American Book Covers, 1830–1900: A Pictorial Guide to the Changes in Design and Technology Found in the Covers of American Books between 1830 and 1900.

Sue Allen.

American Book Covers, 1830–1900: A Pictorial Guide to the Changes in Design and Technology Found in the Covers of American Books between 1830 and 1900.

Washington, D.C.:

Library of Congress, Binding & Collection Care Division, Preservation Directorate,

1998.

This brochure, written and designed by the late Sue Allen (1918–2011), offers a timeline for the design and manufacture of 19th-century American publishers’ bindings. Allen was the foremost authority on the subject, and she taught courses at RBS over four decades. She received the American Printing History Association laureate award in 1999 in recognition of her work; indeed, with the digitization (and guillotining and destruction) of books in libraries, many publishers’ bindings were likely saved owing to Allen, who drew attention to their artistry, beauty, and social history.

From the collection of Rare Book School