This database is a finding aid to the British Library's bookbindings. It aims to provide information and images of selected bindings of books printed in western Europe from the fifteenth century to date. Bindings of other formats (notably manuscripts) and from other regions (including Asia, the Middle East and Africa) will gradually be added, presenting a more representative sample from the Library’s rich collection. The Library’s partner, the National Library of the Netherlands has contributed some of its unparalleled Dutch bindings. The database is a work in progress and its scope will be widened as resources allow.
The Language of Bindings Thesaurus (LoB) is a thesaurus of bookbinding terms for book structures dating from the ninth to the nineteenth century.
