Romeo & Juliet

I have a hugely long list of links that I use to find things to post on my blog. It’s gotten rather unwieldy in length, so I’ve been going through it, in the thought that I’d get it down to a manageable size. But mostly the process has made me wander deeper into websites and articles I neglected to read the first time around. One of the links is to the winners of the 2013 Designer Bookbinders International Bookbinding Competition. The theme seems to have been Shakespeare. And sitting among the beautiful leather bindings of an existing book is an original artist’s book by Emily Martin called The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Here’s what she said about entering, and several pictures. Read more here.

[A Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is] a carousel book made in response to the call for entries from the Bodleian Libraries and Designer Bookbinders for an international designer bookbinding competition in 2013. I have never made a designer bookbinding and I didn’t intend to start now but I entered this competition based on two things. First I heard Richard Ovenden speak at the 2011 Codex meeting and he emphasized that they wanted artists’ books for this competition. And second there was a pop-up in the call publication.

Emily Martin’s A Tragedy of Romeo & Juliet

Emily Martin’s A Tragedy of Romeo & Juliet

Emily Martin’s A Tragedy of Romeo & Juliet

Emily Martin’s A Tragedy of Romeo & Juliet

Ledger Books

After nearly 2 years fiddling around with an early Emily Dickinson poem, I finally got serious and finished the design so I could take it to Codex next month. It’s in the form of a ledger book, and I’ve been making the covers this week. I’ve never made so many jigs to get the pieces to line up! Getting the corners placed just right has been the biggest challenge for me.

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I’ve also been sewing the signatures that go in the book. Here’s everything assembled, ready to punch and sew…

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