A Bookbinding Diary

Building Ani’s Book

From printed pages to a hand-bound cover — a quiet record, in photographs, of how the book came together.

Printed pages laid out before folding — 01The manuscript, printed and ready for folding

Folded signatures stacked and ready — 02Folded into signatures, stacked and waiting

An antique cast-iron book press — 03An antique cast-iron nipping press

The text block clamped in a wooden sewing frame — 04The text block clamped for gluing the spine

Sewing stations marked along the spine — 05Marking the sewing stations

Working the pages by hand with a bone folder — 06Smoothing each fold with a bone folder

The text block sewn on the frame — 07Sewing the signatures together on the frame

A trial binding, cover lettering visible beneath the paper — 08The bound block, wrapped in paper — the title already glowing through

Rounding and shaping the spine in a jig — 09Rounding the spine

Leather cut for the cover, with the name Ani cut out — 10Cutting the leather, the name already lifted out

Hand-sewing the headbands in red and black thread — 11Hand-sewing the headbands

Backing the spine before covering — 12Backing the spine before covering

The leather cover being set in the press — 13Setting the leather cover in the press

The finished leather cover with its title and ribbon — 14The finished cover

Detail of the raised spine bands — 15Detail of the raised spine bands

The finished book resting in its presentation box — 16Resting in its presentation box

The lid of the presentation box — 17The lid of the box

The closed box, finished — 18Closed, and finished

Colophon

272 pages, printed on Munken Pure, 90 gsm, cream, 72 × 102, vol. 1.3. Hand-bound in leather, with an onlay of the name Ani cut from 300 gsm black paper. Decorated in 24-karat gold. Edges: black.