28 GOODYEAR ON GUM-ELASTIC. 



may be aptly compared to that of the letter envelope ; only the 

 improvement may be said to be as much more important as the 

 consumption of writing paper is greater than that of paper for 

 envelopes. 



It is reasonable to suppose that in the first manufacture of 

 cap and letter paper, it was folded chiefly for the following 

 reasons : first, that it might be used in the form of a book when 

 the sheets were stitched together at the back ; second, that it 

 might be conveniently retailed by the quire ; and, also, in letter 

 writing, that the half sheet written upon might be folded in the 

 other half as a wrapper. The bound paper will be found pre- 

 ferable, in all these particulars, to any before offered to the public. 

 In a brief correspondence, when folded paper is used, there 

 exists the necessity of remitting a half sheet that is not required, 

 or of sending the correspondent a torn half sheet, either of which 

 is objectionable : both these objections are avoided in the use of 

 the bound paper, the sheets being put in the market without 

 folding, of any size required. It is probably not very far from 

 the truth to suppose that as much writing paper is wasted as is 

 necessarily used. The use of a few quires of bound paper will 

 satisfy any person that, in addition to the satisfaction it other- 

 wise gives, a large share of this waste may be avoided. 



ART OF BOOK-BINDING. 



Some method by which books could be more securely and ex- 

 peditiously bound, has long been desired, both by publishers and 

 the public. By the use of the vulcanizing process, this object is 

 now attained, and specimens are produced, both with the ordi- 

 nary bindings, and the vellum and tissue bindings hereafter 

 described, together with the book covers, which it is beheved 

 will satisfactorily demonstrate the value of these improvements. 



The writer does not pretend that the idea of binding books by 

 means of India rubber originated with himself. It was first 



