News
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Mother Goose
Everyone on the staff at the Harcourt Bindery was involved with producing this binding on L. Frank Baum's Mother Goose in Prose. Our client brought a book to us missing the spine, with damaged covers. We were able to make a new binding using onlaid pieces of multi-colored leathers to replicate the graphic design on the original cover. The original cloth covers were incorporated into the front and back covers of the slipcase which houses the new binding. We were able to replicate the original block gold titling from images of another book.
These onlaid bindings were popular in the 1920s, especially in England. They require special skills and are complicated technically to produce. However, the result is stunning and we are proud of the abilities of our staff.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Sam Ellenport to Speak at the Museum of Printing on April 8
“A Book Binding Anomaly: Linked Spine Bindings”
18th Century Calf Bindings
These 18th century calf bindings represent recent work in full calf on a set of folio travel books. The bindings show an 18th century style with offsetting labels, richly gilt spine and Cambridge boards.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
I Salute You
Dear Sam,
I am pleased indeed with the thorough workmanship which you had accomplished in rebinding my father’s precious old – but rather pathetic – book, the 1810 MacKenzie’s Voyages.
The full calf is just right, plain but handsome too, with its austere rules set off by the boards’ edging of gold tooling, almost like gauffered work; your selection of an old Stormont pattern marbled paper has the correctly archaic, yet restrained flavor – and a great improvement over the previous dull grey endpaper.
As always, it has been a pleasure to bring some challenges to Harcourt… The MacKenzie would have pleased my father, I know, and I salute you, Sam
Yours sincerely,
Charlie