Julia Miller. Books Will Speak Plain: A Handbook for Identifying and Describing Historical Bindings. Ann Arbor, Mich.: The Legacy Press, 2010. xv, 510p. ISBN 978-0-9797974-3-9. $80.00

Abstract

Part of what makes Books Will Speak Plain unique in the field of bookbinding history is that it approaches the topic from a conservation standpoint rather than a curatorial one. Julia Miller has worked in the field of book conservation for more than 30 years, including ten at the University of Michigan Library, and her experience as a conservator is evident in this work.

Miller offers a history of the handmade book and its distinguishing characteristics, but her stated objective is ultimately preservation of, and access to, these items in library collections. In the introduction, she states that the purpose . . .