The staples for binding have nearly the form of the letter U, and are placed, to the number of 250 or 300, on small blocks of wood, _m_. To prepare the machine for work, the catch, _a_, is shoved back, and the whole upper part of the piece, _b_, is removed. The rod, _e_, with its spring, is then drawn back until a small hole in _e_ is perceived, and into this there is introduced the hook, _f_, which then holds the spring. The block of wood, _m_, filled with staples, is then rested against a rectangular horizontal rod, and into this latter the staples are slipped by hand. The upper part of the piece, _b_, is next put in place and fastened with the catch, _a_. Finally, the spring is freed from the hook, _f_. When it is desired to bind the pages of a pamphlet, the latter is placed open on the support, _g_, which, as will be noticed, is angular above, so that the staple may enter exactly on the line of the fold. Then the handle, _h_, is shoved down so as to act on the arm, _c_, and cause the descent of the extremity, _d_, as well as the vertical piece, _b_, with which it engages. This latter, in its downward travel, takes up one of the staples, which are continually thrust forward by the rod and spring, and causes it to penetrate the paper. At this moment, the handle, _h_, makes the lever, _n_, oscillate, and this raises, through its other extremity, a vertical slide whose head bends the two points of the staple toward each other. The handle, _h_, is afterward lifted, the position of the pamphlet is changed, and the same operation is repeated. When it is desired to form a book from a number of sheets, the table, _l_, is mounted on the support, _g_, its two movable registers are regulated, and the sheets are spread out flat on it. The machine, in operating, drives the staples in along the edge of the sheets, and the points are bent over, as above indicated. The axis on which the lever, _i_, is articulated is eccentric, and is provided on the side opposite the lever with a needle, _k_, revolving on a dial. The object of this arrangement is to regulate the machine according to the thickness of the book. [Illustration: FIG. 1.]