In reply to Carly.

Carly--I think what you are commenting on is the cover material which is turned over the cover edges to the inside. The printer's waste looks like a pattern for a craft project of some kind, circa 1830. This type of marbled paper on the cover is called Gustave Marmor and was popular in the 19th Century. It is still imitated today on the cover of composition books and file boxes.