I admit it - I love old-looking leather-bound books.... even some that I wouldn't necessarily read for their content, if they're beautiful enough, I might want to buy them just as an object of art.
In the coming weeks I'm going to be working on a story about book collecting, and the production of limited edition art books....i.e. books that are works of art in themselves. They might have just a few words in them, or some poetry, accompanied by gorgeous images, or the artistry might also be in how the book was bound, or the handmade paper used.
Has anyone out there collected books for the physical book, not for the words on the page? What was the particular appeal? Or have you ever taken a class in bookmaking/bookbinding/printing? What appreciation for the book did you get out of it?
Inquiring Minds Wanna Know!
Marianne Combs, MPR reporter and Minnesota Readers Forum Host
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Comments: 3
When looking at a book like that, I'm drawn to the time, effort, and skill that it takes to make one...almost even more than the art itself. It represents such an amazing feat.
Bookbinding is a rare, but possibly emerging talent with the advent of operations like the Minnesota Center for Book arts. I believe they are hosting a book collectors' tour in August which would be wonderful to read about or better yet, attend.
There's nothing better than the feel of a book, whether it's a heavy, hand-tooled leather tome or an unbound manuscript. My husband owns a set of Cooper's smaller volumes with silk-like clothcovers and gilt-titled spines which are wonderful to hold. One of my favorite acquisitions, though, is a soft leather China/American handbook from WWII.
Mark: your Dickinson sounds beautiful.