the book collector
inside with thin paper and highly compressed print. This was made possible by the introduction of mass-production newspaper print methods and machinery, which enabled decorative cloth covers to be printed at a very low cost. The decorative boards of prize bindings were said to transform the relationship between publisher, bookseller, customer and reader, as books could now be sold based on their external properties over their internal contents. Furthermore, those responsible for the purchase of prize bindings recognised that making them appear as valuable as possible would reflect well on their institution, and consequently on their supposed generosity, both of which could potentially bring benefits, such as increased membership or monetary donations. The first publishers to produce prize bindings were religious organisations such as the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, the Religious Tract Society and the Sunday School Union. Following the introduction of compulsory education in 1880, commercial publishers also began to acknowledge the benefits of tapping into the prize book market. The first commercial publishers to do so were the large London houses, such as Thomas Nelson & Sons, Cassell and Ward and Lock & Co. However, as the practice of prize-giving spread from the sphere of education to so- cial clubs, associations and organisations, the provincial publishing houses also began to take part. By the beginning of the twentieth century, prize bindings had become a lucrative trade that brought vast wealth to publishers. Up until now, the prize bindings that have been described are those that were largely bought by faith, board and Sunday schools to award to working-class children. These books were typically religious fiction and were used by teachers acting in loco parentis to convey moral messages as a form of protection against undesirable models in working-class children’s lives. At this point, it is also worth briefly mentioning in the paragraphs below another form of prize binding that was specific to children that attended grammar and boarding schools. Books awarded by these institutions were not selected from the standard list of books categorised by publishers as rewards or prizes; instead, most grammar and boarding schools allowed their largely
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