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Archive: "bindings" Tag

Medieval Bookbindings exhibit

This month, the Special Collections reading room is hosting a student-curated exhibit. “Medieval Bookbindings: Methods, Materials and Oddities” looks at examples of medieval binding structures from Special Collections’ holdings of early printed books and manuscripts dating from the 13th through 16th centuries. The exhibit was curated by Louisa Eastley, a student employee in the Lee …

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A Halloween exhibit

From October 13-31, Special Collections reprises the “Thrills and Chills in Cloth” exhibit for Halloween. It features some particularly spooky 19th and 20th century books from our Rare American Literature and Victorian and Edwardian collections. The exhibit demonstrates how British and American book designers took advantage of new technologies to stamp full-color images into cloth …

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Beautiful bindings: the vellucent binding

In the 1890s, English bookbinder Cedric Chivers (1853-1929) introduced a new book decoration process which he called the “vellucent” binding. First, an artist would create a painting on a very thin medium. The design might include mother-of-pearl inlays, gold leaf, or other decoration. It would then be overlaid with a specially-treated sheet of vellum — …

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Albert, Prince Consort of Queen Victoria

Today marks the 200th anniversary of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Consort of Queen Victoria. Albert was the younger son of Ernest, ruler of the German state of Saxe-Coberg-Gotha; Victoria was his first cousin. They married in 1840. As a foreigner, Albert was initially viewed with suspicion by the British public as well …

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Art Nouveau Bindings for National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month, and to celebrate, we’ve created a gallery of some rather gorgeous poetry books. The bookbindings shown here were all designed in the art nouveau style, and published between 1880 and 1910. Art nouveau features long, flowing lines, inspired by organic forms. It was popular in decorative arts of the late Victorian …

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Meet a book artist: Thomasina Taylor

Special Collections recently acquired several miniature books published by Thomasina Taylor, a Utah County-based printer and bookbinder, for our Fine Press Collection. As an undergraduate, Taylor worked as a student employee in L. Tom Perry Special Collections. Her experiences sparked an interest in books which led her to pursue a joint Master’s of Library Science/Master’s …

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Victorian Book(s) of the Month: Easter edition

In celebration of Easter, this month’s post highlights a few Bibles and Books of Common Prayer (the service book for the Church of England) found in our Victorian Collection. Can you imagine using one of these at church? Bible (Oxford University Press, 1855). With 288 woodcut illustrations. Victorian Collection 220.52 B47 1855 Book of Common …

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VBM 3: Poetry of the season

November’s Victorian Book of the Month is Samuel Collinson’s poetry collection Autumn Leaves (1869). Collinson was a minor 19th century poet who made his career as a chemist (or pharmacist) in the East Midlands city of Nottingham. Autumn Leaves and his other book of poetry, Richard’s Tower: an Idyll of Nottingham Castle (1876), were both …

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VBM 2: Going Gothic, and in 3-D

October’s Victorian Book of the Month is The Miracles of Our Lord, an 1848 book with a papier-mâché binding. The book is an example of artwork from the Victorian Gothic Revival and is meant to imitate a medieval manuscript – in fact, the book states that the cover was inspired by a 12th century ivory …

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