double lacing (techniques)

Double lacing shows as pairs of narrow slips laced through the joints of the covers of laced-case bindings with boards. They are often made of parchment but other materials may be found. It was created by cutting the slips into three elements, a central wider element with a narrower element on each side of it. In most cases the central element was not cut off, but passed across the joints under the cover to be adhered to the inside of the boards, while the narrower elements were laced through the cover before being adhered to the boards. The slips are usually clearly identifiable under the pastedowns of these bindings. The technique was widely used on stationery bindings but more rarely on bindings on printed books. Eighteenth-century prize bindings from Arnhem in the Netherlands will often have them, suggesting a localised practice, and Edwards of Halifax used the technique on bindings on larger volumes, where greater strength would be required.