the evolution of prize bindings 1870-1940
bloodshed of the war meant that people had grown increasingly sus- picious of institutions and no longer blindly accepted the messages presented in religious prize books. Accordingly, prize books after the war period show a marked di V erence in topic, as well as in their physical appearance. Post-War Following the Great War, the prize book experienced a transition: now, classics and adventure novels as opposed to religious fiction were marketed as prize books. This is generally believed to have arisen as a result of a burgeoning need for escapism, as well as a rec- ognition that girls did not need so much guidance on how to lead their lives, given the important role that females had played in the war e V orts. Alan Powers describes the prize books of the 1920s and 1930s as ‘low-grade imitations’ 3 of their Victorian and Edwardian counter- parts. This was largely due to the fact that the aftermath of the war and its e V ects on production costs meant that commercial binding was heavily influenced by bare necessity only. As the cost of block- ing became too expensive, publishers began to introduce the dust- jacket. The dustjacket not only gave the prospective purchaser an immediate indication of the book’s content, but also protected the book while it was in a shop or warehouse. It also enabled the proper book cover underneath to remain plain and unadorned, in this way keeping costs low, while not compromising the book’s outward appearance. This was particularly important, given that most books were now printed on a low-quality clothette fabric in dull greens, browns or greys, with steadfastly conservative typography. While prior to and during the war, the inside of the prize book was characterised by its thin and low-grade paper, the paper was now artificially bulked with air to make it thicker. This served to make the book look longer than it actually was and to convince awarding institutions that its purchase was good value for money. Much of the material base of prize books was lost when the centre of English publishing in Paternoster Square was hit during
3 . Alan Powers, 2003. Children’s Book Covers . London: Mitchell Beazley.
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