Open Tues-Sat 10am-4pm: Museum Closed Tues. 10/15

Special Collection and Archive Objects

  • Advertisements for binderies or bookbinding equipment
  • Archives of pre-1930 personal and business papers of bookbinders: letters, letterheads, invoices from bookbinders, account books, ledger books
  • Bookbinding equipment makers or bindery company histories
  • Bookbinding manuals or hand written descriptions of how to bind books
  • Bookbinder’s Tickets or labels
  • Bookplates
  • Books related to bookbinding
  • Bindings illustrating unusual materials or techniques
  • Bindings that illustrate quality of workmanship or models
  • Catalogs of special books or bindings, equipment, materials
  • Early American bindings
  • Ephemera and paraphernalia related to binderies: advertisement, signage, letterhead, invoices, price lists of services
  • Equipment catalogues, operating manuals, instructions or parts manuals
  • Images of bookbinders; photographs, engravings, or drawings
  • Labor Unions: photographs, ephemera, badges, literature, certificates
  • Manuscripts: letters, journals, documents related to bookbinders or bookbinding
  • Pen Ruling instruction and maintenance guides
  • Periodicals related to bookbinding
  • Photographs of bookbinders, binderies or bindings
  • Oral histories of bookbinders
  • Sample books: cloth, leather or paper samples
  • Signed bindings, particularly American
  • Women in binderies: photographs, engravings, drawings, documents, letters

19th c. Equipment (preferably of American manufacture)

  • 19th century or early 20th century industrial or stationery binding equipment prior to 1920
  • Arming Press or Embossing Press, circa 1830’s-1840’s
  • Continuous book sewing machines (Smyth National or Martini circa 1900-1910) and machine parts for Smyth # 3 sewing machine
  • Casing-in or Case Making machines circa 1890-1910
  • Cloth embossing machine: used to impart patterns to book cloth
  • Early folding machine circa 1890-1910
  • Hand bookbinding tools, preferably 19th century or older
  • Plow (old) for laying press
  • Signature rolling machine: Similar in appearance to a wringer, this machine has two steel rollers probably 8-14″ in diameter and was used to flatten signatures prior to sewing.
  • Stabbing machine: smaller machine with a handle or foot peddle with several nail like punches. used to stab hole in side of book for side sewing
  • Turtles (industrial)

For Use Items

  • Beverages for museum events ( case(s) of wine, beer, water or soft drinks)
  • Book board
  • Rolls of book cloth
  • Large professional ink brayer, 12″ wide with 3″ roller diameter
  • High Quality paper stock (e.g. 32 lb cotton or linen paper)
  • Late model laptops or computers (no more than 4 years old)
  • Museum quality display cases
  • Professional photography or photographers light box and lights
  • Retail fixtures for displaying jewelry or clothes

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