Home  Products & Services Design Bindings |
|
|
|
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 |
|
For the second year running, Glenn Malkin has been awarded a coveted prize in the 2010 Designer Bookbinders competition.
His binding of the competition's set book, 'The Collected Stories of Nikolai Gogol', is in full goatskin leather, decorated with acrylics. 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 struggle and hardships of 1850's Russia, explored in these short stories. They tell of a class ridden society hinting at a promise of a better life driven by the aspirations of the characters."
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 will be held at The John Rylands Library on 4th December 2010.
|
|
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, and 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!
|
|
'Le Grand Meaulnes'
Bound by Glenn Malkin, Signature Bindings
Published by the Folio Society
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.
Winner of the Harmatan Leather Prize
Designer Bookbinders Competition 2009 |
|
|
|
'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 are tooled in gold on the spine. The book is presented in a matching drop-back box in red buckram and contrasting internal panels, with tooled design and an onlaid image of the author to front |
|
'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. |
|
|
'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 deop-back box with black suede lining. |
|
|
Should you be interested in commissioning a design binding, I would be happy to explore your requirements with you without any obligation. Prices vary tremendously depending on the materials, style and work involved, but typically fall in the broad range £400 to £2,000. 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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
