Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books
A Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology

Previous item Up One Level Next item

doublure

1. An ornamental inside lining of a book cover, which takes the place of the regular pastedown and fly leaf. It is usually of leather or (watered) silk, generally with a leather hinge and is often very elaborately decorated. The typical doublure consists of a silk fly leaf and a leather board covering, but sometimes both board covering and fly leaf are of silk; rarely, both are of leather. In a strict sense, however, the term refers only to leather linings.

The doublure was known in Turkey at least as early as the 14th century, but the earliest known European doublures are a binding of about 1550 in the British Museum. Their use was revived in the reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715), but they were not used very extensively until about 1750, after which they became very popular. Doublures have been used continuously since that time—more so in France, where they have always been more popular than elsewhere. The word itself is French, meaning "lining" or "doubling of material." Also called "ornamental inside lining." 2. In a very general sense, an ornamental endpaper. See PLATE X . (172 , 236 ,335 , 343 )




[Search all CoOL documents]