CHAPTER XXVII

THE ILLUMINATION OF THE PRINTED BOOK

As already mentioned in an earlier chapter, some of the early printed books were enriched with fine illuminated initials, borders, etc. These books were printed with spaces left for the artist to insert these, and this seems to have often been the custom during the early days of printing.

There ought to be a demand for books produced in this manner in the present day, and the modern illuminator should be able to do good work in this way.

When it is intended to apply illumination to the printed book, it is well that the book selected should be worthy of being illuminated, both with regard to subject-matter and also the way in which it is printed. It should be beautifully printed on good paper. Some choice editions have been printed on vellum, but these are few and far between. However, if possible, the book selected should be printed on good hand-made paper. The illuminator should carefully avoid so-called “art” papers, which have a clay surface and are by no means durable, besides being far from ideal for working upon. The book should be printed from good type, with nice wide margins so as to leave plenty of scope for decoration.

Illuminating a book after it has been bound is a rather difficult matter, so it is better to procure the sheets, if possible, before they have been bound. It is much more convenient to work upon them when they are unbound, as each page in turn can be fastened to the drawing-board in the usual way. A good edition of any book can generally be obtained from the publishers in sheets if application is made. In the case where it is possible only to work on the book after it has been bound, it is best to tie the pages back with a piece of narrow tape in the manner shown in Fig. 50. A piece of stout cardboard is placed at the back of the book, and the book is tied to this by means of the tapes. This not only prevents the pages from turning over, but also precludes the possibility of the book accidentally closing.

One thing is extremely important in connection with the illumination of the printed book, and that is that the decoration should be in keeping with the modern type used in printing. The book should not look as if the text ought to be written in Gothic script. The illuminator must endeavour to preserve a feeling of unity about the book. If the book is illuminated like a thirteenth-century missal, the ordinary Roman type will look out of place. It is hardly necessary to add that Gothic initials should not be used, as they would be entirely out of keeping with the type. A good form of Roman capital may be used instead.

If illustrations in the form of full-page plates form part of the book they may be mounted on good stout hand-made paper and have the titles nicely written underneath. For writing the titles under illustrations a simple form of Roman script should be used, so as to be as much in keeping with the type as possible. It is not advisable to add any decoration to the page on which the illustration is mounted. The inscription alone is sufficient and should be nicely written in well-formed writing.

For the title-page of the book this may either be substituted by one entirely done by hand, or the printed one may be slightly decorated. It is best not to make this too elaborate, especially if the printed one is used. In fact it may be best to leave it practically plain, but this is a point that must be decided by one’s own good taste.

The opening page may be made important by using a fine initial letter. By the use of body colours it is possible to paint this in on top of the printed letter. The first word, which is generally printed in capitals, may also be painted in the same way, either in gold or colours. The decoration should be suited to the subject-matter of the book and should not be carried to excess. It is much better for the decoration to be somewhat too simple in character than for it to look too ornate and crowded.

The decoration should be kept quite free in character and every endeavour should be made to prevent it from getting hard and severe. All the poetry and sweetness possible should be put into it.

Every page should not be covered with decoration; this should not be attempted. All the variety possible should be got by making some pages quite simple in treatment, others may be more elaborate, while some may be left quite plain. Too many heavy borders should not be introduced.

The use of illuminated tail-pieces affords a good opportunity for the illuminator to add to the interest of the page, and there is generally plenty of scope for these at the end of chapters, etc.

Generally speaking, the printed book should not be used for illuminating when it is possible to write out the words, as a manuscript book is certainly preferable to a printed one. But in cases where a book is too long to be written out, the application of illumination to typography is certainly a great advantage if judiciously used.

At the end of the book the illuminator may add his colophon, stating that the illumination in the book was executed by himself, and giving the date of its completion and other interesting details.

A complete edition of the works of a favourite poet is a good example for illumination in this manner. It would take far too much time, as well as being too costly, for the modern illuminator to write out a large volume of poetry, but it might be nicely printed and illuminated in this way. By these means a beautiful book might be produced that ought to appeal to the lover of choice books.

Doubtless there will be many books that will suggest themselves for treatment in this manner, although it is to be feared that a great many of the books written in the present day are hardly suitable for illumination. No one would dream of illuminating a treatise on surgery to-day, and yet even this was done in the Middle Ages. There is in the British Museum an illuminated MS. of a French treatise on surgery of the thirteenth century which is quite charming in style. This kind of thing is, however, quite impossible to-day. Still, there is quite a large number of books that are suitable in every way for illumination.

Service books for use in churches may well be made subjects for decoration in the form suggested here. These alone ought to offer plenty of scope for the modern illuminator. A service book beautifully printed on fine hand-made paper and illuminated should form an ideal gift for a church.

A well-printed edition of a favourite author, illuminated with fine initials and borders, might occasionally be substituted for the usual illuminated address. This would probably be appreciated very much more than the ordinary type of testimonial which is generally given. In this case an inscription may be written at the commencement of the book giving particulars concerning the presentation.