The following is the fourth in a series of posts. Consider viewing Parts 1, 2, and 3.
After rebuilding the spine and cover, printing new title labels, and adding new endsheets, this copy of Thomas Merton’s Seeds of Contemplation can one again be enjoyed by anyone who happens to pull it off the shelf.
In December of 1983 my dad gave his mom, my grandma Peggy, a copy of the book Seeds of Contemplation, a collection of poems by Thomas Merton. By 2011, this book was in dire need of restoration. Over the next several days, I will be posting on the restoration of this book. To start, here’s a photo of the original cover, after I removed it from the text block.
For the next post in this series, see Seeds of Contemplation: A Restoration (Part II)
Last week I was offered my first paid gig as a bookmaker. My brother Ben (one of the duo that makes up SheltonFilms) needed a book prop for a shoot last Saturday.
If you ever find yourself needing to do the same, this is my process:
1. Purchase a cheap book from a thrift store, library, or used book store. Using wheat paste to loosen the glue, rip off the cover and end sheets.
2. Make some new end sheets, and tip these in using PVA. Masking with painters tape before adding glue helps keep things tidy.
3. Print a new cover on book cloth. This is off of the lockup featured last week.
4. Wrap book cloth over old cover, glue to end sheets, and press!
I was back on press yesterday for the first time in almost a year.
And it felt amazing.
oxfords and grease 