bindings, that is the treasure bindings.
- [25:24]
Lauren Fonto
That's very interesting. So next I'd like to ask what surprised you the most about the N band techniques you worked with?
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Dr. Georgios Boudalis
Well, I mean, there are different several things that surprised me with N bands. One of them was the great variety of techniques used. The second was the idea of people being able to find and use brightly colored silk threads in environments and in contexts that you would not expect them to be available. So many of these bindings really give the impression of being made in very austere places, in places that not had access to a lot of resources. And you can see that from the leather used, and you can see that from the decoration on the leather covers, et cetera. But in many of these bindings, it is surprising that they would be able to find brightly colored silk threads to embroider there and to walk their endbuns. That was, for me, very, very impressive. Another thing that really I found extremely interesting and intriguing was, as I said, the connection between textile making and bands. And at the time, this idea of, I mean, now we do accept really that you cannot really study bookmaking in isolation, especially when we talk about the book of the Middle Ages or the later or Renaissance book, et cetera. So the book before the printing or the industrial revolutions. So really books being written and bound by hand. So you cannot really study the making of those books in isolation. You have to look at the wind and material culture context. And NBA are an extremely beautiful example in that context because of those, as I said, had very close connections between bookmaking and bunching, bookmaking and fabrics. And I really find that extremely interesting.
- [27:43]
Lauren Fonto
That's interesting indeed. So now I'd like to ask, which in band construction techniques do you think will be most difficult for contemporary bookbinders and book conservators to reproduce and why?
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Dr. Georgios Boudalis
Ah, well, I mean, there are obviously certain techniques which are much more difficult than others, some end bands which are much more elaborate than others. So definitely many of these end bands are easy to make, but there are quite a few which are really for the, let's say, for the advanced craftsperson, I think the most time consuming end Band of all those I have described is the end band used in the Armenian binding things. It's a very beautiful, very elaborate end band and very. How to say, it's got volume and it's got a presence there. Right. It makes an impact when you see it. That's partly because it has several cores. Remember what we said at the beginning, more cores you have. There is more volume to the end band beside making it stronger. And beyond that, it is also made with several silk or at least colored threads. And normally the combination of color is a very, very strong one. So you often find, very commonly find a combination of red, black and white silk threads. And what makes it difficult to work is mostly the idea that you have to work that end band with five different. At least five different needles. Okay. And here I should say that there are endbands which are worked with one single thread and one needle. And that's fine. You can make very beautiful N buns by just using one single thread and one needle. But there are N bands like the one I just mentioned, the Armenian one, which need to be. Which are made by using as many as five needles and therefore five threads. And that means basically that the time you need to make them is multiplied at least by five. Let's put it in a very simplistic way. Right. So these are nbans, which really take hours to make, and they definitely need some skill. I mean, you have to have some practice before venturing into an Armenian N. Definitely.
- [30:17]
Lauren Fonto
That's very interesting. I'll definitely go back and look at those Armenian bindings again, just to close out, I'd like to ask you what projects you're working on at the moment.
- [30:30]
Dr. Georgios Boudalis
Right. I'm finishing up my next book, which will be on the making and representing books in Late antiquity. So the idea behind that book is what can. Images of Books in Art of Late Antiquity. So the period between the 3rd and the 2nd and the 8th century A.D. so what the art of that period can tell us about the making and the appearance of the actual books of the time. And the subject is. I mean, the role of iconographical evidence here can be very, very important because of two things. The first thing is that we have very few physical books preserved from that period. And when I'm talking about books, I'm not referring specifically to texts, but I'm referring to books as objects. Right. So books which really preserve some or all of their biotexts, and these are very rare from late antiquity, from that period. That's one thing. And the second thing is that art of late antiquity is what comes after the Greco Roman art and before the medieval art. And so we are in between these two things. On one hand you have the naturalism and the realism of Roman art, and on the other hand you have the abstraction of medieval art. And therefore late antiquity still preserves quite a few of the realistic features. And it seems it comes out of this research that their representation of books in that period is still accurate enough as to allow us to get an idea of how books were made at the time. So that's my next book project.
- [32:28]
Lauren Fonto
All your projects sound really interesting and all the best with completing the projects. And thank you once again for appearing, for coming on the show.
- [32:40]
Dr. Georgios Boudalis
Thank you very much for inviting me. I hope what I said makes sense. But anyway, yes, thank you very much.
- [33:01]
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