“Pilling” on clothbound book covers

I’ve noticed “pilling” (little beads of cloth much like you see on clothing) on several of my finer clothbound titles recently, including one (Physicke Against Fortune from Foolscap) that I’ve had for less than two weeks.

I’m not sure if it’s simply something I hadn’t noticed previously that I found on other copies once I started looking for it, or (more worryingly) if it’s something environmental / to do with my storage.

Has anybody else noticed this on the clothbounds, or discovered it happening over time?

I recently received a FS Four Gospels with this issue. I think mine was caused by a tight slipcase? Unsure.

>1 NathanOv: I don’t think you’re seeing pilling. What you’re describing is a feature of Japanese book cloth.

>3 ChampagneSVP: +1

>3 ChampagneSVP: interesting! I guess what got me was how lose it was - mostly obscuring the gold-work in the title on Physicke.

I’ll just have to resist the urge to pick at it!

>3 ChampagneSVP:
My copy of Phisicke:

>6 kermaier: wow, you must have the slipcase edition! I’m very jealous

>7 NathanOv:
Yes, I got lucky and found one of the 40 slip-cased quarter-Morocco copies on the secondary market years ago (if I recall correctly it was from Vamp & Tramp).

>8 kermaier: Wow, Vamp & Tramp probably gave it to you at Pub price then too, didn’t they?

Well if you ever wanted to trade I’d throw in another Foolscap title like Desert Dreams, Despatches, or the OOP Man I’m Asbestos …

>9 NathanOv:
I don’t remember, but probably — I do remember being happy with the price.
V&T have been a pleasure to do business with, on the few occasions I’ve purchased from them.
Cannot, btw, imagine wanting to trade this one anytime soon. :-)

>10 kermaier: “ Cannot, btw, imagine wanting to trade this one anytime soon. :-) “

Well I certainly can’t blame you for that! My Mandeville copy would probably be closer to a fair trade, and I certainly won’t be giving up that anytime soon

Those look like slubs and nubs from the weaving of the fabric. They’re common on linen and silk.

“ Linen, hemp & wool are two yarns which are well-known for having little nubs and slubs along the length of the yarn.

Slubs occur when a yarn does not have a consistent diameter along the whole length of the thread. Where the yarn is thicker it interacts with the warp yarns differently causing visible slubs.

Nubs may appear as little lumps in the fabric or sometimes as little loops. These loops may look like pulls but they are actually a natural part of the yarn structure. They differ from a pull in that they are thin and a little wispy, and do not affect the fabric around them – i.e. there is no tension in the area around them. These can be left as they will not affect the integrity of the sling.

Slubs and nubs will be more noticeable if there is a high contrast between weft and warp, or if the linen yarn is especially thick.”

It’s a feature. You can find them on the silk bindings of the 2009 Walden from the Folio Society, along with their Madame Bovary LE, for example.

I personally don’t care for it in bindings, but am happy with it on ties and linen trousers.

>11 NathanOv: Phisicke cost $400 new (I bought the slipcased copy used from Powell's for $350) while Mandeville's subscriber cost was $1040. Not an even swap. Plus Mandeville is much nicer. Not that either is leaving my library while I'm alive.

>13 kdweber: you have to account for the fact that Mandeville is a recent title, while the Phisicke special edition is limited to 40 and long out of print.

So it’s pretty close, based on recent sales prices.

>13 kdweber: >14 NathanOv: Also, that was the pricing for the quarter cloth version, no? Fairly certain the quarter leather was priced higher than that.

I was just re-reading my copy of the Folio Society limited edition of the Silmarillion. The hand-woven Indian silk show this same effect but I think it only adds to the beauty of the boards. I suppose it increase over time with the rubbing of the slipcase as it goes in and out. I once had a discussion with a book restorer who wouldn't even make slipcases because of the damage they can do to books even if fitted properly. She always went with boxes. The slipcase for this book is fairly tight but I say the upside of slipcases beat the downside.