primary tackets

In the medieval period and, in archival bindings, well into the seventeenth century or longer, bookblocks could be held together with tackets, which were short lengths of material such as cord, thread, parchment, tawed skin or tanned skin, or even paper, taken through holes in the spine folds of the gatherings. These should be known as primary tackets to distinguish them from other types of tacket. These tackets could also be taken through a cover, either in single- or multi-gathering books, where they might also have been taken through pierced sewing supports, but because they still perform the function of holding the leaves together as well as attaching a cover, they should still be called primary tackets. Where a cover is attached to a previously- and independently-sewn bookblock by tackets, the tackets should be called secondary tackets. The simplicity and speed of execution of primary tacketing made it useful as a provisional structure, used perhaps to hold gatherings together during the writing and assembly of hand-written manuscripts (see quire tackets), prior to binding the gatherings together in a more complex structure. It is, however, often difficult to know whether a simple, inexpensive structure was intended to be provisional or permanent, and the term 'provisional' should therefore only be used where there is additional evidence to indicate its temporary status.