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Design Bindings
"Design bindings are a bit special! Serious collectors from around the world seek out the best contemporary bookbinders to create what are essentially pieces of art in book form. There are only a small number of truly accomplished design binders around, but their work is astounding. The Society of Designer Bookbinders supports, encourages and promotes the art of designer bookbinding worldwide. It's annual designer bookbinding competitions attract international attention, and the work of a small number of its members is showcased each year at the Man Booker Prize for literature, with each of the six shortlisted titles being given the designer bookbinder treatment. I am happy to be following in this great tradition, and developing my style and skills as a design bookbinder under the mentorship of one of the world's greatest and most prolific design bookbinders, Paul Delrue."
- Glenn Malkin, Signature Bindings |
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Glenn Malkin has been awarded a coveted prize in the 2009 Designer Bookbinders competition.
His binding of the competition's set book, 'Le Grand Meaulnes' is a full lacunose design in mixed goatskin leather with onlays and blind tooling. Inside, there are full leather doublures and suede endpapers. Headbands are hand sewn in silk and the book block is decorated at the edges in acrylics. The book is presented in a tailor made drop-back box with suede lining.
"This book design represents the physical and emotional journey made by the protagonist, 'le Grand Meaulnes', illustrated by a representation of a path through a dark and remote landscape towards the promises of a distant light."
The competition is held annually by the Designer Bookbinders society and receives entries from a large number of specialist bookbinders. Selected entries are included in a special exhibition which this year is at the historic John Rylands Library in the centre of Manchester throughout December and January.
The prize giving ceremony was held at The John Rylands Library on 5th December, where Glenn was awarded the Harmatan Leather Prize for fine binding.
Harmatan Leather Ltd are one of the regular sponsors of the Designer Bookbinders Competition and are a supplier of fine leathers to the industry, so hold a keen interest in quality leather based bindings.
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What makes a Design Binding so special?
Designer bound books are unique pieces of art created by a small number of expert binders. Collectors frequently pay several thousand pounds to own a designer bound book, but when these works are inspected closely, the quality and care with which they are made is extraordinary. Most designer bound books take months to complete, and every aspect of the binding is completed to an extremely high standard, and of course entirely by hand. It isn't just the most visible aspects of the design - the imagary and materials on the boards, but everything from how the book is initially sewn, the endpapers, the edge colouring, the doublures, the headbands, the box and dozens of other aspects which make it special. On this page we look at some examples and a close look at some of the specific elements which make design bindings rather special!
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'Sixty Poems' by Rudyard Kipling
Bound by Glenn Malkin, Signature Bindings
Hand sewn onto linen tapes with multiple coloured endpapers and edge painting to all three sides in acrylic. Edge sculpted boards. Bound in Oasis goatskin with onlaid panels of overlaid goatskin strips. Blind tooled. Title and author in gold on the spine. Matching box in red buckram and contrasting internal panels, with tooled design and onlaid image of author to front |
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'Rhondda Poems' by Rhydwen Williams
Bound By Paul Delrue
Goatskin leather collage in the Lacunose style. Hand sewn onto linen tapes with edge sculpted boards. Suede endpapers. |
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'A Shropshire Lad' by A E Housman
Bound by Julian Thomas
The horizontal shapes with the exception of the brown calfskin, have been stamped with carved wood blocks. Vellum was used stained a light-blue colour to suggest the sky. Some of the vertical gilded leathers have been inlaid and others have been thinned, compressed and onlaid onto raised pieces of smooth calfskin. |
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'Cuts of Craftworkers'
A collection of Woodcuts from the 16th Century by Jost Amman
Bound by Glenn Malkin
This limited edition Incline Press book contains around fifty black and white woodcuts of craftworkers from all areas of the craft industry, from blacksmith to bookbinder.
The book is hand sewn onto linen tapes and trimmed using a traditional plough. Pages are edge coloured in acrylics. The book is bound in full Oasis goatskin with onlays highlighted with blind tooling. The doublures are full lacanose leather panels.
The image formed by the onlays, which is mirrored on the back of the book, is taken from the engraving within of the Bookbinder, being a small portion of the face.
The book is presented in a cloth covered box lined with black suede |
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Should you be interested in commissioning a design binding, I would be happy to explore your requirements with you without any obligation. If the style of binding you would like is not something I would be comfortable doing myself, I would be very happy to recommend a suitable binder from the Society of Designer Bookbinders who may be better suited.
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