Art rebinding

Rebinding a book is the process of removing its former cover and replacing it with a different one.
Usually done on old books whose covers are damaged, it can also be done on brand new ones to give them a more appealing aspect.
My craft stands somewhere between rebindings and art binding, I often work from second hand books. Depending on the book, I repair what needs to be, and replace the cover in my peculiar style.

Custom cover

Wood species and leathers offer a large choice of combinations to pick from ; we can always find one that best matches your favorite book.

The title plate is of etched copper, which will oxydize quickly to a beautiful, irregular shade of orange.

Finally, pieces of hardware can be added at will for a richer, more peculiar aspect.

Technique

Rebinding a book often consists in turning a softcover book into a harcover one.
Using wood is of a whole different kind, because of its weight compared to paper. Conventional binding techniques would be unreliable, and the book would risk separating from its cover in no time.

We want long lasting books, robust enough to survive a few lives.
To circumvent the weight issue, I "over-bind" the bookblock onto a piece of thick vegetable-tanned leather ; either through existing signatures or directly through the glued spine, depending on the initial binding.
At this step, the leather has become structurally united with the bookblock, and is ready to support the extra load induced by the wood.

The result is a cover that is beautiful, but also as robust as it looks.

Eligible books

Most books, if not all, can be rebound, from simple pocket books to large graphic novels or even compilations.

However, the source bookblock must be in a decent state. I can reinforce a damaged book spine, or even partially rebuild it, but be aware that those actions are not reversible according to the standards of book restauration.

If you like my bindings, contact me and commision one!