By Rebecca Wilson and Douglas McElrath

“Books should be appropriately appareled. Their bindings should indicate and distinguish their various characters.” Herman Melville, 1850. In the 19th century, books often were judged by their covers. The Well Dressed Book: Cloth Book Binding in the United States, 1830-1920 is an exhibit on display in Hornbake Library that explores a time of fundamental change in both the appearance and the status of books in American society and culture.

Prior to the mid-19th century, most books were scarce and expensive. The aesthetics of Victorian America, combined with changes in the technology of book making and the emergence of new economic models for publishing and distribution created the distinctive, decorative cloth covers associated with the era.

Join rare books curator Doug McElrath for a guided tour of this exhibit tracing the evolution of books from hand-crafted objects available to the few, to a product of the Industrial Revolution that spread information to the masses.