Some collectors value old leather bound books as a purely aesthetic element, using them for decor in a living room or study. They're often special editions of certain books which have been published with leather bindings. While real leather was commonly used before the 20th century, many bindings since then have been 'leatherette,' a compound made by mixing powdered leather with a glue of some type, then applying it to fabric.
Leather, while handsome to look at it, is not necessarily the best binding for books, as it can get eaten away easily. This is one reason that old leather books in good condition can be worth as much as they are.
Special collections is where we keep non-circulating rare materials which have to be used in the reading room… [more]
Bookplate mania in America and England peaked from 1890 to about 1920. That's when the really great collectio… [more]
Want to do one quick search and pull up the mother lode of vintage books? Try Google Book Search, a database filled… [more]
If you’re interested in collectible childrens books, check out this special digital collection from the Universit… [more]
This archive of 76 influential American cookbooks from the late 1700s to early 1900s, assembled by the Michigan St… [more]
Greg Kindall's collection of over 2100 colorful and historic book labels, pasted into books by publishers, printers… [more]
This Flickr photo pool features over 2,000 photos and scans of vintage cookbooks and old recipes from the 1940s to … [more]
This visually interesting and highly specialized collection from the Hawaii Karate Museum focuses on rare and histo… [more]
This Smithsonian microsite showcases Czech avant-garde book cover designs from the 1920s and 30s, complete with hig… [more]
Bruce Black's gallery of paperback book covers from the 1940s and 50s. With help from numerous contributors, he's a… [more]
This great gallery of over 100 covers of Jack Kerouac's classic 1957 novel 'On The Road' is worth a look for its co… [more]
Got a site to suggest? Let us know.
Are we missing one? Tell us.