Johanna Smick of Monkfish Bindery is offering 45 hand-bound copies of Peter Galbert’s “Chairmaker’s Notebook” for pre-order on her website.
Lost Art Press is supplying the loose signatures for the book, which will be printed on the same #80-matte paper as our standard edition. Johanna will take it from there, stitching the signatures and assembling the book into a quarter leather binding – leather on the spine and paper over boards for the remainder of the cover.
What will be particularly spectacular will be the printing on the cover paper and leather using one of Peter’s images of a bow-back chair. Each book will be numbered and signed by the author. All-in-all it will be an impressive piece of work.
Johanna completed the hand bookbinding program at North Bennett Street, has an BFA in printmaking from Washington University and is an established bookbinder in Asheville, N.C. You can read her full biography here.
Complete details on the ordering process and shipping schedule are available on her site. The book will be $285. You can also order a matching clamshell case for an additional $100.
— Christopher Schwarz
P.S. The standard edition of “Chairmaker’s Notebook” is available with free domestic shipping for only 15 more days. After the book ships on March 20, domestic shipping will be $8.
Wow, just wow. I wish I had the funds. I guess I’ll just have to settle for the standard version. I think it will do.
Agreed. It’s rarely a question of whether something like this is worth it. They’re often worth much more. Sadly, it’s more a question of whether limited resources can be juggled for the purchase. Still, it pleases me to know that there are still people who know how to bind a book by hand and that there are places you can go to learn it.
“The first thing I shall do, as soon as the money arrives, is to buy some Greek authors; after that, I shall buy clothes.”
(Apologies to Erasmus)
Priorities do have a way of defining us for good or ill. I’m wondering how many hours of overtime I would have to bill to swing this…
Wow, that’s stellar work.
Fellow Wash U alum here: Bravo Johanna! (and everyone else involved too)
Congratulations Chris, this is an ideal way to handle the special bindings allowing craftspeople to design somethings very special. Not only is it amazing but it lets you focus on the content. I was on the fence about ordering before the free shipping ends. But now I am wondering if I can hide the special edition from the wife.
Pulp fiction and coveted first editions all blend together on the book shelf. 🙂
27 left in stock out of 45 at 14:40 CST. Someone approves of this plan.
Now that right there is pretty sweet.
Any plans for an anthropodermic bibliopegic version?
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27903742