An introduction to papermaking that describes the many techniques used today, how paper was invented, how it has evolved throughout history, and how people can make their own paper.

In 1691 the Rittenhouse family opened a paper mill outside of Philadelphia and for the next forty years were the only paper manufacturers in America. Wilhelm Rittinghausen, later known as William Rittenhouse, was born in Mulheim, Germany and learned the paper making trade. He moved to Amsterdam at a young age and then emigrated to America with his three children in 1687. William's descendants continued to be active in the paper making business into the nineteenth century when the productivity of the mill gaveway to the new technology.

The classic work on papermaking, this book traces the craft's history from its invention in China to its introductions in Europe and America. The foremost authority on the subject covers tools and materials; hand moulds; pressing, drying, and sizing; hand- and machine-made paper; watermarking; and more. Over 320 illustrations.Reprint of the second, revised, and enlarged 1947 edition.

A comprehensive account of early papermaking in America

A Best Book of the Year: Mother Jones • Bloomberg News • National Post • Kirkus In these pages, Nicholas Basbanes—the consummate bibliophile’s bibliophile—shows how paper has been civilization’s constant companion. It preserves our history and gives record to our very finest literary, cultural, and scientific accomplishments. Since its invention in China nearly two millennia ago, the technology of paper has spread throughout the inhabited world. With deep knowledge and care, Basbanes traces paper’s trail from the earliest handmade sheets to the modern-day mills. Paper, yoked to politics, has played a crucial role in the unfolding of landmark events, from the American Revolution to Daniel Ellsberg’s Pentagon Papers to the aftermath of 9/11. Without paper, modern hygienic practice would be unimaginable; as currency, people will do almost anything to possess it; and, as a tool of expression, it is inextricable from human culture. Lavishly researched, compellingly written, this masterful guide illuminates paper’s endless possibilities.

For 250 years after its introduction to Europe around 1600, the method of decorating paper known as marbling reigned supreme as the chief means of embellishing the fine work of hand-bookbinders. Richard J. Wolfe reconstructs the rise and fall of the craft and offers the most comprehensive account available of its history, techniques, and patterns. A publication of the A.S.W. Rosenbach Fellowship in Bibliography Series

This indispensable guide to American papermaking, lists papermakers in America from 1690 to 1817.