lumes makes a very ideal copy of a great
English classic; so, presuming that it is to be bound, you must choose
the style of binding. It should rest between half-morocco and whole
morocco, the latter costing about double the former. I think
half-morocco is right for the book in most cases, whole morocco being
unnecessarily expensive. Then comes colour, which must largely be
referred to your own taste--olive-green, brown, dark red, and light
apple green, would all be appropriate colours to choose from. The binder
should have a book of colours and shades ready for you to select one
from. Be sure and see that you have a coarse-grained levant morocco,
which is much handsomer than the less good hard fine-grained morocco;
of course it should be a polished or crushed levant binding, though when
you see the pattern piece of leather it will be rough and unpolished. At
any rate select a colour which, when polished, will work '_clean_.' Do
not select anything _very light_ in morocco, it will probably not work
'clean,' but come out spotted even when new.

You will now select 'end papers.' These, I am sorry to say, are mostly
very ugly, though there have recently been made some beautiful cloudy
coloured papers, which now and then, and apparently by accident, are
very beautiful, and they are also rather expensive. Some of the Japanese
papers have pretty and very unobtrusive marblings worked upon them, and
occasionally, too, a brocade paper looks well; but for a classic, the
plainer the better, and very often a monotint end paper, or even a plain
white, looks exceedingly well. In the matter of end and side papers, it
is as well to know that these can very easily be altered even after the
book is finished. The revival of flat backs has been the cause of some
disputing. I think myself that the pleasure with which the trained eye
regards the flat back is sufficient excuse for it. As far as technique
goes, the flat back is, I believe, just as lasting and as flexible as
the round. Much must however be determined by the size and shape of the
book as to whether a flat back is adopted or not. The _Shakespeare_
which is now under consideration, when _bound in double volumes_, would,
I think, look well with a flat back, and with flat raised bands between
the panels; whereas, when bound in forty single volumes, it would be
better to have a round back.

As to decoration and finish, the most lamentable errors of taste are
often committed. Over-ad