Michael's Gallery

Byzantine Binding is a luxurious taste of the east. The book has a style emanating from Constantinople, the seat of the Roman Empire that lasted for a thousand years after the Fall of Rome. Byzantium became Constantinople became Istanbul. Typical Byzantine bindings had vellum pages dyed to a royal purple, were lavishly embellished and were written on with inks of gold and silver.

These bindings, which date from the eighth century, mark the beginning of the era of the great mediaeval books, and were integral to the Carolingian Renaissance of Frankish Europe. This is the structure found on the treasure bindings of the French Kings, which were fabulously decorated with gold and jewels. It is important in the history of bookbinding as it is the earliest book structure with sewing supports, an innovation which gave strength to the binding and allowed for ever larger books.

The traditional method of binding books in Ethiopia survived relatively unchanged for over a thousand years. It is one of the oldest methods of binding with wooden boards, and was used for devotional texts. The protective case is a leather shoulder bag with a long strap. This would allow the owner to keep the book close by.

This is one of the most unusual and fascinating of the ancient book structures. It surfaced in the 1960's in such pristine condition that many experts initially found it difficult to believe it really does date from between the years 420 and 598. The book is a delight in both its fascinating structure and bizarre dragon design. From the leather hinging thongs to the serrated wrapping bands, this book is like no other.

Vellum was commonly used as a covering material for bindings from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century, and was revived in the late nineteenth century by the Arts and Crafts movement. It is an extremely elegant and refined structure, and relatively straightforward to make. 

Limp bindings, held together with exposed sewing, have been made throughout Europe since the fifteenth century, and were used for both printed and blank books. They employ a range of sewing structures, including tackets, long and link stitches, decorative spine patterns and ingenious fastenings, using both simple and elaborate techniques.

The Nag Hammadi codices take their name from the Egyptian village where in 1945 a clay pot containing thirteen ancient books was discovered. These books are the earliest extant codex bindings ever found—1800 years old— and were uncovered in remarkably good condition. They are made from sheets of papyrus and dyed goatskin, and held together with wrapping bands which are held in place with an interesting slotting technique.

The Roman wax tablet, or pugillare, was used for all sorts of written material of the time, from tax invoices and shopping lists to poetry. Hundreds of examples of such tablets have been found along Hadrian's Wall in England, in the ancient Roman town of Vindolanda. They were made of many types of wood. The panels are filled with molten beeswax coloured black with soot. This model has a structure that is based upon an original Roman wax tablet on display at the British Museum.

This binding is based upon the oldest English Book, dating from the seventh century CE. The original was found in the coffin of St Cuthbert who now rests at Durham Cathedral. A Celtic knot-work pattern is laid out on the boards with thin cord, which is attached using an ingenious technique of weaving and pegging. The book is covered in terracotta goatskin, moulded over the cords, which picks out the design in relief on the upper board. 

This is a typical wooden boarded binding from the period following the Norman conquest. It has quarter-sawn oak boards with channels and holes for the attachment of the sewing supports. With strong linen thread we will sew the sections, using the sewing frame, with a herringbone stitch around split alum-tawed thongs which will then be secured into the boards using wooden pegs. The spine is lined with leather to establish the curious tab ends which are a feature of this structure.