Titus Andronicus – Τίτος Ανδρόνικος

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bookbinding, Design binding, Βιβλιοδεσία, Σαίξπηρ, Τίτος Ανδρόνικος, δερματόδετο, καλλιτεχνική βιβλιοδεσία, leather binding, The lamentable tragedy of Titus Andronicus, Titus Andronicus, William Shakespeare

Dear readers, this is how obsession looks like… Allow me to explain!
A year ago I decided to take part in the international Designer Bookbinders competition the results of which were announced very recently. I signed the form, payed the fee and everything was peachy. The topic of the competition was simply “Shakespeare”, which I found great cause in many cases these competitions are about binding a specific book that all binders have to obtain. While that is certainly challenging I believe freedom of choice regarding the book indulges creativity more and Shakespeare is as inspirational of a topic as it can get.

I acquired (not without trouble) a wonderful copy of Titus Andronicus, Shakespeare’s (said to be) first tragedy. The copy cost some 450$ and was printed in 1901 by the famous Ballantyne press. It’s no surprise they became famous; every single aspect of the edition is astonishing and, along with Leon Bakst, I can say it was the best book my bench has seen so far.

The story of Titus Andronicus unfolds in ancient Rome. It begins with the joyous return of general Andronicus after a successful campaign and slowly spirals into a full revenge-driven blood bath. The story feels in some ways similar to a Tarantino movie (I can hear Shakespeare scholars gasping after this “crude” comparison but that’s how it is!). Overall it was a great choice.

As soon as I got the book a certain design came to mind. It was perfect for Titus and sooner than later I began work. It involved a new technique that I had found by accident. I did countless tests and tried the whole decoration more than once on blanks that were prepared exactly like Shakespeare. Things were going as planned and three months before the deadline I started binding the book itself. However, when it came to decorating the actual book everything was simply a disaster. The technique involved a treating of the cover’s entire surface so there was no room for corrections, I had to do it all over again. I had gained confidence through the numerous tests and practice I did over months so I bound the whole thing again. Once more though the decoration would fail, in a different way this time. I couldn’t get my head around it, I bound it a third time with a similar outcome. It was as if the damn thing didn’t want to be bound! By then I had become fixated and most importantly I was out of time.

The book was bound once more. Now however it was a matter of a day or two to miss the deadline. I had no time to think and prepare something to my heart’s desire. I came up with a different binding, the one you see here. The leather is hand dyed dark grey goatskin sprinkled black to lightly imitate a type of tombstone marble. Romans made ancestral masks by producing molds from a person’s face. Using this as a base of reference and also taking elements from ancient theatrical masks I made a number of onlays that were hand painted and blind tooled. The onlays are thick on purpose to resemble a mask hanging from a mausoleum wall. Some of the masks represent basic characters of the story, if you’ve read the play you’ll probably be able to recognize one or two. The Latin words act as a tombstone inscription- “what drove the life of these people”- and were tooled using 22 carat gold. The headbands are made from silk thread.

Although I finished it just in time I never sent it. It was not what I had imagined, it didn’t represent me the way I wanted. Call me excessive and you won’t be wrong, for me it’s either “all or nothing”. Just like the characters in Shakespeare’s play became willingly fixed on something they could stop or avoid I too became obsessed with doing THAT design, which ultimately proved to be a huge mistake. And that’s how an almost year-long spanning chapter closed. The experience was stressful and frustrating on many levels but looking back I have to admit I learned a great deal, both purely technical but also regarding the approach of such endeavors in general.
Fellow binders (or craftspeople of any sort!), care to share your story of obsessive craziness?

I leave you with the wonderful watermark I discovered. It becomes visible if you hold the first blank pages of the edition against a light source. I did some research on the paper and experts informed me that it is of special making. Wasn’t shocked; it was the most durable and pleasant paper I have ever worked with. Till next time!

Πόσο κοστίζει μια βιβλιοδεσία?

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Βιβλιοδεσία, Πόσο κοστίζει η βιβλιοδεσία;, Τιμή βιβλιοδεσίας, κόστος βιβλιοδεσίας

After popular demand here’s the post in english as well;
How much does a binding cost

“Ώστε είσαι βιβλιοδέτης λοιπόν, πολύ ενδιαφέρον! Αν ήθελα δηλαδή να δέσω ένα βιβλίο πόσο θα κόστιζε?”
Αυτή είναι η πραγματικά απίθανη ερώτηση που με μαθηματική και απαρέγκλιτη ακρίβεια με περιμένει όποτε τύχει να εξηγήσω με τι ασχολούμαι. Και είναι απίθανη διότι απλούστατα δεν υπάρχει σαφής απάντηση. Αναγκάζομαι λοιπόν και γω να περιοριστώ σε ένα “εξαρτάται…” οπότε ο συνομιλητής μου συνειδητοποιεί απογοητευμένος το μακροσκελές του πράγματος και άλλαζει βεβαίως θέμα.

Υπάρχει μια φράση στα αγγλικά: “Educate your customers”. Εάν έπρεπε να το αποδώσω ελεύθερα αφαιρώντας την αυστηρότητα που φαινομενικά την διακρίνει θα ήταν “Γνώρισε καλύτερα την τέχνη σου στους ανθρώπους που την αναζητούν”. Όποιος γνωρίζει πώς και γιατί κάνει ό,τι κάνει ο τεχνίτης κατανοεί την αξία του αντικειμένου που παίρνει τέλος στα χέρια του.
Σε μια προσπάθεια λοιπόν ξορκισμού αυτού του αιώνιου ερωτήματος που ταλανίζει το νου των βιβλιοδετών (πλάι στα δευτερεύοντα “ποιοί είμαστε; Πού πάμε;” και άλλα παρόμοια) θα μοιραστώ μαζί σας τις παραμέτρους της απαντήσεως.

Παρεκτός και αν κανείς ξέρει ακριβώς τι θέλει είναι προτιμότερο να ρωτάει “τι καθορίζει το κόστος”. Η βιβλιοδεσία, όπως κάθε έργο των χεριών, ΔΕΝ έχει στάνταρ κόστος. Και ο λόγος είναι γιατί εξαρτάται από αμέτρητους παράγοντες. Ποιά είναι η αξία του βιβλίου? Χρειάζεται συντήρηση? Τι τύπος βιβλιοδεσίας θα εφαρμοστεί? Τι υλικά θα χρησιμοποιηθούν? Θα υπάρχει διακόσμηση και αν ναι πόση? Τι χρόνο έχω στη διαθεσή μου? Αυτά είναι μόνο μερικά από όσα περνάνε εκείνη τη στιγμή στο μυαλό του βιβλιοδέτη. Εάν είστε σε θέση να τα προσδιορίσετε τότε εύκολα θα σας ανακοινωθεί ένα κόστος.

Αλλά ας δούμε και αντίστροφα το θέμα… Εάν πείτε, όπως κάνουν μερικοί εξαρχής και μας λύνουν τα χέρια, ότι “θέλω να διαθέσω το Χ ποσό” τότε αμέσως θα σας εξηγηθούν οι επιλογές που αντιστοιχούν σε αυτό. Απο κεί και πέρα τίθεται ζήτημα τι πιστεύει ο καθένας πως αντιστοιχεί στο ποσό που ανέφερε. Τα χειροποίητα κεφαλάρια μπορεί, ανάλογως το σχέδιο, να απαιτήσουν πολλές ώρες από την δουλειά ενός βιβλιοδέτη. Είναι μια μικρή λεπτομέρεια μεγάλης ομορφιάς αλλά όπως γίνεται κατανοητό είναι αδύνατον μια τέτοια επιλογή να συμπεριλαμβάνεται σε μια βιβλιοδεσία των 50 ευρώ…

Και τέλoσπάντων, μιας και ανέφερα κάποιο χρόνο, φτάνουμε στο πιό σημαντικό… Είναι συχνή η περίπτωση ανθρώπων που σαν ακούσουν μια τιμή ρωτάνε “Δηλαδή πόσο σου παίρνει να το φτιάξεις;”. Δεν-έχει-σημασία. Και είναι απλό γιατί δεν έχει: διότι μπορεί να χρειάζονται λίγα λεπτά να πατηθεί ένας τίτλος με αληθινό χρυσάφι αλλά θέλει χρόνια για να φτάσει ο βιβλιοδέτης να το κάνει σε λίγα λεπτά. Αυτό πληρώνει κανείς όταν αγοράζει κάτι φτιαγμένο στο χέρι. Την ικανότητα του τεχνίτη.

Πέρα από την ικανότητα ωστόσο υπάρχει και κάτι ακόμη που διαθέτει το ξέχωρο μεριδιό του στην τιμή και συνήθως το προσπερνάει ο κόσμος- Η έμπνευση.  Χρειάστηκε αυτό που σας παραδόθηκε έμπνευση για την δημιουργία του; Το να παραχθεί κάτι καλαίσθητο κατά παραγγελία είναι -πιστέψτε με- δύσκολο. Μια ιδέα που υλοποιείται σε μερικές μέρες μπορεί να δουλεύεται επί μήνες στο μυαλό του δημιουργού… Πώς κοστολογεί κανείς κάτι τέτοιο; Ένας ικανός βιβλιοδέτης είναι σε θέση να κατασκευάσει μια βιβλιοδεσία η οποία θα διαρκέσει αιώνες. Δεν απαιτείται έμπνευση για κάτι τέτοιο μα μεγάλη γνώση, εμπειρία και ικανότητα. Όλα αυτά όμως, που έχουν τεράστια αξία από μόνα τους, οδηγούν σε τεχνική αρτιότητα και όχι σε αισθητική (με την έννοια του έργου τέχνης). Εάν επιθυμεί κανείς ένα δημιουργικό αποτέλεσμα πρέπει να κατανοήσει πως είναι λογικό το καλοφτιαγμένο και καλαίσθητο να χρεώνεται παραπάνω από το απλώς καλοφτιαγμένο.

Αυτά είχα να μοιραστώ πάνω στο δαιδαλώδες ζήτημα του κόστους. Η αλήθεια είναι πως ο κάθε βιβλιοδέτης έχει πάνω κάτω ένα “τιμοκατάλογο” τον οποίο θα σας πει αλλά επί της ουσίας το θέμα τιμή δεν είναι ποτέ χαραγμένο σε πέτρα. Συζητήστε μαζί του τι θέλετε. Προσθέτοντας ή αφαιρώντας  πράγματα από την βιβλιοδεσία σας αυξομειώνετε ανάλογα και το κόστος της.
Ως τελευταίο θα θελα να αναφέρω πως όσα έγραψα είναι καλό να μας συντροφεύουν σα σκέψεις όχι μόνο περνώντας το κατώφλι ενός βιβλιοδετείου αλλά και οποιουδήποτε εργαστηρίου γενικότερα.
Τεχνική αρτιότητα και υψηλή αισθητική από το παρελθόν και τους Sangorski and Sutcliffe. Από τις αγαπημένες μου βιβλιοδεσίες. Εικόνα από Bauman rare books.

What is a book? – Τί είναι βιβλίο?

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book arts, Book landscapes, Book sculptures, Guy Laramee

No, really, what is a book? Is it a functional container of information? Of course not… because then how is it different from an e-reader?
It would be pointless to present you with a list of famous quotes about the incredible thing a book is. However most of the time our view is so fixed inside the book and its content that we forget to praise the very form itself, to use it as means of expression. And I’m not talking about its appearance but rather about the use of the whole book and the symbolism it carries as a base material for something completely different. And I’ve found that Guy Laramee has a most innovative point of view on this matter.

Although I’m fairly certain most of you have stumbled on his work here and there it was inevitable that I would devote a post about it.
Guy Laramee is kind of an “artist universalis”. The biography at his official site shows an impressive list of art fields in which he has been active, some 30 years now. Amongst his works can be found the book sculptures I share with you today.

I find the idea of using books to carve landscapes exquisite. A book -be it dictionary,literature or even a math book- takes you somewhere, whether that is a space where actions of logic happen, the mental reflection of a real location or just the abstract formation of an imaginary place. However thinking of using books to carve landscapes is a long way from actually doing it and that’s why the realization of it by Guy is even more so remarkable.

By his own word; ” I carve landscapes out of books and I paint romantic landscapes. Mountains of disused knowledge return to what they really are: mountains. They erode a bit more and they become hills. Then they flatten and become fields where apparently nothing is happening. Piles of obsolete encyclopedias return to that which does not need to say anything, that which simply IS.”

By sacrificing the book’s functionality Guy manages to enlarge its meaning. The form of a book, the material aspect of it, is no longer simply a conveyer of ideas but stands forth and becomes the idea itself through transformation.
In the end one could say these are no less books than any other, if we are interested in what a book is and not just what it’s used for.

Bookbinding line rollers – Ρουλέτες βιβλιοδεσίας

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bookbinding fillet wheels, bookbinding tool, brass finishing tool, Βιβλιοδεσία, Εργαλεία βιβλιοδεσίας, Ρουλέτα βιβλιοδεσίας

Yet another tool to share with you all, brass fillet wheels.
The wheels are of 1 and 2 mm thickness and a combination wheel of 1+1mm which has edges cut in angle for frame tooling.

You can acquire them in two ways;
A)As an economy set which includes all 3 wheels and a single deluxe handle (see pic) with fork at 200 euros
B)Individual wheel with accompanying simple white handle and fork at 100 euros each (+10 euros if you’d like the deluxe handle)

It is my pleasure to announce that my tools are available through Eden Workshops. Richard Norman, who shares his expertise with a splendid sense of humor, scours the bookbinding world to bring you everything a binder needs through his site. If you don’t know Eden Workshops head over there (link above and at side column) and take your time to browse!

Polishing brass tool – Λαμπούγιο βιβλιοδεσίας

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bookbinding polishing iron, bookbinding tool, brass finishing tool, Εργαλεία βιβλιοδεσίας, Λαμπούγιο

Hi everyone and best wishes for 2013!
New year – new tool! I’d like to introduce you the Polishing brass tool.
Polishing tools, either of this type or the cylindrical ones, have been of a long service in the binderies. They are used in crushing the grain of leather if a smooth surface is desired, polishing, surface gilding, creating patinas and more.

This tool has been traditionally made from cast iron for a number of reasons, a couple of which are easier manufacturing and lower cost. However iron/steel has been often noted to stain leather.
Creating a cast brass tool of this volume has been a huge undertaking as it requires the precision methods used in a small ring while it has the mass of a hundred.

The tool offered to you here draws its form from the elements found in various classic depictions. While many modern versions simply have a slightly curved surface this Polishing brass features both a flat surface and a curved end. Another special characteristic is the also curved shaft which greatly facilitates use.

The Polishing brass tool offers two options regarding its handle;
1)The standard long (45cm) handle and
2) the maker’s recommendation- the short handle, which I’ve found quite comfortable to work with.
Both handles are made from quality handturned wood that is treated and polished.

The price of the Polishing brass tool is 200euro.
Visit the tool page at the top for more brass handtools.

The last temptation – Ο τελευταίος πειρασμός

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bookbinding, Design binding, Βιβλιοδεσία, Νίκος Καζαντζάκης, Ο τελευταίος πειρασμός, δερματόδετο, καλλιτεχνική βιβλιοδεσία, leather binding

These past months, from August till now, have been a total and relentless strain on so many levels, so I couldn’t help but chuckle when I was asked to bind a book with the crucifixion of Christ as the main theme.
Ο τελευταίος πειρασμός του Νίκου Καζαντζάκη, δερματόδετη βιβλιοδεσία τύπου περαστό. Δέρμα βαμμένο στο χέρι και χειροποίητα κεφαλάρια ραμμένα με μεταξωτή κλωστή. Γράμματα χρυσωμένα με φύλλο 22 καρατίων.

The last temptation by Nikos Kazantzakis (best known for his novel “Zorba the GreeK”) was considered so radical that it was included in Vatican’s Index of Prohibited books and lead to his condemnation by the Greek church.
The story in a nutshell is that when Christ is on the cross he is visited by a spirit who says that God is pleased and wants him to be happy. Jesus is left to live a normal life blissful as any ordinary person. Or so he thinks, since it was all just a vision, a lie, the last temptation made by the devil. The book gives emphasis to the human side of Christ portraying him as a passionate person who is in doubt and struggling to understand.
The book was also filmed by Martin Scorsese with Willem Dafoe in the main role.

As is more often than not the case lately the initial concept was quite different. I was thinking of a complex scene including a lot of onlay work showing the 3 phases of the story in a glance by implying a full circle. However Kazantzakis is praised for his frugal writing so I opted for something simpler and more symbolic. Having this in mind and the fact that the client was fond of my binding for Eliot I made the specific design. I feel it reflects the story strongly while following the spirit of Kazantzakis’ writing style.
The endleaves are JHS machine assisted paper from Hewitt. I made some shiny headbands from silk thread and used 22karat gold in tooling the author’s name and title. I used an airbrush to color the leather and I must say, I feel it’s growing on me!

I used my Stylus tool set, Versatile typeholder and BFM tool to make this binding.
Till next time!

Waves on books II – Κύματα σε βιβλία ΙΙ

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bookbinding, Βιβλιοδεσία, Οδυσσέας Ελύτης, δερματόδετο, καλλιτεχνική βιβλιοδεσία, leather binding

Almost everyone that has seen my work from time to time liked a particular binding I made a while ago. Although it was a rather simple design it looks nice even to people with completely different tastes, to the point I sometimes think it works like those “mesmerizing” whirls used in old shows or movies.Όδυσσεας Ελύτης, Ποίηση. Δερματόδετη βιβλιοδεσία με δέρμα βαμμένο στο χέρι και δερμάτινα κεφαλάρια.

I was recently contacted by someone who wanted to bind a book with poems from Odysseas Elytis, a Greek poet presented with the Nobel prize in 1979, as a gift for a retiring colleague. She asked for something more or less similar to the binding I did for Kavvadias.
In general I prefer to experiment with new designs but since it was the client’s request and I was under a lot of pressure regarding time I decided to go for a happy medium solution. I slightly changed the design by adding a few details thus keeping the desired similarity while avoiding the feeling I did the same binding twice. As is my habit I also indulged myself in tooling a quirky title.
The binding was completed the very day it would be presented as a gift to the receiver. Being in a hurry I forgot to take a picture of the interior which has vivid red endleaves and red leather endbands tooled with golden stripes.
Got to love some contrast!

Versatile typeholder – Μονός στοιχειοθέτης

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bookbinding tool, brass finishing tool, στοιχειοθέτης, Εργαλεία βιβλιοδεσίας, single typeholder, typeholder

There are many times during finishing where a typeholder for single type pieces comes much handier than the standard sized ones used for whole words. For example when a single letter hasn’t been tooled as clearly as the rest and needs to be retooled, in certain decorations where the occasion calls for tooling letters individually and especially when the title is arranged vertically on the spine.

In such cases this kind of typeholder allows greater control -being lighter and smaller- and better visibility.
The typeholder offered here is made out of solid cast brass. The upper sides, the ones a binder sees while tooling, form a rounded corner which by the end of the tool declines as much as possible to further enhance line of sight.
The moving part incorporated in the design enables this typeholder to receive a wide range of type sizes from really small (f.e. 6) to big ones (f.e. 36) and holds the type down firmly with a twist of the screw.

The price of the typeholder is 130euro
Payment can be received through Paypal.

T.S. Eliot The Waste Land – Bindings for you

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bookbinding, Design binding, Βιβλιοδεσία, δερματόδετο, καλλιτεχνική βιβλιοδεσία, leather binding, onlays

It must have been a year back when I was in a big central bookshop looking around and my eyes got pinned at a certain book spine dominated by the words “Waste Land”. The actual title was “T.S. Eliot The Waste Land a facsimile and transcript of the original drafts”, but all I could see was “Wasteland”. This word has always held a sway over me and its meaning, the diverse and complex idea of what a wasteland is both literally and metaphorically, has perplexed my mind for as long as I can remember myself. So at the instant I felt it was somewhat of a calling, I had to bind this.
The book was soon after laying unbound at a desk in my workspace but as other more pressing matters kept piling on the schedule months passed with Eliot waiting stoically for his turn. During that time I would read poems from the book every now and then and that’s when the concept of the final design struck me. The initial thought was a much more classic design, I wanted to try a new decorative motive for quite a while and it sounded nice for the Wasteland. But after reading a specific poem a completely different idea started to form; the idea of a tree blossoming letters and words that wither and fly away as the land becomes barren.
I wanted everything to be special so it took quite a while for the binding to reach completion since the beginning of work.
The color of the binding had to be subtle and fitting but most importantly it had to be colors rather than color. I’m not much of a painter so I remembered the amazing results that can be achieved using an airbrush, especially the blending of the colors used, and I gave it a go. I was not disappointed. A multitoned surface was produced ranging within the spectrum of autumn colors.
The earth cracks, wind and tree branches were achieved using extensive blind tooling and 15 leather onlays form the tree. The doublures and endpapers are made with a remarkable handmade Nepalese waxed paper (you can make a junkie out of its smell by the way, it’s almost like a scent candle once you open the book). Headband and endband are handmade of silk thread. The letters were tooled using 22 carat gold.
Last but not least I believe the title should play an integral role in a design binding (I’ll be coming back with a post devoted partially to this matter). That’s why I choose to make it a key part of the design whenever I have the chance. It’s not just there to convey information, it’s not just a sum up. It’s there to puzzle and  intrigue, to remind and provoke, to make us feel. It’s the book reaching out to call us. Inviting us to its story. That was my purpose in creating this binding the way I did. To extend that calling and invitation.

The binding is available for 300 euro.

Note that all the decoration was done using my stylus tool set and a single typeholder that will be soon made available.
Till next time!

Some of the books that will be included in “Bindings for you” are;
-The Hobbit of J.R.R Tolkien
-Watchmen by Alan Moore
-The complete Sherlock Holmes from collectors library editions
-Paradise lost of John Milton
-Do androids dream of electric sheep by Philip K. Dick (half my kingdom to whomever finds me a quality edition)

Edge decoration – Διακόσμηση ακμών

Tags

book edges, bookbinding, Design binding, edge decoration, edge gilding, Βιβλιοδεσία, καλλιτεχνική βιβλιοδεσία

Lets have a look at bindings at a different angle, the one of their edges.
Everything, and this is literal, in the binding’s structure serves a functional purpose in creating a shell to protect the valuable essence of books , which is a tangible form of the human mind and soul. And as shells differ in their beauty by using shapes textures and colors so do bindings. And edge decoration is one such aspect.

Dust and other particles, humidity and sunlight constantly attack the book’s most vulnerable points; the edges. Binders discovered that a flush cut and highly polished book edge (especially the upper one which goes under heavier use and is more exposed) made the book more resilient against these hazards. This procedure opened a great number of decorating possibilities which binders exploited to the extreme.

Coloring edges or having them lavishly covered in gold has been the most common form of edge decoration. Even a simply colored edge can make a plain binding look special. Coloring edges doesn’t require much knowledge or experience, as long as one knows how to work with colors wonders can be achieved. Gilt edges on the other hand require expertise and a skilled artisan. Even so it is a difficult process that requires familiarity with numerous materials and their behavior and the dexterity of a surgeon. There’s actually a poem called “Gilder’s lament” (see link at the end) from an unknown 17th century gilder who expresses his frustration after a failed attempt at gilding a book.

Marbling edges was at its peak in the 19th century and declined at the dawn of the 20th. This way the book’s edges are made to look exactly as the marbled paper used for the endleaves or on the binding’s cover. To achieve this the book is carefully dipped into a soapy solution that has the desired pattern in liquid form. It’s quite impressive  and there are not many that can still perform this way of decorating edges.

Secret edge paintings could make a rare bookseller’s or conservator’s heart skip a bit when discovered. That’s right, discovered. The painting is visible neither when the book is closed nor when you read it. And that’s cause the painting was done with the pages fixed at a certain angle and opening the book in a particular manner is the only way to reveal its secret. Of course book edges can be painted normally as any other surface but I decided to share this more intricate version of edge painting. So, aren’t those pictures breathtaking?

Of course there can always be a combination of edge coloring, gilding and painting. Add some tooling in the mix and the result gives grandeur a new meaning. In these remarkable examples the edge decoration has been more time consuming and costly than the binding itself but the results clearly speak for themselves.

I’ll leave you with some links related to the topic.
Martin Frost , a British foreedge painter
geraty_gilding A manual in gilding by Peter Geraty including “Gilder’s Lament”!
Teo ,apart from being a talented binder, colors book edges every now and then with vivid designs. She has a post with pics showing the process.