A ONE-OF-A-KIND COOKBOOK

 

 

 

This handwritten cookbook is truly one-of-a-kind. Some of the recipes are 100 years old. It’s a charming old book that needed extra consideration. The owner wants to use it as a cookbook and even add her own handwritten recipes to its pages. I suggested making copies of it to use, but they want to handle the book itself as they follow these recipes from previous generations.

 

 

The back cover was shredded and torn. How to repair it for future use? I custom-dyed strong Moriki repair paper with a mix of methylcellulose (a starch filler) and Golden Acrylic (Raw Umber). 

 

Matching the color and inserting repair paper

Back cover repair

 

I tore strips of mending tissue and pasted them to the folded spine edges, as well as to some inside pages. The original paper is somewhat acidic and now the new linen thread will not tear it.

 

 

 

 

The sewing (below) is known as a French Link. It allows the pages to lay flat, making the book easier to use. I decided to leave off the usual paper spine liner on the back. The strong fabric “mull” will be more flexible by itself, so the book will open easily.

 

Original sewing

 

 

New sewing with linen thread

 

 

I love the prayer on the front flyleaf!

 

 

 This book is getting repaired to use, rather than conserved and then stored away. To be honest, future use will wear it further. But that wear continues the history of the book. (I am providing a clear plastic cover to protect it amid a kitchen’s heat and humidity.)

Front cover repaired

  

The client chose the leather from what I had on hand. It’s not an exact match to the existing leather, but I am leaving the original bits on the spine and corners for reference. The gold-tooled lines show that this ledger was given some extra treatment to look good.

 

For my client, it is a physical, tangible connection to the women who came before her and wrote down their recipes for future generations to enjoy. Now she will be able to add her handwritten recipes to this precious book of shared family memories.

 

 

 

 

The Anatomical Basis of Medical Practice

 

My dear friend Martha is a retired forensic osteologist. She was part of a 13-person team called in to identify skeletal remains after a mass disaster. She knew the authors of this medical textbook,  published in the early 1970s.

The authors, cheeky and young, decided to illustrate some chapters with Playboy-style photographs. The tongue-in-cheek captions have a faux-technical tone--such as an explanation that says one suggestive pose illustrates "a beautiful example of spinal flexion". The book ignited controversy in the medical establishment and was allowed to go out of print after the first edition sold out.

Martha had never owned a copy of this book and regretted the lost opportunity. One day I found it on eBay for $125. Given that it's priced at up to $900 on Amazon, I snapped it up. It needed repair, but the text block was intact. I took the book apart and fixed it. I cleaned up hot-glue messes, made new endpapers, removed the bookplate of a previous owner (but saved it, to retain the book's history),  strengthened the cover, and signed the inside spine. After I cased the repaired text block back into its cover, I really had fun making the box.

The book's title page had the publisher's seal, "Sans Tache" which apparently means "without blemish" or "without shame." I ordered an enlarged photo of the seal and made a special inset for the box cover, using magnets. 

When you pull up the ribbon, a photo illustration is revealed. (There's another on the reverse of the inset.)

I sent the book in its special box to Martha as a birthday gift. She loved it! She discovered my humorous little trick when she pulled on the ribbon and says she "had a fit" laughing.

I have to admit, this was one of my favorite projects.

A Bible, A Card Book, and a Bookbinding Pause

Here are three recently-completed projects. The Card Book is lighthearted and fun. The Bible was more of a challenge, but successful. The pamphlet was a labor of love.

I have decided to take a summer break from commissioned book repair in order to work on my novel, "The Broken Bible." My premise: A Christian bookbinder solves mysteries having to do with the books and Bibles she repairs. (I've enjoyed Kate Carlisle's Bibliophile Mysteries!) My manuscript needs more editing before it's publishable. I have plenty of ideas for more books in the series, all clamoring to be written. Bookbinding and book repair have been my main priorities till now. I am hoping this summer break provides the time I need to establish a writing routine.

The Card Book cover uses a gift bag.

The cards are different sizes. Still, I was able to fit them all in. There are two "pocket pages" at the end that have photographs inserted.

Gift bags are strong paper and make good cover materials. I made this book for a friend's 60th birthday gift. Her husband organized a wonderful surprise party for her and she was completely astonished! I bound all her cards into a book as a keepsake. In August, I'll be teaching a class on how to do this at the Frederick Book Arts Center.

This pamphlet highlights the discovery of a sister my brothers and I had never known. Thanks to DNA matching, we found her. Because of covid, we had to delay our first meeting, so we sent many emails to each other. At last, we were able to meet! I selected a few emails and photographs to make this booklet as part of the Potomac Chapter Guild of Bookworkers Spring Swap.

This Bible needed to be completely rebound. The front flap and the cover had magnets, which had torn the joints over time. I removed the magnets and re-used them.

It was tricky to measure everything accurately. I had to make sure the cover would open and close easily.

This Bible was meaningful to the owner because it had belonged to her late husband. She wanted to continue to use it.  I had one piece of leather in my stash that was close to the original in color and texture, and just the right size.

Endsheet sections for a church membership register

 I am enjoying my work on a church membership register. It’s a straightforward rebinding.

Yesterday I made these endsheet sections and felt satisfaction in my work. They’re simple, but still require decisions: the endsheet paper, flyleaf paper, hinge material. I followed my trusty Laura Young instructions and now the endsheets are ready to be sewn into the prepared text block.

 

 

 Boxes and Bibles

Whew! Today I completed two of the largest Bible boxes I've ever made (above). When loaded with their Bibles--they're heavy! I gave each a special pullout tray with a leather finger loop to make it easier to remove the Bibles.

I've been backed up with work, to the point where I was feeling stressed. I love Bible repair and plan to keep doing it, but must admit those 15-pound Family Bibles seem to get heavier with each passing year.

 

This Bible (below), was only 7" high by 5" wide--not heavy at all! I preserved the original covers and inset them into the new covers. The box has a special folder to hold all the inclusions I found among the pages.