The Bliss binders

The place that books have in the social values of the time is expressed in the frame built to hold them.—BARKER.

Rebekah Bliss gave fine bindings to her Blakes—unfortunately unattributed—indeed to many of her books. The title page of Mrs. Bliss’s 1819 sale (Bibliotheca splendidissima) draws our attention to the notable bookbinders employed on her library

... sumptuously and tastefully bound in morocco and russia, by Kalthoeber, Staggemeier, C. Lewis, Bohn, Welcher, C. Smith, Murton, and other eminent binders, regardless of expence, and finished in their best style.

The full list of binders credited in the sale catalogue is Benedict, Bohn, Faulkner, Hering, Lewis, Murton, Smith, Staggemeir, and Welcher. Curiously, though Kalthoeber is the first mentioned on the title page, none of the lots are attributed to his bindery. Note also how many of these binders are Germans working in London or of German descent.

Benedict is given as binder of lots 422, 433, 477, and 520.

To Bohn is attributed the binding of lots 94, 135, 158, 216, 250, 285, 345, and 442.

Faulkner (lot 83) and Hering (lot 461) are assigned just one binding each.

C. Lewis is apparently a favourite binder of Mrs. Bliss’s (lots 20, 46, 71, 76, 77, 91, 159, 178, 224, 297, 298, 338, 348, 372, 436, 482, 488, 489, 491, 494, 508, 511, 515, 516, 517, 518).

Murton bound 3 lots (134, 252, 257).

C. Smith carried out nine bindings (lots 117, 125, 147, 256, 274, 319, 384, 465, 507).

Just one binding is attributed to the firm of Staggemeier & Welcher (lot 349).

But Staggemeier alone, another favourite binder, bound lots 27, 28, 61, 89, 105, 109, 116, 136, 201, 223, 239, 272, 290, 342, 355, 363, 364, 484, 487, 509.

While attributed to Welcher alone are six bindings (lots, 37, 72, 101, 233, 306, 483).

Further Reading

Nicolas Barker, ed.—A Potencie of Life: Books in Society.—The Clark Lectures 1986-1987.—London : British Library, 1993.
ISBN 0712302875

J.C. Hüttner.—Englische Miscellen.—Tübingen, 1800-1805.
Bd. 6 (1802), 1-32, is the best-known contemporary source on German binders in London.

Howard M. Nixon, "The German binders in London in the late eighteeth century", in: Twelve books in fine bindings from the library of J. W. Hely-Hutschinson.—Oxford, 1953, (69-73).

Howard M. Nixon & Mirjam M. Foot.—The history of decorated bookbinding in England.—Oxford : Clarendon Press, 1992.

My thanks to Graham Jefcoate for this booklist.