Speaking Volumes: Publishers’ Bindings in English- Canada 1870-1920

SPEAKING VOLUMES: PUBLISHERS’ BINDINGS IN ENGLISH- CANADA 1870-1920 by Kimberley Bell A thesis submitted to the Department of History In conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Queen’s University Kingston, Ontario, Canada July 2020 Copyright ©Kim Bell, 2020 Abstract The nineteenth century saw a significant shift in how books were produced. Industrialization and the emergence of a mass reading public, whose members also had increased leisure time and money, led to the need for less expensive books than those bound by individual readers. Publishers’ bindings, the specific design created to address this need, also created the modern book, the book as we know it today. These bindings flourished in Britain and the United States between 1820 and 1920, but not in Canada. This thesis will argue that while publishers’ bindings were not as extensive in English Canada between 1870 and 1920 as they were in Britain and the United States, they did exist, as evident in the three case studies: the individual binder James Barry, the businessman John Lovell, and the collection created by Lorne Pierce. Canada, to be sure, experienced the same changes that led to the need for less expensive books in Britain and the United States. Full of potential, a few circumstances unique to Canada nevertheless frustrated and delayed the development of a significant book publishing industry for several decades. Given the state of Canadian publishing circa the 1870s, Canadian authors were forced to seek external publishing outlets for their work. This, in turn limited the need for publishing innovations. Additionally, copyright laws provided further roadblocks to the publishing business in Canada, and subsequently affected the development of a national industry able to match the quantity and quality of its British and American counterparts. Through the use of three case studies, we will see that nonetheless bookbinders and publishers alike sought creative ways to circumvent the challenges and produce these uniform bindings. ii Acknowledgements This thesis owes much of its perspective to Dr. Alvan Bregman, who taught me about rare books, special collections and the book as object, and Jillian Sparks, who first introduced me to publishers’ bindings and generously shared her knowledge. It was truly a pleasure to work with and learn from both. I am deeply indebted to Dr. Jeffrey McNairn, who patiently supervised my work, sharing his expertise and nudging me towards the conclusion. The chapter on James Barry would not have been possible without the assistance of Dr. Daniel Samson, who so kindly helped me navigate fifty-six years of diaries. To Dr. Jane Errington and the history MA thesis group, Meghan Phillips-Smith, Mingming Liu, Ryan Catney, and Serena Lowery, who very generously provided feedback on my arguments and writing, I am extremely grateful. Last but not least, tremendous thanks go to my family, especially my brother Dr. John Varty for his ongoing support, encouragement and scholarship. To Marisa Carfa, Jamie Tuck and my children, Brad and Jon Kelly, I cannot begin to express my thanks for their inspiration and good humour—it is fitting that at the end of this thesis, they are heading off on their own adventures. Ultimately, this thesis would not have been possible without the unwavering patience and understanding of my husband Bob—thank you. To Bob and my children, I dedicate this thesis. iii Table of Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................... iii List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................... v List of Tables ............................................................................................................................................... vi List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................................................. vii Chapter 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 1 The Canadian Situation ............................................................................................................................. 8 Case Studies ............................................................................................................................................ 16 Chapter 2 Bookbinding in Nineteenth-Century Pictou County .................................................................. 20 Tools of the trade .................................................................................................................................... 28 Bookbinding ............................................................................................................................................ 35 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................. 44 Chapter 3 John Lovell, Publisher: Livres sans John Lovell, Publisher: Livres sans Frontières ................. 48 Chapter 4 Edith and Lorne Pierce Collection of Canadiana at Queen's University .................................... 72 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................. 96 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................. 98 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................. 104 Primary Sources--Archival ................................................................................................................... 104 Primary Sources--Published .................................................................................................................. 105 Secondary Sources ................................................................................................................................ 107 iv List of Figures Figure 1 Early cloth binding ......................................................................................................................... 4 Figure 2 Case binding ................................................................................................................................... 5 Figure 3 Complete Works of Alfred Tennyson ............................................................................................ 7 Figure 4 Signed binding by Amy Sacker ...................................................................................................... 8 Figure 5 Pictou County, 1879. .................................................................................................................... 22 Figure 6 Sheet of Barry's printing ............................................................................................................... 34 Figure 7 Binding with moire cloth A Collection of Tracts and Essays on the Bible and Theology ............ 40 Figure 8 Title page ...................................................................................................................................... 41 Figure 9 Lovell’s Directory in paper covers Figure 10 Cloth binding on school text ..................... 55 Figure 11 Canadian Wild Flowers 1868 and 1869 ..................................................................................... 58 Figure 12 Briggs, 1895 ............................................................................................................................... 60 Figure 13 Robert Miller Ticket Figure 14 John Lovell Ticket ............................................ 67 Figure 15 Lays of Ancient Rome title page Figure 16 Cover ........................................................... 68 Figure 17 Lovell’s Library Series in paper ................................................................................................. 70 Figure 18 Bliss Carman .............................................................................................................................. 80 Figure 19: Copp Clark Co. on the left and Armstrong’s binding for Scribners on the right ....................... 81 Figure 20 Canadian edition Figure 21 British edition ................................................................................ 82 Figure 22 1873 edition Figure 23 1878 Figure 24 1878 Red cloth ............................................ 85 Figure 25 Ocean to Ocean 1877 Figure 26 Poetical Works 1878 .............................................. 87 Figure 27 Archbishop Lynch Figure 28 Illustrated guide ...................................................................... 88 Figure 29 Canadian School Text ................................................................................................................. 89 Figure 30 Various Black Rock bindings ...................................................................................................... 92 Figure 31 Various Sky Pilot editions ..........................................................................................................

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