FAQs
Q. What are the books made from?
A. The pages are white 100gsm smooth plain paper. The spine board is covered in Goatskin leather and the cover boards are covered in hand-made bookcloth, usually 100% cotton, or occasionally linen-cotton blends.
Q. Do I have to take special care of them because they’re hand-bound?
A. No - they are robustly constructed following traditional methods, using archival materials. They will withstand daily use and you can carry them around in a bag full of stuff without undue concern for their care.
Q. How are they made?
A. Following traditional methods, the paper is folded and torn to size and collated into several signatures. Holes are punched along the spine of these and they are sewn onto tapes to form the bookblock.
The spine of the bookblock is glued, endpapers are tipped-in and mull is glued over the spine. In the final stage of making the bookblock, decorative headbands are attached.
The cover and spine boards of the case are cut and sanded by hand and then covered in leather and cloth.
The mull, tapes and lastly the endpapers of the bookblock are glued to the case, and the now completed book rests in a press for at least 24 hours.
Hardback Journals
Leather Sketchbooks
Q. What kind of books are these?
A. They’re soft-cover or ‘limp’ books, bound in the old German style known as Longstitch with Linkstitch, made only with leather, paper and linen thread. They’re flexible and strong and the pages lie flat.
Q. What styles are available?
A. Two sizes are available in portrait orientation; A5 (8.5 x 6 inches) and A6 (6 x 4.5 inches). They have a magnetic snap closure encased in a leather fob, which doubles up as pen-holder, a 21st century addition to an historical style. The larger size can be made with a strap and buckle closure.
Q. How are they made?
A. The paper is folded and torn to size and collated into several signatures. Matching holes are made in the signatures and the leather cover, and the two are laced together with waxed linen thread in a decorative and functional pattern.
Q. Can I have special paper in my book?
A. Yes! I usually make them with 130gsm/80lb Cartridge paper, but they can be made wholly of or to include plant fibre, transparent, recycled, animal dung, pastel, ingres, watercolour papers. If you usually use another type of paper, let me know and we’ll figure out if we can use it in your book.
