Medieval ‘dos-à-dos’ Book Bindings

They became very common in England in the first half of the 17th century.

As you could see, it has a very unusual kind of binding.

This odd binding style is known as dos-a-dos, a French word meaning “back-to-back”.

Some book binders took the style a bit further.

The image below shows a dos-a-dos binding from 1736 featuring no less than five books.

This is why these volumes are referred to as “upside-down books”.

The Doubles were published until 1978.

A modern tete-beche published by Ace Books.

Before we go, lets take a look at this complicated specimen bound in the late 16th century.

It contains six booksall devotional texts printed in Germany during the 1550s and 1570shidden inside a single binding.

The book can be opened from all the four edges in six different ways.

Sources:Wikipedia/Erik Kwakkel/Abe Books