Bradel binding

The Bradel binding takes its name from a family of Parisian bookbinders active at the end of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth, working within the orbit of the Derome workshop; the Bibliothèque nationale de France's Reliures database records a François-Paul Bradel (1757-1827), and an Alexis-Pierre Bradel, known as Bradel-Derome, is also cited. Which of the two gave his name to the structure remains disputed, and the technique itself is of German origin: Le Normand, in his Manuel du relieur of 1827, describes it under the name « cartonnage allemand, dit à la Bradel ». The principle is simple: the book block is mounted within a cover whose boards are separated from the spine by a hollow, so that the spine of the binding does not touch the backs of the gatherings. Originally a temporary case covered in paper or cloth (percaline), the Bradel became, during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, a binding in its own right, executed in half-cloth, half-morocco or full leather.

A Bradel binding is recognisable by its opening, which occurs without forcing, and by the visible hollow running along the boards; the joints are subjected to less strain than in a classic case binding, which accounts for its good durability over time. For a modern book, a Bradel binding signed by a workshop, in half-morocco with corners, smooth spine and gilt title, is a sober and sought-after binding for the bibliophile, especially when it preserves the original wrappers and spine. The description records the material, the colour, the titling, and the condition of the hollow and the joints.

The Bradel binding is sometimes mistaken for a simple publisher's case binding: the structure is similar, but the publisher's case binding is industrial and contemporary with the publication, whereas the bibliophile's Bradel is the work of a bindery, often produced after the book itself. It is also confused with any smooth-spined binding, whereas it is the hollow, not the absence of raised bands, that defines it. A Bradel binding whose hollow has collapsed or whose spine has become detached shows a structural fault, which should be noted.