Brick & Mortar since 1991. Blogging since 2006. From Jason Thompson, Rag & Bone founder & creative director. We write about the things we love: bookbinding, book arts, paper arts, the bindery, personal stuff, our kids, our travels, sometimes food and sometimes art.
Here’s a look into John Carrera’s bookbinding and letterpress studio - and much more! If you love bookbinding, or are a bookbinder - or just love watching old machines, hand tools and the process used to create beautiful handmade objects - you’ll like this video.
“From the discovery of the 1898 International Dictionary to linotyping the entries to printing the last print on the vandercook to cutting the fingertabs of the deluxe edition, this video gives a quick overview of the process of creating the Pictorial Webster’s fine press edition.”
Australian Austrian {sorry Renate!} bookbinder Renate Ikinger sells beautiful hand-illustrated, swede covered, coptic bound journals on her Etsy site. Every cover is illustrated by hand, and the pages are acrylic dyed to match the swede color - every one is unique. Renate says, “All my books come with a signed certificate of authenticity.” Be sure to view them all, each one is special and there are many to choose from. New covers are posted frequently.
Renate Ikinger: Flickr
Renate Ikinger: Etsy
Renate Ikinger: Web
Flickr user Bicho Papel posted these embroidery covered books. I don’t know if I can trust my translation from Portuguese: “I always leave half vacant my profile so that troquinhas comes with jeitinho of took off who me for. They make what more they like and I with certainty will appreciate very! I only have one flickr for photos. Mine they are of the dawn of the Lagoon of the Ducks - Beach of the Pellet Orange grove.” Really? My bad. Anyway, I think these embroidered covers are fab.
I like books, notebooks, paper, fabric, I craft books, markers, bags and more that come to mind.
This is a wonderful segment on bookbinding from CBS Sunday Morning (US Television). Includes interviews with bookbinders Jamie Kamph, John Bidwell and Herb Weitz of Weitz Coleman.
I can’t imbed the video, so you’ll have to visit CBSNews direct to watch.
Book designer Irma Boom [I keep mistyping her last name as “Book”] works on unusual and special bookish design projects. If you google her work, you’ll find lots of wonderful Dutch inspired book designs, many awards and credits. Her most ambitious book design project took up five years of her life, culminating with a book so large, so dense, she developed backaches just working with it. Although she had an unlimited budget (wha, wha, whaaat???) and a generous patron, Paul Fentener van Vlissingen, Chief executive for the Dutch conglomerate SHV, the project took over her life.
All [Paul] said was, “Make something unusual,“” Boom said. “It started out as a dream project but became a nightmare, because of the time.” Having decided to compile the book from found text and images, she …scoured SHV’s archives for material and traveled all over the world to find more. When Boom had to cancel the order for her first choice of paper (after being told by the Japanese producer that it would take 14 years to make) she invented her own paper.
Wow! That’s some undertaking. I haven’t found information about the print run - is this a one-of-a-kind? Not sure. I can’t imagine taking five years to design a book.
Serious Binding : Serious Eye Candy
Do you love books and bookbinding? We do! Take a look at these beautiful images from Ball Peen Bindery. Wow! Books and bindings to covet. Founder Mick LeTourneaux says he takes images of his books for the Ball Peen website.
I’m a book conservator by trade and bpb [Ball Peen Bindery] is my creative outlet. The pictures are just an extension from my bpb site.
16th Century Paper Cut Book
These images are from a curious 16th century volume which contains meticulously cut out text standing in for printed or handwritten pages. I’ve posted quite a bit of paper cutting, but nothing that goes back this far. The pages almost look contemporary. The book has an interesting history, even being referred to as “The Most Interesting Book In The World” in a bibliographic volume entitled “Gleanings from the Harvest-Fields of Literature”, a collection of curiosities relating to books and manuscripts.
The volume is described in “Gleanings…” as:
The most singular bibliographic curiosity is that which belonged to the family of the Prince de Ligne, and is now in France. It is entitled Liber Passionis Domini Nostri Jesu Christi, cum Characteribus Nulla Materia Compositis. This book is neither written nor printed! The whole letters of the text are cut out of each folio upon the finest vellum; and, being interleaved with blue paper, it is read as easily as the best print. The labor and patience bestowed in its completion must have been excessive, especially when the precision and minuteness of the letters are considered. The general execution, in every respect, is indeed admirable; and the vellum is of the most delicate and costly kind. Rodolphus II. of Germany offered for it, in 1640, eleven thousand ducats, which was probably equal to sixty thousand at this day. The most remarkable circumstance connected with this literary treasure is, that it bears the royal arms of England, but it cannot be traced to have ever been in that country.
Book Trade Labels
I love books. I need to be surrounded by them - working in a bindery helps. Is it the smell of books? The stories, the history, what is it about books that makes me happy?. I collect Polar Exploration books. I like to say I “collect” as opposed to “buy” books, it seems more orderly, more of a vocation than a task, close to the secret works of librarians.
Some of the books I’ve acquired over the years have “Trade Labels” and “Prize Labels” pasted inside.
Prize Labels are usually close to the size of the book itself and signify excellent attendance or other student accomplishments and usually have a handwritten name and date. I don’t particularly look for these labels, I actually try to avoid them, but some of the books in my collection only come along once and a while and I buy them regardless of owner signatures, labels or what ever else.
These labels are from some of my books:
Trade Labels are a little more unique. They are generally smaller than Prize Labels and were used as advertising for publishers, dealers and binders. Again, the labels are usually deemed a nuisance, but the folks over at the Seven Roads Bookstore see the inherent beauty and history of these labels and created an online gallery. The images are from all over the world, and the gallery contains more than 2,100 labels!
This collection began with labels found in our own books, but now it is mainly a virtual collection — each entry is digitally scanned from books found in the excellent research library to which we repair in our spare time. We must admit to having gone from “coming across” the labels in our book-browsing to actually searching for them.
The collection will continue to grow, with new accessions displayed on this page around the first of each month. We have also begun to research the characters and institutions behind each of these labels — and there are some great stories! Look for these in the weeks to come.
I can’t help but get that “collector” feeling while looking at these labels. It makes me want to look through all my books to find more. Usually I cringe when I find then but now it’ll be like a little surprise and I’ll have to let the sevenroads folks know!
Peggy Johnston, Waveland Studio Starship Log and Pod
The Guild Of Bookworkers page promoting the 100th Anniversary Exhibition Schedule lists June 18th as the opening date for the Bridwell Library exhibit, but visiting the library website, it looks like the exhibit has been up since June 8th - sorry for the delay, I thought it was the 18th - however the exhibit has been travelling to different venues since September last year, and will continue until November 2007.
Check out the online gallery for lots of bookbinding inspiration.
Timothy Ely Clockwerk Men Before Enlightenment
Susan Collard The Winter Palace
Barbara Lazarus Metz Birds of North America and Know Your Wild Birds
Chela Metzger Bird Book
Emily Martin, Naughty Dog Press Sleepers, Dreamers & Screamers
Sue Allen, Studio Ink Suite Sixteen
Guild Of Bookworkers
100th Anniversary Exhibition
June 18 – July 27, 2007
Elizabeth Perkins Prothro Galleries
Bridwell Library, Perkins School of Theology
Southern Methodist University
6005 Bishop Blvd, Dallas, TX
(214) 768-3483.
Book artist Sarah, AKA: “littlepaperbird’, makes beautiful concertina, perfect and accordion style books with pages that take center stage in their designs. Don’t these photos make you want to start sewing up book blocks?
Probably the greatest modern bookbinder is Philip Smith. One of the first Art Books I received as a gift contained bindings by Philip Smith, and I have to admit, I almost gave up the thought of binding books myself. His work is amazing, and solid. His book cover treatments, composed of layered and collaged leather and other materials, almost overwhelm the contents of the actual book. If Mr. Smiths work was framed on the wall, most would consider it outstanding. But paired with the literary aspect of the books he chooses to bind his art achieves a weightiness, a seriousness which elevates the written words inside. I find his work to be a little overwhelming, with a lack of clean lines, or simple design, but he has influenced the art binding market and is an icon in the bookbinding world.
His prices start at about $25,000. I’ve handled art bindings at the yearly ABA book show in Boston each year, but never a Philip Smith binding. Be sure to visit this event if you’re near Portland, OR.
Philip Smith: Extraordinary Bindings From an Englishman
Exhibition open until July 11, 2007
Multnomah County Central Library
801 S.W. 10th Avenue, Portland, OR
Phone: 503.988.5123
Website: http://www.multcolib.org
My six year old Daughter and I made the trip up to Harcourt Bindery in Boston this past weekend for their equipment and materials sale. Harcourt is one of the finest and oldest hand bookbinding studios in America. Sam Ellenport, president and head bookbinder, encouraged me to make a go at bookbinding on my own 17 years ago. He also set up the bookbinding program at the North Bennet Street School in 1986 by donating all of their bookbinding equipment to the school. He’s very modest, and well loved in the world of bookbinding.
Harcourt may be moving soon (or later), which is why Sam was having the sale. The bindery has been at the same location for 21 years (formerly in Copley Place in Boston) but the area they are located in is seeing quite a bit of gentrification and their manufacturing space may eventually be turned into residential and commercial lofts. There are no firm plans as to a new location, nor is there a scheduled moving date. There is a lot of equipment to move and it’s no easy task moving any manufacturing space - we know this from first hand experience. We wish Harcourt luck with the move and will try to blog it here when it happens.
In the meantime, there are still materials and binding equipment for sale and you can call Harcourt direct at 617 542 5858 for more information. (They have a gorgeous Jacques Shears for sale!)
Job Backer: $850.00
Book Press: $800.00
Ancient Drill Press
Drill Press
Ink for the museum quality ledger paper printing machine
Ink
Ledger Printing Machine. The threads, which make the machine look like a loom, hold the ink and are re-positionable to create different column widths. The threads are lowered onto the paper to create the vertical and horizontal lines on ledger sheets. Sam said the machine was last used in March, 2001
Ledger Printing Machine
Ledger Printing Machine
Paginator - this machine is used to sequentially number individual sheets of paper for binding.
Your House
Artist Olafur Eliasson designed this laser-cut rendering of his own house made from 454 individual paper page slices, bound together in a one-of-a-kind book commissioned by the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. Look at the way the house proceeds from one side to the other in slices. When the book is closed, the house remains inside in sort of an anti-pop-up state. Can you imagine engineering the binding process for this book? Must be a perfect-binding technique.
This clip is from Martin Frost’s website, the British master of fore-edge painting today. Since he began in the 1970’s, Martin has painted more than 3000 fore-edge paintings. You can see from the video what a fore-edge painting is, but here is Wiki to explain it in more detail:
A fore-edge painting is a scene painted on the edges of the pages of a book such that the painting is not visible when the book is closed. In order to view the painting, the leaves of the book must be fanned, exposing the edges of the pages and thereby the painting. Generally, gilt or marbling will be applied by the bookbinder after the painting has dried so as to make the painting completely invisible when the book is closed.
What I love most about these are that they are hidden in plain view. I have seen only a few artists attempt fore-edge painting on book art, due to the fact that it is difficult to acheive. Does anyone have examples of book art fore-edge painting to share?
Fiber and paper artist Laura Fairbrother [and little Clara] make wonderful soft plushie dolls but have recently tried their hands at pop-up books, which is not an easy task. I’ve tried pop-ups and they’re… challenging. These books make it look so easy, maybe I’ll try it again. Be sure to visit their Etsy shop too.
Miniature Bookbinding Class
May 5–6 (Sat.–Sun.)
Garage Annex School for Book Arts
One Cottage Street #5, Room 503
Easthampton, MA 01027
$200 plus $25 materials fee
Enrollment limited to twelve
Miniature books present difficult design and structural challenges to the bookbinder. After all, a true miniature is less than three inches tall. During the course, students will construct three books of diminishing size from two inches down to a half inch.
Would you like to study book arts in this studio? For free? The Center For Book Arts in New York City is now accepting applications for the 2007 Stein Family Scholarship Fund. Two scholarships will be awarded for individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to the artistic endeavors of the book arts. Scholars receive free tuition for courses and access to the studios.
The Edition + Artist Book Studio at the Australian National University will sponsor a free exhibition of artists books and prints celebrating the art of the book and the special relationship between images and the written word. The show features 90 printed works and artists books created under the direction of master printer, artist and lecturer Dianne Fogwell.
The exhibition’s title, How I entered there I cannot truly say, is from Dante’s Divine Comedy and is a tribute to the first book published by The Edition + Artist Book Studio, Udo Sellbach’s And Still I See It (1995), which used Dante’s text.
Long time Book Artist Richard Minsky is speaking at the University of Iowa’s Center For The Book on Friday, March 2nd. A traditionally trained bookbinder, Minsky’s commitment to the craft and pioneering techniques have contributed to the expanding field of book arts for over 30 years. His work has long challenged traditional bookbinding aesthetics, moving the book from an expression of craft to art, and influencing a generation of book artists to use the materials and structure as metaphors for the work. Richard Minsky founded the Center for Book Arts in New York in 1974.
Richard Minsky: Material as Metaphor
Friday, March 2, 5:00 pm
University Of Iowa Center for the Book
116 Art Building West
Iowa City, IA 52242
Phone: (319) 335-0447
Kel Flowers is a bookbinder from Tasmania, “…that wee little island at the bottom of Australia that often gets left off maps or is thought to be a bit of a myth”, who makes beautiful leather books on commission. They’re the kind of journals Sam Gamgee might take with him to Mordor. Kel has been bookbinding for only a few years and says her first bound book was an address book she made because she wanted to, “…make one rather than buy something cheap and impersonal. I really had no idea it would turn into such an obsession.” Good thing it did, her work is beautiful and personal. Kel is also a painter and sculptor.
