The books are then placed upon the marbling-rods. These rods are in pairs, and slope towards the operator. The books are placed in them so that the boards rest extended on the rods, and the leaves hang between them; the tail of the book is thus lower than the head. In some cases the back is required to be left plain, and not marbled. When this is the case, a piece of wood grooved to the shape of the back, or even a piece of thin millboard or pasteboard, curved by the fingers, is placed over it. To avoid the scum arising from the beating of the brushes over the colors, it is better to rub the ends of the bristles upon the palms of the hands, on which a little oil has been spread. All these details being settled let us begin with the simplest marble.

Common Marbles -The book being placed on the rods, throw on the water prepared for marbling in large drops, with a coarse brush, or a bunch of quills, till the drops unite; then, with a brush charged with the black liquid, and beaten on the press-pin as directed for sprinkling the edges, a number of fine streaks are produced by throwing the color equally over the cover. Afterwards, the brown liquid must be similarly thrown over. When the veins are well struck into the leather, the water must be sponged off, and the book placed to dry. Another plan is to throw on the vinegar-black, then the brown, and lastly a fine sprinkle of vitriol water.
If the volume has been previously colored with any of the preparations before described, and it is wished to produce a marble thereon, the brown must be thrown on first, and then the black, as, without this precaution the marble would not strike, because of the acid which forms part of the colors. This observation is also applicable to all the other designs.

Purple Marble -Color the cover two or three times with hot purple liquid, and, when dry, glare. Then throw on water, and sprinkle with strong vitriol water, which will form red veins.

Stone Marble -After throwing on the water, sprinkle boldly with the black liquid, then, with a sponge charged with strong brown, drop the color on the back in three or four places, so that it may run down each side in a broad stream, and afterwards operate with vitriol water on the parts the brown has not touched.

Green Agate -Sprinkle black, in nine times its quantity of water, in large drops over the whole surface of the cover, and, when the drops unite, apply on the back, at regular distances, the green liquid, so that it may flow on the boards and unite with the black.

Blue Agate -Proceed as above, only substituting blue in place of the green, weakened with water according to the shade required.

Porphyry Vein -Throw on large drops of black diluted in double the quantity of water. When the color has struck well into the leather, sprinkle in the same manner brown mixed equally with water; then apply a sprinkle of scarlet, and afterwards large spots of yellow, the liquid nearly boiling. Whilst these colors are uniting, throw on weak blue, and then nitromuriatic acid, which, flowing together down the sides, will form the vein distinctly.

Tree Marble –The use had their origin in Germany, whence they passed into this country; they are great favorites, and, when well executed, are very elegant. They are formed by bending each board down the middle, so that the water and colors flow from the back and fore edge to the centre of the board in the form of branches of trees. The name is also given to such as are made to imitate the grain of wood, but those are rare.

Walnut -Formed by sprinkling black and brown only, as for the common marble.

Cedar -After sprinkling as for walnut, and before perfectly dry, apply lightly a sponge presenting large holes, dipped in orange, upon various places on the cover so as to form a description of clouds; afterwards apply the fine red, with a similar sponge, evenly upon the same places, and, when dry, give the whole two or three coats of yellow, taking care that each penetrates evenly into the leather.

Mahogany -The proceedings are nearly the same as for the walnut, the difference being merely in sprinkling the black more boldly, and, when perfectly dry, giving two or three uniform coats of red.

Box -In order to imitate the veins contained in box, the boards must be bent in five or six different places, and in diverse ways. After placing the books between the rods, throw on the water in small drops, and proceed as for the walnut; when perfectly dry, throw water again in large drops, and sprinkle on small spots of blue, equally diluted with water; and when again dry, and rubbed well, apply the scarlet with a sponge, as directed for the cedar. Finally, when dry, give two or three coats of orange.

Wainscot -Color with strong brown glare, and place between the rods, with the boards flat; throw on weak black in large spots, then brown in like manner; and, lastly, sprinkle boldly with vitriol water.

Sprinkles -These are produced by paste-washing the book (not glairing), then putting on the rods, and sprinkling it over in fine spots with any of the colors given, precisely as the edge is sprinkled. Plain cheap school books are often thus sprinkled for common work.

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