Boss Dog Press Bone Folder in Full Production

The Boss Dog Press Bone Folder is in full production and heading into the home stretch! Don Rash and his assistants have done a beautiful job with the printing and binding. As described in the prospectus, the deluxe edition is bound in quarter leather with hidden corners and pastepapers on the sides. [Edit: More also on the Boss Dog Press site]

Deluxe edition in quarter leather with pastepaper sides

Full production, deluxe in the front, regular in full paper behind

The regular edition is covered in full pastepaper with printed paper labels on spine and front board.

Full production,  regular in full paper in the front, deluxe behind

Below, the title spread from one of the copies I have bound with a facsimile of the original 1922 edition of Der Pressbengel as a frontispiece.

The title spread

I'm going to say that I'm floored by how beautifully these are looking - very much in keeping with an aesthetic Ernst Collin would have approved of, and enjoyed.

Kunstgewerbeschule Hamburg

Happy to add this image of the bookbinding workshop of the Staatl. Kunstgewerbeschule in Hamburg Lerchenfeld to my collection. The workshop is significant for the first teachers there, Franz Weiße (1907-1942) and Ignatz Wiemeler (1945-1952). Both were among the absolute top of German binders and teachers of binding, and Weiße was Wiemeler's teacher. The building the studio is in was built 1911-1913, and this postcard appears to have been taken shortly after, so during Weiße's time.

Workshop of the Staatl. Kunstgewerbeschule Hamburg

Postcard verso

In addition to teaching at the school, Weiße was the author of numerous articles on bookbinding and marbling, including the monograph Die Kunst des Marmorierens (Translated into English Richard J. Wolfe as The Art of Marbling, and published by Bird & Bull Press, 1980)

Franz Weiße with student Martin Lehmann,
from Der Buchbinderlehrling, Vol. 11, Nr.11, 1938.

Wiemeler, was perhaps THE most noted German binder of the 20th century, certainly from the US perspective. He was, among others, teacher of Kurt Londenberg (teacher of Frank Mowery), Fritz Eberhardt (teacher of Don Rash), and Arno Werner (teacher of many in Massachusetts' Pioneer Valley including Carol Blinn, Sarah Creighton, and elsewhere such as Gerhard Gerlach).

Ignatz Wiemeler (at left)with Kurt Londenberg in Leipzig, Germany, 1937.
From: Leben und Werk des Buchkünstlers Kurt Londenberg (1914-1995),
Helma Schaefer, ed., Verlag Ludwig, 2009.

Bone Folder Printing DONE

The printing is done, and even the printer can't believe it!

About 2.5 weeks ago I signed LOTS of colophons and mailed them back to the Boss Dog Press while they finished the title pages and frontispieces...

Then today, a box arrived with my copies in sheets to bind for the Guild of Book Workers' Formation exhibition. Great timing as I am off of work until January 3rd, so hoping to get through all the forwarding.

Final pre-sewing trim...


Don Rash and his Boss Dog Press did a really beautiful job printing this. Orders for sheets will go out shortly, and then binding starts next month!

The wait has been more than worth it. More details about the edition and ordering information here.

Thank you Don!

Bone Folder Design Prototypes

While waiting for the Boss Dog Press to complete the printing of the fine press edition of my translation of Ernst Collin's Der Pressbengel (as The Bone Folder), I decided to experiment with some design ideas on the sheets I offer for download. While the format of these is 8.5" x 11" folded in half, the fine press edition will have a trim size of 9" x 12."

N.b. The Boss Dog's printing is almost complete, and will have been more than worth the wait. Like a fine wine or beer.

Binding 1, Dorfner/de Gonet style:

The design is a play on the question and answer dialog of the text. Sewing supports are vellum back with pared leather to give a more 3-dimension effect. Leather on spine is natural Niger leather and on boards is Harmatan with chagrin for the low relief onlays.

Top edge in graphite with hand sewn endbands. The image also shows the open joint structure of the Dorfner/de Gonet style

Collaged doublures and flyleaves with dilute colored paste washes. Base of the collage is Collin's original text in German, with onlays from articles and books on topics referenced in the book that were written by Collin.
I was inspired to try this by some of the work of Mark Cockram, but mine pale in comparison... Still, I think they work here.

Binding 2, Danish millimeter style:

The Danish millimeter is best described in English by John Hyltoft who presented on it at the Guild of Book Workers 1995 Standards conference (starts on PDF page 33). See his presentation handout here.

Spine covered in salmon parchment with pastepaper boards, invisible salmon parchment corners.

I describe making the salmon parchment here. It was very nice to work with and I still have lots...

Pastepaper doublures and flyleaves that continue the dark to light progression from the cover.
Top edge in graphite with endbands of pastepaper wrapped around a thread core.

Detail of salmon parchment and pastepaper at spine.

If anyone who downloaded the sheets would like to share their binding, send me an email using the "contact" link at top right. I'd love see and perhaps even share...

W. Collin Einband zu Goethes Clavigo

Anfang August, beim Stöbern bei ABE, fand ich einen Hinweis zu noch einem W. Collin Einband an Clavigo, dieses mal mit dem Druckdatum von 1918.

At the beginning of August, while browsing at ABE, I found a listing for another W. Collin binding on Clavigo, this time with a publication date of 1918.

Clavigo. Ein Trauerspiel. München Verlag der Marées-Gesellschaft (R Piper & Co), 1918.

5 Bll., gest. Titel (von E. R. Weiß), 132 Seiten, Gr8° (23,4 x 17,6 cm), handgeb. Ganzpergamentbd. (sign. W. Collin Berlin) mit prunkvoller Ganzdeckel-Vergold., vergold. Innenfileten, Kopfgoldschnitt und olivgrünen Seidenmoiree-Vorsätzen. Die farbigen Illustrationen sind handkolorierte Wiedergaben von Emil Wöllner nach Aquarellen von Götz Freiherr von Seckendorf, der im August 1914 im Krieg gefallen war. Erschienen als 1. Druck der Marées-Gesellschaft in einer Auflage von 150 (insgesamt 200) nummerierten Exemplaren auf Bütten. Dies ist die Nummer 47. - Sehr gut erhaltenes Exemplar in einem bibliophilen und signierten Meistereinband, der verzierte Original-Umschlag mit eingebunden.

Hatte damals den Antiquar angeschrieben der freundlicherweise Bilder teilte, aber mich auch mitteilte, daß der Einband vergiffen war. Pech gehabt... War aber nicht so, und nach ca. 5~6 Wochen erhielt ich ein Email mit der Frage ob ich noch dran interessiert wäre? Ein klares Ja, und ca. eine Woche später traf das Buch ein. Unten ein Bilderbericht.

Had written to the antiquarian at the time who generously shared pictures, but also let me know that it had been recently sold. Turned out not to be the case as I learned through an email 5~6 weeks later in which he asked if I was still interested. Of course I was, and about a week later the book arrived here... Below an illustrated report.

Decken Aussenseite mit Vergoldung auf Pergament.
Exterior of the case with gold tooling on the cover.

Spiegel aus Seide mit Vergoldung auf den Einschlägen.
Silk doublures with gold tooling on the turn-ins.

Ecken Vergoldung.
Corner tooling.

Die Decke wurden nicht am Falz abegesetzt sondern wie beim Franzband behandelt.
There is no groove on the case, rather it was treated as if a tight-jointed leather extra binding.

Der Einschlag vom Pergament ist unter der Hülse, Zeichen eines Deckenbands.
The turn-ins are under the hollow, the sign of a cased binding.

W. Collin Signatur(e)

Erste Titelblatt von Emil Rudolf Weiß.
First title page by Emil Rudolf Weiß.

Zweites Titelblatt von Emil Wöllner nach Goetz Freiherr von Seckendorff.
Second title page by Emil Wöllner after Goetz Freiherr von Seckendorff.

Zelf Boekbinden, 1934

Recently acquired a charming new binding manual for bibliophilic amateurs, Zelf Boekbinden by Elisabeth Menalda. The book was published in Amsterdam (NL) in 1934 and includes an overviewof the basic tools and equipment; preparations and sewing; forwarding; completing a quarter of full cloth/paper in-boards binding.

Zelf Boekbinden by Elisabeth Menalda, Amsterdam, 1934.

Author's introduction.

The bookbinder backing a book.

Conceptually similar in scope and audience is
Ernst Collin's Buchbinderei für den Hausbedarf
reprinted and republished in several editions between 1915 and 1933.

I think the two images above go together nicely

Pharma and Ernst Collin

Advertising by pharmaceutical companies is everywhere, offering self-diagnosis and remedies, we just need to ask our doctor. In Buch und Werbekunst (Vol 2, nr 11, 1935) Ernst Collin wrote about advertising for these pharma products in German AND English, the first bilingual article I found.

Advertising of Pharmaceutics
(Ways and Means of Propaganda for Pharmaceutics.
Advertising through Supplements in Medical Publications.)
By Ernst Collin

When advertising the products of the pharmaceutical industry it .is necessary to take into account that advertising for the public and advertising for medical circles are two entirely different things, as adverse to one another as water and fire. The fact must not be forgotten when approaching the public direct through newspaper advertisements, despatch of prospectus, and other means that possibly the medical man will on principle refuse to prescribe the remedies concerned. It is, of course, not always possible to draw the line sharply. Lately advertising for the public has been carried out for a number of well known preparations, which the medical man can hardly avoid prescribing, these are chiefly preparations for alleviating pain, or strengthening the entire organisation....

Werbung seitens der Pharmaindustrie ist allgegenwärtig, und bietet selbst-Diagnose und Heilmittel an, wir müssen nur den/die Arzt/Ärztin darum bitten. In Buch und Werbekunst (Bd 2, Nr 11, 1935) schrieb Ernst Collin über die Werbung für Pharmaprodukte auf Deutsch UND Englisch, der erste zweisprachige Aufsatz den ich finden konnte.

Heilmittelwerbung
Wege und Mittel der pharmazeutischen Propaganda.
Beilagenwerbung in der medizinischen Fachpresse.
Von Ernst Collin

Wer für die Erzeugnisse der pharmazeutischen Industrie werben will, muß sich danach richten, daß Laienpropaganda und Ärztepropaganda zwei feindliche Elemente sind wie Wasser und Feuer. Denn wer sich durch Zeitungsanzeigen, Prospektversand und sonstige Mittel unmittelbar an den Verbraucher wendet, muß damit rechnen, daß der Arzt sein Mittel grundsätzlich nicht verschreibt. Nicht immer freilich lassen sich die Grenzen scharf ziehen. Für eine Reihe bekannter Präparate, die der Arzt kaum aus seiner Rezeptur ausschließen kann, und zwar meist für solche, die Schmerzlinderung oder eine allgemeine Kräftigung des Organismus bewirken, wird neuerdings auch eine Publikumswerbung durchgeführt...

I discovered the reference to the article in the footnotes to a doctoral dissertation, Kurt Hilscher – Werbegrafik und Verlagsarbeiten - 1925-1975,  from 2008 while Goggling.

Ich entdeckte den Zitat zum Aufsatz in den Fußnoten der Doktorarbeit, Kurt Hilscher – Werbegrafik und Verlagsarbeiten - 1925-1975  von 2008 beim Googeln .