Restoration

We are bookbinders who practice sympathetic book repair. We always aim to preserve as much as possible of the original binding. Our repairs are carried out with only the best materials available: Japanese paper, cotton cloth, archival calfskin, handmade paper, starch paste and rabbit skin glue. Everything is traditional and reversible.

We work for institutions, antiquarian book sellers and collectors. Our work is known for its precision and skill in invisible repair. When finished, the treated books are mended cleanly and function well. We do not aim to make the bindings look too new: we want them to bare the marks of age whilst being repaired beautifully.

Cloth Treatments

On Liberty

John Stuart Mill

1859, first edition

Cloth reback

For Maggs Brothers

The Life of Sterling

Thomas Carlyle

1851, first edition

Cloth reback

For private client

Winner of the Bernard Middleton trophy for restoration

Tales From a Grandfather

Walter Scott, 1831

Cloth reback

For private client

Winner of the Bernard Middleton trophy for restoration

Leather Treatments

New England Judged by the Spirit of the Lord

George Bishope, 1661

Leather reback

For the Society of Friends Meeting, Sacramento, California

Quarle’s Emblems

Francis Quarle, 1886

Sangorski & Sutcliffe jewelled binding

Leather reback

For a San Francisco collector

The Works of Josephus

1865

Leather reback

A classic ‘family bible’ style restoration

For a private client

Macaulay’s Essays

Thomas Macaulay, 1902

Leather reback

For a private client

Family bible

German, 1805

Rebinding

This book was hit by shrapnel in the First World War, and saved the owner’s life! The cover was too badly damaged, and so we made this historically sympathetic binding for it

For a private client

Napoleonic binding

1865

These are large books which were intact save for a lot of cover damage

The spine and corners have been repaired with paste and dyed Japanese paper, the whole being dressed and polished

For Bernard Shapiro rare books

Paper Treatments

Infil

The damage on the board was caused by ripping out a book plate, which left a deep hole in the board. The hole was filled with thin card, covered with Japanese paper, and painted with acrylic.

Painted joints

Endpaper joints often break on old bindings. They are repaired with Japanese paper and the marbled pattern painted in with acrylic.

Cloth repair

The cloth of this cover was badly eaten away by insects. We filled in the areas of loss with dyed Japanese paper. The repairs are visible but the damage greatly mitigated.

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