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Contents

• Steps in Making a Hand Made Book
• Jewelled Repousse Book Cover

Steps in Making a Hand Made Book

1. Content
   

   Written text for the book is from Christine de Pizan's 1405 work Treasury of the City of Ladies; section on baronesses.

2. Papermaking
   A paper frame was constructed of appropriate size to make a pair of pages. Paper pulp of linen and some banana palm fibre was used to give the finished paper a parchment look. In addition the pulp was coloured with yellow ochre pigment to give an antique or unbleached look. Period papermaking was dependent on the quality of the water for the colour of the paper. A heavier paper, coloured with sienna for a leather look was made for the cover.

3. Printing Text
   The text was hand set with lead type on an early 20th century hand operated press. Goudy 30 type was chosen for its similarity to early type faces.

4. Printing Illustrations
   Woodcuts were made with linoleum, with the appropriate illustrations and printed with a hand roller.

5. Sew Pages
   The pages were assembled in the proper order and sewn on a sewing frame.

6. Cover
   The cover was cut, assembled and glued to the sewn pages.

7. Final Press
   The book was pressed and dried, so that the final product would have binding grooves that would allow the book to lie flat and open easily.

Jewelled Repousse Book Cover

This jewelled cover is made in repousse tin with designs from Eastern Christian design - cross on back cover, Deisis on fron cover.

Culture

The two covers were taken from on book cover of 10th - 12th century Eastern (cross) but Latin (letters on original) speaking country. Design was copied for me by classmate who knew I'd love it, but didn't understand the importance of documenting time and place.

The Way They Did It

Jewelled covers for books were worked in a variety of ways, including repouse, enamel or filigree, using gold, silver precious and semi precious stones, soldered on in a variety of ways.

The Way I Did It and Why

I covered my hand made book in tin repousse as it is a good beginner material (relatively inexpensive) and forgiving. The book covers are thick oak and the filling I used for the repousse was plaster. This makes for a very heavy book and the Byzantine binding would not take the weitht without a Coptic headband.

If I do it again, I will use thinner oak boards and beeswax and resin mix to back the repousse. While more expensive, this mix will be lighter and give the book a better feel to the book handlers of the current middle ages.

I am also learning to do enamel and would like to solder on the jewells, but for these tiny chips of amythest, amber green agate and lapis lazuli two part Grace of God works admirably.

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