The bibliophile's glossary
Wove paper
Paper with a smooth, even surface, made on a mould fitted with a fine wire mesh that leaves no trace of chain lines or wire lines. Developed in England in the 18th century by John Baskerville and James Whatman, wove paper was later perfected by Étienne Montgolfier and then François-Ambroise Didot, with the help of Benjamin Franklin - then the United States ambassador to France.
In bookselling, the phrase "copy on wove paper" thus denotes a superior-quality paper, often chosen for limited deluxe editions or fine editions, and not a support made of animal skin.
Wove paper arose from the desire for a paper as smooth as skin: John Baskerville achieved this around 1750 by having the mould's sieve woven like a metal mesh, and his Virgil of 1757 is the first book printed on wove paper. James Whatman manufactured it at Maidstone; in France, Johannot of Annonay, the Montgolfier brothers and then Réveillon produced it from 1777, and François-Ambroise Didot established it in his luxury editions, led by the Bucoliques of 1783. In the nineteenth century, the continuous papermaking machine produced wove paper by the roll, and wove paper became the ordinary paper of the printing trade, laid paper remaining that of luxury; in the twentieth century, the papermills of Arches, Rives, Lana, Johannot and Lafuma supplied publishers with rag or "pur fil" wove papers that took their place in the limitation statements.
For the bookseller, the term "on wove paper" carries two different values depending on the period: in the eighteenth century and under the Empire, a copy on wove paper is a luxury copy, printed separately and often cited by Brunet and Cohen; in the twentieth century, Arches wove paper or pur fil wove paper is one of the limited issue papers, generally ranking after Japon and Holland paper, and sometimes the "only large-paper issue" of a first edition. Examination by transparency distinguishes wove from laid paper; the feel, grain and watermark of the papermill identify the wove paper of a given house.
The most frequent confusion opposes wove paper (papier vélin) to vellum skin (peau de vélin): a manuscript or a copy "on vélin" from the fifteenth or sixteenth century is on skin, a copy "on vélin" from 1800 is on paper. The limitation statement of the print run settles the matter, not the appearance of the sheet.
In the catalogue
Related terms
Vellum (skin)Laid paperArches (paper)Large paperLimited deluxe editionThe papers of limited deluxe editions
Frequently asked questions
What is vélin paper?
It is a paper made on a mould with a very fine woven mesh, which leaves neither chain lines nor wire lines: its surface is smooth and even, hence its name, borrowed from vellum made of skin. It appeared in England around 1750 and became established in France at the end of the eighteenth century.
Paper vellum or skin vellum?
Vellum skin is calfskin prepared for writing, the support used for manuscripts and some deluxe printings; vellum paper merely imitates its appearance. A notice specifies "on vellum skin" [sur peau de vélin] when the actual skin is meant.
What does “vélin d'Arches” or “vélin pur fil” mean?
These are the fine wove papers used by twentieth-century publishers: Arches wove paper, from the Arches paper mills; pure-rag wove paper, made from rag without wood pulp; wove paper from Rives, Lana, or Johannot. They appear in the limitation statements of print runs.