Kathy Abbott

Newbery’s Spelling Dictionary

John Newbery, c. 1750

I found this tiny book (just 10cm high) in a second-hand bookshop in Norwich. The red-rotten boards were off, the spine had almost crumbled away and the sewing was partially broken. A corner of the title page was missing.
I took the book apart, in-filled the title page with toned Japanese tissue before guarding the rest of the sections. I then re-sewed the book with packed sewing on alum-tawed pigskin for maximum flexibility. I created a slotted-spine made from gilded Japanese paper and veiny calf-vellum boards. It now opens beautifully.

100 x 60 x 25mm

Photography by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd.

University of Miami Special Collections.

The Poetical Works of Ambrose Philips.

Ambrose Philips, 1799.

I found this book with the front board detached, the headband missing, the tailband broken and the spine leather blackened and extremely worn. The top edge of the front board was bald, as were all the corners. The rear board was quite firmly attached. In the past, someone had branded the front board with their initials: C.G.
The old spine was cleaned off with Xanthan gum, a new headband was sewn using red silk and gold thread; the tailband was repaired. The board edges and corners were repaired with calf fleshings, gilded with 23.5 gold leaf and organic wheatflour paste. The detached board was re-attached with unbleached and unwaxed linen thread, sewn through the board and around the sewing stations. The exposed threads on the front board and the exposed cords on the rear board, were covered with gold-beater’s skin, which was then gilded with 23.5 gold leaf. The spine was lined with unbleached cotton and handmade paper using EVA. A new spine piece was made with Japanese paper, gilded with 23.5 gold leaf and tooled with a reversed ‘C’ and a ‘G’ to resemble the Chanel/Gucci logo. The new spine piece was punched and cut so that it could ‘lock’ onto the lacing on points of the boards and then lightly tacked to the endpapers with tiny dots of EVA.

130 x 84 x 12mm

Photography by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd.

Private collection.

The Poetical Works of Ambrose Philips.

The head edge.

De Imitatione Christi

Thomas a Kempis, 1759.

Textblock sewn onto hand-made linen cords with a supported link-stitch sewing. Cords laced through a slotted calfskin vellum spine into 3 layers of Zaanschbord.

230 x 188 x 24mm

Photography by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd.

Private collection.

De Imitatione Christi (spine)

Thomas a Kempis, 1759.

De Imitatione Christi (front view)

Thomas a Kempis, 1759.

Table Talk and Other Poems

William Cowper, London 1825.

'Sacred Binding' using the original boards, gold-tooled calfskin vellum spine and handpainted marbled cotton joints. Repairs to board edges and corners made with gilded Japanese tissue.

Photography by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd.

Private collection.

2017

Culpeper's Complete Herbal

Nicholas Culpeper, London 1861. 

'Sacred Binding' using the original boards, handpainted calfskin vellum and handpainted linen joints.

272x205x39mm

Photography by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd.

Private collection.

2017

Culpeper's Complete Herbal (lying)

Nicholas Culpeper, London 1861.

272x205x39mm

2017

Albion and Albanius: An Opera

Mr. (John) Dryden, London 1691. 

A variation on Carmencho Arregui's crossed structure binding, with tabbed corners.  Handmade paper, unbleached and unwaxed linen thread, mottled calfskin vellum.

226x170x9mm

Photography by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd.

The Modern Cabinet of Arts

T.C. Thornton, London 1841. 

Original boards; hand-gilded aero-cotton and original turn-ins.

130x82x25mm

Photography by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd.

Private collection.

Sacred Dramas

Hannah Moore, c.1818. 

Original boards; hand-coloured cotton joints; hand-decorated, hand-made paper spine and hand-coloured Kozo-shi tissue repairs.

Photography by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd.

Private collection.

Ovid's Metamorphoses.

1807. 

Slotted spine binding. Original boards; linen thread and mottled vellum. 

Photography by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd.

Private collection.

Q. Haratii Flacci Carmina Expurgata.

Josepho Juvencio, 1784.

Conserved binding 'Kintsugi' style. Hand-dyed alum tawed thongs, hand gilded hand-made paper.

Photography by John Hammond.

Q. Haratii Flacci Carmina Expurgata. (detail)

Josepho Juvencio, 1784.

Hudibras 

Samuel Butler, (London 1817) 

Adapted 'simplified binding'. Hand decorated, hand-made paper spine and hand-coloured, hand-made paper over archival millboard boards. 

Photography by John Hammond.

Private collection.

The Farmer's Boy: A Rural Poem.

Robert Bloomfield (London 1820). 

'Clip-on cover binding II'. Hand decorated hand-made paper cover that clips onto the endpapers, to which the book is sewn.

Photography by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd.

Private collection.

Cecilia or memoirs of an Heiress - vol. 2. 

'By the author of Evelina' (Frances Burney), London 1782. 

Limp paper 'Disappearing spine binding'. 'Dutch gilt' paper and hand-coloured threads. 

Photography by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd.

Private collection.

The Thistle: A Dispassionate Examen of the Prejudice of Englishmen
in General to the Scotch Nation.

1747. 

'Clip-on-cover binding'. Hand-decorated hand-made paper cover that clips onto the endpapers, to which the book is sewn.

Photography by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd.

Secret Love or the Maiden Queen. 

John Dryden, 1669. 

'Clip-on-cover binding'. Mottled vellum cover that clips onto the endpapers, to which the book is sewn, hand-made paper and leather thongs. 

Photography by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd.

Private collection.

The Poetical Works of the Rt. Hon. George Canning MP.

George Canning, c. 1820. 

Vellum 'Wrap-around binding'. 

Photography by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd.

Private collection.

The English Pope

London, 1643. 

'Clip-on-cover binding'. Hand-decorated hand-made paper cover that clips onto the endpapers,
to which the book is sewn.

Photography by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd.

The Works of Edmund Waller.

1758. 

Limp paper wrapper binding. Mouldmade paper and hand-coloured thread. 

Photography by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd.

Much Ado About Nothing.

William Shakespeare, 1735.

Limp paper 'Wrap-around binding'. Hand-made paper. 

Photography by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd.

Cecilia or Memoirs of an Heiress - Vol. 1.

By the author of Evelina (Frances Burney), London, 1782

Limp 'Clip-on-cover binding'. Hand-coloured paper cover that clips onto the endpapers,
to which the book is sewn, hand-dyed linen threads.

Photography by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd.

Private collection.

Oeuvres, vol. 1. 

Rabelais, 1725. 

Limp paper binding. Hand-coloured hand-made paper, sewn on hand-coloured alum tawed thongs. 

Photography by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd.

Private collection.

The Popes Nuntioes.

1643.

Limp hand-made paper binding sewn on manuscript vellum.

Photography by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd.