Batty Bookbinder

…..and bootleg.

Booklet binding.

Continuous sewing.

Original painted and drawn cover.

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….write this book.

But I should have.

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…I loved the lockdowns. I miss those days when I didn’t have to participate in humanity.

One of my favorites from this time was this cover I did for Lord of the Rings, for an old paperback version that had been floating around in my family. It also sums up when we were all forced to go back.

And didn’t that go well. All the fuckwits got their way, crying about how they want to work, when all…

….write this book.

But I should have.

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…..never the bride.

Three times second prize.

…of their favourite book.

Bookbinding and illustrations by me, because why not. Before they take over.

….some new techniques.

Bi ding up some old tales.

….is worried about the Humog.

I’m worried about more than that.

I’ve been making my own books from works I can get from the internetty. I print in sections and sew them up using the continuous binding techniques which is super quick. Then I make paper covers and do terrible cover desigs.

Wood Engraving Wednesday

Here are a few delightful wood engravings from a recent gift showing the various processes that go into binding a book. This little pamphlet is entitled A Short History of Bookbinding and a Glossary of Styles and Terms Used in Binding … .printed in London at the Chiswick Press for the bookbinder Joseph William Zaehnsdorf in 1895.These images were probably printed from metal plates that were made from the original wood engravings. The engravings are not attributed, as was the case for most commercial engravings.

Click or tap on the images to see the definitions for these activities as provided in the booklet’s glossary. 

Decorative Sunday

We've make several posts about paste papers, but never one that explains the complete process and technique. This small accordion book (4"x4"; 10x10 cm), Making Paste Papers by noted American paper artist Diane Maurer (b, 1944), made at her home studio in Spring Mills, Pennsylvania with original paste-paper samples in 1992 signed by the artist, does just that. It offers simple, step-by-step instructions on how to make paste papers from mixing the paste to finishing the paper.

Maurer is noted for a variety of paper arts, but she writes, "Although I am known for my books and decorative papers, my focus for many years has been on creating paper collage. I begin my collages by marbling, paste painting, and dyeing paper to create the colors and textures that are essential to my artwork. Then I tear, cut and combine multiple layers of patterned papers with handmade papers to represent surrealistic landscapes and fanciful seascapes. Most have considerable dimension, approaching paper sculpture."

Recently, Maurer was invited to become part of the MET's Paper Legacy Project for which she handcrafted 40 papers, including traditional marbling, Japanese Suminagashi marbling, and paste papers.

Our copy of this book is another donation from the estate of our late friend Dennis Bayuzick.

View more of our posts on paste papers.

View more posts on decorative papers.

Decorative Sunday

Paste Paper Patterns

Victoria Hall is a noted English maker of marbled and paste papers. These original samples of her paste paper work are included in her chapter on the paste papers she produced for the book covers of Incline Press and Rampant Lions Press imprints in the Incline Press publication In Praise of Patterned Papers, printed in an edition 360 copies by Graham Moss in Oldham, England in 1997. In her chapter, Hall also makes reference to the metallic colors used by American paste-paper artist Claire Maziarczyk including a sample of her work.

View another post with a sample of Victoria Hall paste paper.

View a post on Claire Maziarczyk paste papers.

View more posts on decorative papers.

View more posts on Incline Press publications.

A friend bought me this book while visiting him in Gothenburg. The covers had fallen off, but I noticed that it was missing a few illustrations, so I was wondering if it was worth it. I did an internet search , but couldn’t really find any of the illustrations inside.

Then I thought I could just make up the illustrations myself. I used the interweb to translate so I suppose I did some sort of…

Just practicing for when I tackle the fAtlas.

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…I finished my books for the Easter show.

Top. The War of the Worlds, and newly case bound multi  section book, with the textbook from Binders edition. I painted new endpapers and cover illustrations, and free hand tooled the cover design. And hand sewn end bands.

Middle. A repair and rebind of Mrs. Beeton's Shilling Cookbook. It was missing the covers and first few pages, so I made and designed new covers and endpapers by hand colouring prints of some of the plates inside the book. The book is sewn on cords and laced into the cover boards, 1/4 Leather bound, with my dodgy hand drawn blocking.

Bottom. Pictures of Sound, which is a booklet and CD from Dust To Digital. They have a digital download. Being in Australia it's really expensive to get their things here, so I figured I would print my own booklets and make my own special editions. This is a stab sewn textbook with simple printed paper covered board for the covers, with inlaid prints of the CD cover from and back. Endpapers are made from images from the booklet.

…are a million to one. But still they come.

The chances of me finishing binding this edition of War Of The Worlds, is about the same.

I bought text block sheets of the “Bookbinder of Jericho.” The paper wasn’t the best, so I just did a basic case bound. But I made my own cover and endpapers. I suppose I should read it now.