contact: matt@owlbookbinding.co.uk TEL: 01449 710401 / 07795 420063
open - monday to friday - 9.00am to 4.30pm. saturday - by appointment. closed on sundays.
A FAMILY RUN TRADITIONAL BOOKBINDERS
12 volumes of Samuel Johnson's works from 1824. Rebound in fawn smooth leather with raised bands, gold tooling, green leather label, hand tooled volume number and hand made marble paper sides.
The books arrived in a sorry state with missing spines and most boards hanging on by a thread. The books had their remaining boards taken off, all spine lining and glue removed at this point any loose pages were resewn. New plain endpapers were added, new leather head & tail bands attached, spine glued, lined and raised bands added, new boards were attached to all books.
Leather was added to the spines and corners with marblepaper to the sides. Leather labels were made up and attached volume numbers and year being hand tooled. The books were finished off with simple gold tooled lines. Wax was applied to all books and polished.
Published in 1771 a ' Builders Pocket Treasure'. a book of materials , lengths, widths, quantities and angles. All the Georgian builder needed to know about house construction.
The book had been rebound at some point in its life, the old stitching was removed, any pages and throw-outs were repaired. The pages were then oversewed, aged endpapers added. A hollow spine was added to save the fragile pages and new boards attached.
the book was full bound in leather which was dyed, gold tooled and a leather label added.
False book spines covering two cupboard doors. The victorian leather on the original cupboard doors had seen its best so each wooden spine was cleaned. A new design was drawn up and a foiling block made, leather cut to size and blocked in gold. These were then re-glued to the original wooden spines, numbers hand applied and the 26 spines were then reattached to the cupboard doors.
From 1937 'The Speedway News' bound into one volume. The staples were removed from the spines the magazines were then hand sewn onto tapes and endpapers added. The magazines were then 'round & backed' to give the volume stability. A case was produced from 3mm greyboard and covered with hard wearing blue buckram. A title being blocked to the spine.
If there is something to come out of the pandemic it is people putting fingers to keyboards and writing their memoirs. From a provided word document these books were produced. Printed sheets were folded, inset into sections, thread sewn, spine glued and lined, trimmed to size, 'round & backed', headbands and page marker ribbon added. The 'case' (cover) is made from 2.2mm greyboard covered with a red buckram cloth, the front board and spine were gold blocked with the title. To finish the book off a laminated dust jacket was produced.
We can produce quantities from 1 to 50 books.
A rare copy of a 22nd Dragoons. From horses in the 1700's to Sherman 'Crab' flail tanks in WW2.
In very poor condition, the old spine lining and glue were removed and loose sections and torn pages repaired. New 'aged' endpapers added. A new case was made from new boards and covered with cloth closely matching the original. The original foil blocking was scanned and new artwork produced from this blocks were made to allow the foil blocking of the new case.
An 1808 copy of The Complete Angler. The book had arrived in a very sad looking state with its front board and spine detatched. The customer decided that he would like it rebound in full leather. The book had its boards, spine, old spine lining and glue removed, loose sections were re-sewn. New endpapers were made up using handmade marble paper, these were sewn on. The spine was re-glued, round & backed then new spine lining attached. leather head/tail bands were made up. New split boards were cut and attached, raised bands were added to the spine. Brown calf was glued and attached to the book. Gold tooling was added to the spine, sides and edges of the boards. Labels were made up from green vellum. The whole book was then wax polished.
The slip case was covered with the same paper as the endpapers and lined with a green velvet. The box was also polished.
Published in 1738 this book came in with detached boards. The leather was in a poor state and this was treated to stop further decay. New 'slips' were sewn on to the old cords and the boards re-attached. New leather was carefully inserted under the old spine and board leather this was then redyed. The joints on the endpapers were repaired with repair tissue and age related paper.
A small note book had been used to keep notes, photos and various pieces of epemera. How so much was put into the notebook is quite amazing. The 'brief' was to bind keeping all the original parts, but fit them in something thats was not going to fall apart. The note book was taken apart, the sections sewn onto webbing tape allowing room for the sections to sit within the covers more neatly. The original front and back 'boards' were attached to the new sewn section and a foil blocked title section added.
Even relatively new books, especially when a much sentimental and enjoyed childrens book, can need some attention.
Published in the 1990's and although having a very damaged spine, loose boards and pages the customer wanted it repaired keeping as much of the original book as possible so that her children could enjoy the book she read as a child.
The book was repaired with a new cloth spine which was blocked with the title of the book.The original inscribed page was replaced and the book has been finished off with head/tail bands and a page marker ribbon.
An 1867 copy of Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland. The book as it came in was in a sorry state having been resewn and rebacked what looked like more than once. The brief was to re-bind and brighten up the book.
The old covers were taken off, pages repaired as necessary, sections resewn and the edges re-gilded. The book was rebound in burgundy morocco leather. Designs of Alice and the Mad Hatters Top hat ticket were blocked in gold and then filled-in with hand cut on-lays. Gold and coloured tooling were added by hand.
In these days of saving photographs in 'the cloud' it was a wonderful to be able to make these traditional photograph albums. Made to the customers specification, they allow him to present his work images to prespective clients.
Bound with 3mm thick black mount board pages, round and backed to add additional strength and half bound with leather and cloth.
hand tooled with single gold lines with blocked titles.
Six volumes of Morris's British Birds circa 1880. All six books had very damaged or missing spines. The books were cloth bound. All the spines were removed along with the boards, these being in very good condition would be put back on the books. The best of the spines was repaired using parts of the others, this was then scanned and the image tied up. From this a block was made and now using leather for the spines, gold foil blocked.
The book blocks were repaired where necessary and new hand made marble endpapers sewn on, the boards were then re-attached. The spines of the book blocks were relined and the new leather paired down. The cloth on the boards was then trimmed level, lifted and the new leather carefully placed underneath, the cloth was then pasted back into postion. the join being hardly discernible.
These four volumes started as 2 books. The brand new original books were taken apart and plain pages inset between the printed ones, essentially every other page was a blank. The idea being that the author could add corrections and any further information he found out about the subject.
The four volumes were re-sewn by hand, new endpapers, round and backed, marker ribbons and headbands added. Cases were made, foil blocked with titles and volume numbers.
The box was designed and made to allow each volume to me removed without disturbing the others.
'The History of the New and Old Testament' from 1701.
The original stitching was in reasonable condition and only needed minor attention. The original cords were present but had broken at the boards, new slips were sewn on. The first and last sections of the book were in a very bad condition and the first two pages of the first section contained written dates and names of births and deaths, these were repaired and resewn into the book. 'New' endpapers were aged and along with head and tail bands reattached. The book was re-bound in 'Rough Goat' a texture something akin to suede. Hand tooling and a title label finish off the book. To keep it safe for hopefully the next 300 years a bespoke velvet lined box was made.
An 1850's book on Falconry. This arrived in a very poor state, spine missing, stitching rotten and the original boards losing their worn cloth.
The book was stripped down, pages repaired where needed and then re-sewn onto new tapes. A new boards were added and a new spine was formed with raised bands. Burgundy leather was attached and handmade marble paper to the sides, gold tooling and a leather label finished the book off. A bespoke presentation box was made to complement and protect the book.
Bespoke presentation box to house a customers four caligraphy course work books. Made in four tiers with a ribbon to add removal and parchment scroll held in the box lid. Lined with velvet material and covered in Buckram bookcloth and simple single line gold tooling. Recessed oval to lid to accept the customers own caligraghy signature on vellum.
Three bound presentation volumes produced from A4 printed sheets. Stab stitched, round and backed, head and tail bands and marker ribbon. The books were case bound with 3000 micron board and covered in a maroon faux leather. All three volumes were blocked to the spine and side.
A slip case was made to take the books, covered in the same faux leather, lined with velvet material. Ribbons were added to ease extraction of the books.
These books show that A4 printed sheets can be bound and made into impressive volumes.
A 154 year old Bible, this was re-backed,
( the spine was replaced ) internal pages were re-sewn and torn pages repaired.
Dear Matt,
I have now had a chance to study at close quarters the work you have done in restoring the old family bible and must congratulate you on some very fine work.
The way you have made a new spine and joined the back and front covers to it as though it was original, is a real work of art. The renovation of the damaged corners is also remarkable.
Thank you so much for an excellent job....................... yours sincerely, Roy Monery