Technical terms

On the spines of older, usually leather-bound books, there is often a series of ridges running horizontally, about an inch or so apart. Do they have a name or does this technique have a name?

Raised bands? That covers the signature stitching?

https://www.ibookbinding.com/blog/book-anatomy-parts-book/

Raised bands is it! It came up because last weekend I was furniture shopping. The decorators had stacks of books with very nice looking covers disguised to look like expensive old books until you pick them up and examine them. Turns out they had taken regular old pot boilers like Scarlett etc., and covered them up with these bindings just to look nice on the shelf.

That's better than some I've seen. Some stores have empty cardboard boxes with book covers printed on the side. (Several books per box.)

>3 varielle:, >4 MarthaJeanne: I've been known to try to buy used books from furniture stores... Usually not successful unless I purchased the couch, two chairs and cocktail/coffee table....

>2 2wonderY:
Thank you for the diagram. That is very interesting.

>2 2wonderY: Could you share a link for the diagram? I'd like to share it in a book group I'm in. Thanks in advance.

>7 SaintSunniva: I'm pretty sure that the link is this one:

https://www.ibookbinding.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Parts-of-a-Book.jpg

A lot of what you see nowadays (and I'm sure was the case in with the books you saw in the store) are "false raised bands". Actual raised bands are part of the sewing structure of a book, with the sections (a/k/a gatherings or quires) sewn onto the cords. False raised bands are simply bits of cord glued onto the spine before it is covered, and are merely decorative.

>8 Lyndatrue:, thank you!
>9 lilithcat: very interesting details...quires. I've got to remember that word for the next time I play a word game.

>5 pmackey:
I have twice succeeded in buying books used for display purposes at furniture stores. One was on Noh theatre and the other was on 18th century playhouses. The Noh book they said just go ahead and take it but I insisted on giving them a couple bucks for it.

>11 Crypto-Willobie: Apparently they'd tried to get rid of it before but they'd had Noh takers.

>12 bernsad: ouch!

>11 Crypto-Willobie: When I read your comment on Noh theater, my mind began racing because I felt a pun emerging.

>12 bernsad: I'm jealous, that's much better than anything I was contemplating!

Thanks for brightening my day. :)

I've been told the Strand in NYC has a section which they sell to designers by the shelf foot. By color.

Half-Price Books sells books with aesthetic bindings by the yard.

Sometimes you see books that have corner covers, sometimes faux but often leather or heavy material, to protect those corners. Do they have a technical name? My little dog just chewed the corners of a Heritage Press copy of Man and Superman. I thought those corners would hide the damage. Tips on applying them are appreciated.

>15 PhaedraB: there's a website called, I believe, "books by the foot" where you can order random assorted books by color group, or "assorted old looking books" etc.