A Collector’s Guide to Locating Binder’s Waste

A Field Manual for Identifying Manuscript and Printed Waste in Early Modern Bindings

"Binder’s waste" (Maculatuur) refers to fragments of manuscripts or printed leaves that were considered redundant and subsequently recycled by bookbinders to reinforce new bindings. For the collector, these fragments offer a fascinating "archaeological" layer to the book.

Here is where to look.

I. The Exterior (Visible from the Outside)

Locations where waste is used as the primary covering material or is intentionally visible.

1. The Limp Vellum Wrapper (The "Kloosterband")

• What to look for: The entire cover is made from a reused leaf, often a thick parchment folio.

• Common Content: Large-format liturgical manuscripts (Antiphonals, Graduals) are popular because the parchment is durable and large.

• Where to look: The front, back, and spine.

• Note: Sometimes the text is scrubbed off, but faint "ghost" writing or red staves remain visible.

2. Half-Vellum or Quarter-Vellum Bindings

• What to look for: Reused parchment covering only the spine and/or the corners of the boards, while the rest is covered with decorated paper.

• Significance: Often a later (18th/19th c.) economic binding style using much older (medieval) scraps.

• Where to look:

  • The Spine: Check if the text runs horizontally (perpendicular to the book), indicating a strip cut from a larger sheet.

  • The Corners: Small triangles of parchment protecting the board tips.

II. The Interior (Visible Upon Opening)

Locations used for finishing the inside of the book.

3. Pastedowns (The Mirror)

• Definition: The sheet of paper or parchment glued securely to the inner face of the board.

• What to look for: Since this side faces the book block, binders often used "waste" here.

  • Manuscript Waste: Look for handwriting, rubrics, or initials.

  • Printer’s Waste: Look for proof sheets, uncorrected text, or leaves from unsold editions (often from the same city/printer as the book itself).

4. Flyleaves (Endpapers)

• Definition: The free-floating leaves at the very beginning or end of the book, before the title page.

• What to look for: While often blank, binders sometimes used waste paper here.

• Check the Watermark: Sometimes the waste is not text, but simply older blank paper with distinct watermarks different from the main text block.

5. The Gutter (Sewing Guards / Stubs)

• Definition: Narrow strips of parchment wrapped around the fold of a paper section (quire) to prevent the sewing thread from tearing through the paper.

• Where to look: Look deep into the fold (the "gutter") between the pages in the middle of a gathering.

• What to look for: Small, vertical strips of parchment (often with tiny fragments of manuscript text) peeking out from the stitching.

III. The Structural Layer (Visible only if Damaged)

These locations are usually hidden. You will only see them if the book is "as found" (unrestored) or slightly damaged.

6. Spine Lining & Comb Linings

• Context: Binders glued strips of parchment or paper to the spine of the book block to consolidate it before attaching the cover.

• Where to look: If the leather/vellum at the head (top) or tail (bottom) of the spine is torn or missing, look into the gap.

• What to look for: Layers of text (manuscript or print) glued directly to the backs of the gathered quires.

7. The Core of the Boards (Pasteboard)

• Context: Before solid cardboard existed, binders made boards by pasting together many sheets of waste paper.

• Where to look: If the corners of the cover are worn down (dog-eared) and the board is exposed/delaminating.

• What to look for: You might see text "inside" the cardboard itself. Note: Never pull this apart, but observe closely.

IV. Quick Glossary for Collectors

• Membra Disjecta: "Scattered limbs." A fancy term for fragments of a single manuscript that have been dispersed across different bindings.

• Palimpsest: A manuscript page from which the text has been scraped or washed off so that the page can be reused for another document.

• Printer’s Waste: Sheets from a printing shop that were discarded due to errors, or surplus stock sold to binders.

• In situ: Finding the waste still in its original place within the binding (as opposed to soaked off and framed).