The Ethiopian
bookbinding technique is a chain stitch sewing that looks similar to the multi section
Coptic binding
Coptic binding or Coptic sewing comprises methods of bookbinding employed by early Christians in Egypt, the Copts, and used from as early as the 2nd century AD to the 11th century.It is sometimes claimed that the Coptic binding, and thus the wes ...
method. According to J. A. Szirmai, the chain stitch binding dates from about the sixteenth century in
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
and
Eritrea. These books typically had paired sewing stations, sewn using two needles for each pair of sewing stations (so if there are 2 holes, use 2 needles...or 6 holes, 6 needles etc.). The covers were wooden and attached by sewing through holes made into edge of the board. Most of these books were left uncovered without
endbands.
[Szirmai, J. A. ''The Archaeology of Medieval Bookbinding'' (Ashgate, 1999); p. 45]
Notes
Further reading
* Mellors, J., and A. Parsons. 2002. ''Ethiopian bookmaking.'' London: New Cross Books.
* Cockerell, S. 1977. Ethiopian Binding. ''Design Bookbinders Review'' 10: 5–9.
* Szirmai, J.
999 999 or triple nine most often refers to:
* 999 (emergency telephone number), a telephone number for the emergency services in several countries
* 999 (number), an integer
* AD 999, a year
* 999 BC, a year
Books
* ''999'' (anthology) or ''999: T ...
2000. ''The archaeology of medieval bookbinding''. Reprint, Burlington: Ashgate Publishing Company.
* Selassie, S. 1981. ''Bookmaking in Ethiopia.'' Leiden, Netherlands: Karstens Drukkers.
Bookbinding
Ethiopian culture
Eritrean culture
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