Bound to Be Beautiful

Great #bookbinding discoveries from the Bodleian Libraries at the University of Oxford showcase morocco binding techniques from its mid-century collection.

What could be better than finding a new collection of beautifully bound books?

On discovering this new digital collection – the Bodleian Libraries at the University of Oxford – I was thrilled to see morocco bindings in the library’s sub-collections. Dating back to Europe in the 16th century, the gorgeous morocco bindings are generally used for making high-end bibliophile editions and special art books.

Morocco bindings are traditionally made with goatskin, hand-processed to highlight the grain of the leather. Given its thickness, goatskin is a well-suited ground for hand-tooling or gold-stamping, and accepts vegetables dyes in high saturation. The durable leather is then glazed and polished as finishing to make examples of the stunning titles you see below.

I’ve curated the following mini group with most books created in the mid-20th century, using various decorative leather techniques and bold palettes.

Enjoy the creativity and craft of these beauties.

1945 Paul Bonet | Red goatskin with circular designs and wavy lines radiating from the center

1959 The History of Bookbinding | Black Cape goatskin with colored inlays

1933 Intermezzo | Blue goatskin tooled in a pattern of circles and short curved lines; spine holds characters’ names and actors’ present at the opening night performance.

1967 The Art of the French Book | Red oasis morocco with maroon and yellow inlays

1962 Italian Villas and Palaces | Lime green oasis morocco built up from colored pieces of finely pared morocco

1933 Erewhon | Levant morocco

1930 Poems and Sonnets | Blue-green morocco inlaid with different color leathers

1960 La Siècle des Primitifs Flamands: Exposition | Dark-red Cape Levant morocco

1960 Misfortunes of Elphin | Blue morocco with fawn inlays

For an overview of bookbinding styles, Abebooks provides a good summary. Additional collections of bindings worth a look are in The Met's Czech publishers bindings and leather bindings within The NYPL's Spencer collection.

#bookcovers #handboundbooks #leatherbinding

Photos: © Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford | Top image: 1802 educational booklet series of a variety of trades