À LA GRECQUE, ALLA GRECA
A style of binding with thick boards, grooved on the edges and flush with the trimmed leaves of the book, the tail- and headbands therefore protruding above and below the boards. These bands, sewn deep into the quires of the book, are an important part of its structure, in which sewing bands, if present, do not carry the weight of the covers. The clasps are usually of plaited strands of leather, ending in a ring fitting over a pin protruding from the edge of the opposite board. This distinctive style, employed in Greece during the Middle Ages and after, usually in monastic or religious foundations, was also imitated, generally for fine bindings for identifiable collectors, on Greek printed books, during the 16th century. Books thus bound sit uneasily on shelves: they were originally designed to be kept in chests (see bookshelves), fore-edge down, and lifted out by the head- and tailbands.
Previous ABC’s of Book Collecting posts
Carter, John & Nicolas Barker
ABC’s of Book Collecting. 8th Edition
New Castle, Delaware : Oak Knoll Press, 2004