Book and Paper Arts for School Students, a tale of two Pralles

Willi Pralle, Papier- und Papparbeit. Schulzesche Verlagsbuchandlung, Oldenburg, 1938.

Given the date of publication and the torn-out title page in my copy, I'm going to assume that it contained information linking it to the National Socialist government... Per the OCLC record, it was published for the Gauwaltg. d. NS.-Lehrerbundes im Gau Weser-Ems (Administration of the NS Teacher's Federation in the Weser-Ems District) that was based in Oldenburg.

The book would have been used in the teaching of paper and book-related crafts to/by teachers working with the lower school grades.

Interestingly, a Heinrich Pralle taught this subject at the Staatliche Kunstgewerbeschule zu Hamburg where Franz Weisse and Ignatz Wiemeler also taught. The book Die staatliche Kunstgewerbeschule zu Hamburg (1913) shows examples of works created by Pralle's students starting page 383. Given the similarity in name and focus, were they father and son?

Workshop where teachers would have been taught these paper crafts and more at the
Staatliche Kunstgewerbeschule zu Hamburg ca. 1913.
Click to enlarge.

Paper crafts as taught by Heinrich Pralle at the
Staatliche Kunstgewerbeschule zu Hamburg ca. 1913.
Click to enlarge.

The purpose of this instruction (in German) was to get children used to working with their hands, something that privileged those in rural areas over the cities because the children were more likely to have direct contact with this kind of work. From Die staatliche Kunstgewerbeschule zu Hamburg, "The pupil's workshops should not train craftsmen, they should educate in the children of all professions in the right understanding, sharp vision, and aptitude. Manual dexterity is valuable if mind and body are to be cultivated."

Willi Pralle's book introduces the topic in the same manner with specific instructions for a number of excercises... A similar book is So fertige ich allerlei Buchbinderarbeiten (1911) by Richard Parthum.

The illustration depicts a class-sized tool cabinet for the making of paper crafts.

Schematic for a simple octavo stab-sewn notebook and loose documents.

Schematics for making round boxes with lids.

Tipped in paste paper swatches.

Tipped-in paste and marbled papers.

Bookbinding Materials Swatches, Con't

I'm continuing to go through my old trade manuals and journals scanning the materials swatches that were so often included. This time the swatches are from "L. Brade's Illustriertes Buchbinderbuch," edited and reworked by Paul Kersten in 1921. The closest edition available in Hathitrust is from 1916, but is lacking the materials samples and advertising.

The swatches themselves were provided by various workshops and wholesalers, included the contact information, and were mounted on different stocks for whom contact information was also provided.

Enjoy!

Marbled with colors by Paul Szigrist, Leipzig.

Marbled with colors by Paul Szigrist, Leipzig.

Printed and batik artists' papers from the firm of Hanns Doenges, Wiesbaden.

Papers sold by Wilhelm Leo's Successors, Stuttgart.

Hand-colored papers from Künstlerpresse, Dresden.

Hand-colored papers from Künstlerpresse, Dresden.

Endpapers, some decorative from Wilhelm Valentin, Berlin.

Endpapers, some decorative from Wilhelm Valentin, Berlin.

David Bourbeau's Wizard of Oz

I've long been enamored with the work of David Bourbeau, and had to jump at the chance to acquire this design idea for a binding on Barry Moser's Pennyroyal Press edition of the Wizard of Oz dated 6.6.'04. Sadly, he was never able to execute the binding as he passed 8/22/2009. Barbara Blumenthal wrote a wonderful "in memoriam" for him in The Bonefolder, vol. 6, nr. 1, fall 2009. From the "in memoriam:"

He was introduced to the art of the book by Leonard Baskin, and in 1972 he sold his business and took a two-year apprenticeship with master bookbinder [and Wiemeler student] Arno Werner. In 1975 he established the Thistle Bindery, located at various times in Northampton, Easthampton, and Florence, and in 1977 he took on the first of his many students and apprentices. 

A consummate bookbinder, he designed and constructed strong, innovative bindings for fine press books while also working in book restoration and art conservation. Having coined the word “bibliotect,” or book-architect, he observed that a binding “is not merely a fancy cover, the facade, but all of the elements, seen and unseen, that form the foundation and structure of the book.” This is borne out in his many organically unified editions, among them Poe’s The Raven, with graceful wing-like forms emerging from a raven-black binding, and Robert Francis’s posthumous collection Late Fire, Late Snow, whose handmade paper cover contains gold-tooled lines representing the shape of the title poem. Both of these books were bound using fine papers, a bookbinding material championed by David.

The Raven as bound by David Bourbeau.
Bound in full paper over boards with cloth spine reinforcement; sewn on three
linen tapes; leather wrapped headband; the marbled paper cover was designed by the binder
 "to resemble ravens' wings"; the papers were editioned by Steven Auger who
learned to marble from the binder. 8.5 x 28 x 2 centimeters. Created 1980.
Image from the catalog of the 100th Anniversary Exhibition of the Guild of Book Workers.

His design for The Wizard of Oz would have been executed similarly, except instead of being full paper it would have had a black Niger goat spine and fore-edge trim with the design being executed as a paste paper. The titled would have been tooled from the title page using "gold dots within the emerald light opening  in the black clouds."

Design sketch and technical specifications for David Bourbeau's design for the
binding of The Wizard of Oz.

Below Bourbeau's concept for the cover design using a unique paste paper. As in the case of the Raven, a design binding need not be full leather or vellum.

As an aside, a copy of Bourbeau's The Raven that was bound in an edition of 100 copies for sale (125 total) was available from The Veatchs Arts of the Books. It is mine now.

So, how do you approach the design of your bindings?

More Bookbinding Materials Swatches

More materials swatches from the apprentice journal, Der Buchbinderlehrling. These were a regular fixture and informed about all manner of materials – decorative, utilitarian, exotic, innovative – everything to keep the apprentice aware of what was out there. Samples were often associated with articles, and vendor contact information was often included.

A variety of decorative Japanese papers including wood veneer.
Der Buchbinderlehrling, vol. 4, nr. 7, 1930.

Embossed sheepskin at top with imitation "leathers" below.
These accompanied the article "Leder und Lederimitationen" by Paul Preß.
Der Buchbinderlehrling, vol. 5, nr. 1, 1931.

Swatches of gauze, crash, super, shirting.
For the article "Heftgaze - Papyrolin - Shirting" by Paul Preß.
Der Buchbinderlehrling, vol. 5, nr. 7, 1931.

Swatches of different bookcloths and fabrics used in covering. For the article
"Büchertuch - Halbleinen - Reinleinen - Rohleinen - Lasting - Moleskin"
by Paul Preß. Der Buchbinderlehrling, vol. 6, nr. 1, 1932.

Swatches of different Pliaphan and Zellstoff (Cellulose / Gelatine based clear films).
For the article "Zellglass und Gelatinefolien"" by Paul Preß.
Der Buchbinderlehrling, vol. 6, nr. 7, 1932.

Swatches of Igraf, a cellulose-based ersatz paper/parchment with the look of
Elephant Hide. For the article "Igraf in Bookbinding" by Walter Gerlach.
Der Buchbinderlehrling, vol. 7, nr. 1, 1933.

Swatches of western papers. For the article "Der Werkstoff Papier" by Paul Preß.
Der Buchbinderlehrling, vol. 7, nr. 12, 1933.

Marbling

I'm not a real user of marbled papers, let alone a marbler. I did, however, marble with oil paints before learning to make my real love of paste papers during my internship at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg (1984). We also marbled once with water colors on a carragheen. After my return to Baltimore to finish college, I made some more marbled papers that I used on some of my early bindings. I think I marbled once more in the late 80s, but that was it... My expectations for thus upcoming foray are rather low, that way I won't be disappointed.. ;-)

Not sure what I was thinking here... It was my 1984 internship and early days.
Binding covered in water color marbled paper, housed in a slipcase marbled with oil paints.

Box made (1984) of scored and folded board edged in cloth with oil marbled paper sides.
Technique is described in Franz Zeier's Schachtel, Mappe, Bucheinband (Books, Boxes, and Portfolios),
My first manual, and still a favorite!

Fritz Wiese's Der Bucheinband as an Edelpappband
(millimeter binding), one of the first structures I learned. I bound this one on
my own in 1985 between internship and heading back to Germany for my apprenticeship.

Gabrielle Grünebaum's Bunterpapiervbook bound during my apprenticeship, ca 1986.

My notes from Nuremberg (1984) with samples of my first forays into marbling tipped-in,
my first book on basic marbling for hobbyists covered in my own paper, and oil paints,
and other marbling supplies I bought years ago to try my hand at it again. Instead of
dropping the paints on water, I learned to use a very dilute paste water (very thin cream)
that gave more control over the colors in terms of making patterns.
I think I'll use methylcellulose.

Fritz Otto checking things out and hoping he gets included in the party...
Still some supplies to get. We'll probably do this over Christmas break
when all will be home for two weeks+!

More Sprayed and Stenciled Papers

Below a sample of Peka-Spritz-Papier made by Hübel & Denck in Leipzig from the article "Das Spritzverfahren in der Buchbinderei" by Paul Klein in the Buchbinderlehrling, 1928. I shared other papers using this technique by Hübel  & Denck from their Monatsblätter in this earlier post.

Steifbroschure (stiffened paper binding) by Amy Borezo on Ernst Collin's Bone Folder from the 2012 Bind-O-Rama, More examples including historical ones can be found by clicking on the steifbroschure label. Just scroll down.

Airbrushed Cave paper over boards; tipped on Tiziano endsheets;
unsupported link stitch. Dimensions: 21.5 x 13.8 x .8 cm.
In reading the text… I appreciated the discussion of the various kinds of decorated papers.
It inspired me to create my own decorated cover paper for this book using a metal bonefolder
 to score a geometric pattern into the paper, which I then folded, airbrushed, flattened,
and attached to the cover.

Amy wrote a short post on how she made the paper for Bonefolder Extras here. The second edition text of Ernst Collin's Bone Folder can also be freely downloaded laid out for binding using the link in the left sidebar.

Decorated Papers from Kersten's Exakte Bucheinband

Swatches of decorated papers and other materials were regular features of German bookbinding publications, whether books or journals. Below the swatches included with Paul Kersten's Der Exakte Bucheinband (1923), one of the iconic manuals focusing the Franzband (Extra binding with 90 degree joint and laced-on (usually) boards. The text appeared in multiple editions with the 1909 available in HathiTrust. Swatches there start on page 223.

Notice how the vendors for the papers are listed with/below the swatches, as well as what the paper the swatches are mounted on. This is allows the binder for whom the publications were written to know exactly where to procure them.

Title Page

Vorsatz (endpaper) and Überzug (covering paper).

Marbled papers.

More marbled papers of various kinds.

More endpapers.