Decorative edges

[page is still being edited] Decorative edges refers to book page edges that have been painted, cut, engraved, or otherwise embellished, usually for purely aesthetic purposes.

History of decorative edges

Decorative book edges are very popular today, but they are not a modern invention. In the Middle Ages, books were considered luxury items, and were very expensive. The books were bound and decorated elaborately with expensive materials like gold and silver, and were filled with colorful illustrations and calligraphy. However, some of these decorations were also practical. Originally, sprayed edges (also known as "spredges"), were used to identify books. Instead of the title being on the spine of the book like it is today, it was painted onto the page side and books were stored on shelves with the page side out. Later in the 1500s, book titles began to be put on the spine instead. However, this did not stop scribes from adding embellishments onto the pages. Gilded pages, or edges painted with gold leaf, were popular for Bibles. Besides looking nice, gilded edges made books easier to wipe dust from.

An image of a disappearing fore-edge painting depicting a scene of a town. Painted on The Poems of Winthrop Mackward Praed (1869).

In the sixteenth century, Cesare Vecellio, a Venetian painter, began to paint detailed scenes on book pages. These were watercolor paintings that usually depicted pastoral scenes, mythological figures, or decorative patterns. These were called "fore-edge paintings," and could only be seen when the book was completely closed. These were not especially popular at the time. A royal bookbinder named Samuel Mearne invented another kind of fore-edge painting in the 1660s. Rather than painting on the outer edge of the pages, Mearne painted on the inner edge. These paintings were not able to be seen when the book was closed, but only when the pages were fanned out.

Illumicrate's special edition reprint of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, which features digitally-printed page edges.

Fore-edge paintings served a functional purpose as well as an aesthetic one. Book pages were prone to yellowing and crumbling before the invention of acid-free paper. However, gilding and fore-edge paintings helped protect books from disintegrating. Decorated page edges no longer have a functional purpose, but they have still risen in popularity over the past few years. Many special editions of books have sprayed or gilded edges, and the standard paperback editions of some books automatically come with sprayed edges.

Types of decorated edges

Although sprayed edges are

the most popular type of decorated book pages, they are not the only type of decoration. Some of the most popular types of decoration include sprayed edges, gilded edges, laser-engraved edges, and deckled edges.

Sprayed edges

10th anniversary special edition of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, featuring a rainbow sprayed edge.

Sprayed edges, or "spredges," are "a decoration applied to the outer edges of book pages using a variety of methods such as airbrush paint spraying, digital printing, stenciling, or hand-painting." Most of the time, sprayed edges are a solid color, but designs have also become more popular.

Gilded edges

Gilded edges are created by applying a thin layer of metallic foil to the outer book edges with heat and pressure. As mentioned previously, gilded edges used to be created with gold leaf. However, gold leaf can become expensive, and "modern techniques allow a wide range of metallic and matte colours," so there is no need to use it. Gilding also protects pages from dust and moisture, making it a good option for books that get handled frequently, or books that are meant to last a very long time.