Making A Multi Sectioned Book - It's trials and tribulations

The request was simple enough, “Will you make our coven a Book of Shadows?”
The problem with questions like this is that the answer can be only one of two things….Either “Yes” or “No”. I already make small, A5 Books for this particular clients shop anyway, so she knew I made books….but what she didn’t know is that I had never made an 800 page book before! I am not a formally trained Bookbinder and never profess to be. I have however made a multi section book before. In actual fact I’ve made a few, but never one of these proportions and with this material.

The brief was: To make a 1.000 page book, A4 size, Parchment effect paper, leather bound and with a pewter Vesica Piscis on the front.

To be honest, I answered Yes before I really had time to think about it. Once the reality dawned I was overcome with doubt and fear.
I have 2 ‘Formal’ and ‘Traditional’ Bookbinding books, one of which takes about 250 pages to explain the process! GULP!

I decided that the worst thing that could happen is that it would go badly wrong and I would have to admit it was impossible. So I took it one step at a time.

FIRST OFF…..I folded all the A3 sheets, and pricked through the sections.

THEN….bit by bit, section by section I sewed up and down each section catching each end to the section before and sewn over tapes attached to a frame. The frame I use is a home made one that my husband made me when he was alive. Nowhere near the all singing all dancing type you can buy, very basic and very crudely put together, but it functions perfectly. I had a serious problem with the thread knotting and twisting and there were more than a few choice swear words thrown around the studio I can tell you….This Pixie can swear like a trooper when she wants to!

After the book was put together, the end papers are tipped in and the tapes cut and stuck down.

Then came the grinding halt….The problem came because I have always made flat backed books with a ridged spine, but 800 pages was far too thick for this to work without bursting the spine and leather being pliable needed to flex. The idea is that once the book is open, the book will lie flat and the book will pop upwards and the outer cover spine will follow suit! Also to make this happen the book sections had to curve gently at the fore edge and not be flat…..Well so the book said anyway!....Phew, from there I was even more terrified….. a case of feel the fear and do it anyway springs to mind. Well after a few anxiety attacks, rock bottom self esteem issues, fear, panic and a fit of uncontrollable giggles to deal with I glued the cover boards onto the tapes. Then apparently the mull is glued around the spine before the cover is glued down.
There are many ways to so this and in the past I’ve used a self invented way of doing it but not this time…. Well not if it was to work. Perhaps the worst thing to get over is the not knowing how the leather would glue, and while gluing how to stop the other bits flying up in the air…I must admit being born a spider and having the advantage of 8 limbs may have been a huge advantage here….but I wasn’t so used any part of me that could be manipulated into action. One thing about bookbinding that I know to be true is that you need just the right amount of delicacy with sheer brute force and just at the right time depending on the stage you are at. Fear, timidity and caution will not make a book!
Well the deed was done. I put it in the drying press and resisted the temptation to open it and look at it till the next morning. While the glue is drying it’s always a recipe for disaster anyway, so I made myself leave it well alone.

The next morning….I gingerly opened it up…..an it was perfect! It opened just as it should, the pages pay flat when opened, and the spine sprung up and popped down just when it should…Much to my relief and even more amazement! Happy, relieved, amused, elated and down right proud as punch are words to describe how I felt. Then looking at it and realising what a work of art I had created thought I should have charged at least twice the price. Lol. Sheesh, anyone looking would think it had been done by someone who knew what they were doing.

This is the detail of the spine popping up

The Vesica Piscis was glued to the front

I had one more hurdle to cross. My printed who trimmed the sides for me asked to see it when it was finished. I had told him what I was doing with the paper, and very blasé about the job in hand…THEN he told me he had trained as a Professional Bookbinder as part of his Printing Training many years ago.
Despite the odd looks from passers by, probably assuming that I was some nutter carrying round the family Bible (YES it’s that big!) I took it to him while he tugged, pulled and pushed it and cast over a critical eye.
I waiting for his advice on where I went wrong. There were none. He smiled and looked at me and said….”Nowt wrong with that is there? If I were you I would make another, and soon!”.
So if anyone wants an 800 page, leather bound Book of Shadows making…..just get in touch…. I’m up for making more.

And you’re probably asking, 800 pages, I thought she wanted 1.000?
Well, totally impractical, it would have been a massive 6” deep and impossible to lift never mind open.

Other lessons learnt? The client sent me the leather, next time I will buy my own bookbinding leather….not ‘shoe’ leather which is crazily thick! DUH! Thought it was giving me some grief.
Also the most valuable lesson?
There are many occasions in life where we are taken well out of our comfort zone. We feel that we are incapable of things we are asked to do, challenges that need to be met and fears to overcome, but take that risk, loose that fear and be brave. The reward of succeeding is immeasurable.
I can assure you the benefits far outweigh the anxiety and once the fear is dealt with first hand it will never return.

Adventure isn't hanging on a rope off the side of a mountain.
Adventure is an attitude that we must apply
to the day-to-day obstacles of life:
facing new challenges, seizing new opportunities
,testing our resources against the unknown and,
in the process,discovering our own unique potential.
John Amatt