coration. But occasionally there are books that the binder
can decorate as lavishly as he is able. As an instance of bindings
that cannot be over-decorated, those books which are used in important
ceremonies, such as Altar Books, may be mentioned. Such books may be
decorated with gold and colour until they seem to be covered in a
golden material. They will be but spots of gorgeousness in a great
church or cathedral, and they cannot be said to be over-decorated as
long as the decoration is good.

So, occasionally some one may have a book to which he is for some
reason greatly attached, and wishing to enshrine it, give the binder a
free hand to do his best with it. The binder may wish to make a
delicate pattern with nicely-balanced spots of ornament, leaving the
leather for the most part bare, or he may wish to cover the outside
with some close gold-tooled pattern, giving a richness of texture
hardly to be got by other means. If he decides on the latter, many
people will say that the cover is over-decorated. But as a book cover
can never be seen absolutely alone, it should not be judged as an
isolated thing covered with ornament without relief, but as a spot of
brightness and interest among its surroundings. If a room and
everything in it is covered with elaborate pattern, then anything with
a plain surface would be welcome as a relief; but in a room which is
reasonably free from ornament, a spot of rich decoration should be
welcome.

It is not contended that the only, or necessarily the best, method of
decorating book covers is by elaborate all-over gold-tooled pattern;
but it is contended that this is a legitimate method of decoration for
exceptional books, and that by its use it is possible to get a
beautiful effect well worth the trouble and expense involved.

Good leather has a beautiful surface, and may sometimes be got of a
fine colour. The binder may often wish to show this surface and
colour, and to restrict his decoration to small portions of the
cover, and this quite rightly, he aiming at, and getting, a totally
different effect than that got by all-over patterns. Both methods are
right if well done, and both methods can equally be vulgarised if
badly done.

A much debated question is, how far the decoration of a binding should
be influenced by the contents of the book? A certain appropriateness
there should be, but as a general thing, if the binder aims at making
the cover beautiful, that is the best he c