Technical Report on Problems with Leather Used in Bookbinding

The final "Report of the Committee of the Society of Arts on Leather for Bookbinding" published in London in 1905 confirmed the view that bookbinding leathers being used were inferior to those used 50 years earlier. It attributed degradation to changes in methods of manufacture and tanning, and also to the "injurious effect of light and gas fumes" which were common in many libraries.