James Scott and William Scott, Bookbinders

London: Scholar Press, 1980 4to (27 cm), XVI, 414 pp. Publisher's cloth & dust jacket. "The output of the Edinburgh binders James and William Scott stands out in the work of eighteenth-century Scottish bookbinders. Though few William Scott bindings are known today, a substantial number of James's bindings have survived: his work was characterized by its clean break from the Scottish geometrical style of binding ornamentation towards a style aimed at the kind of people who would be patrons of Chippendale or Adam and might be expected to want to own bookbindings which would fittingly adorn their houses. Thus the history of eighteenth-century bookbinding can be seen to relate to wider concerns of aesthetics and design in the visual arts. Mr Loudon's book, the first detailed examination of the Scotts, gives detailed descriptions of all known Scott bindings and includes full-page reproductions of all but a few. It also examines in detail (and reproduces) the tools and rolls employed." (from the publisher's description)