The Harrington Bindery

Its Official! I will be participating in Bushwick Open Studios the upcoming weekend of September 30 - October 2. I will continue to post more info when I receive it and more information about the event can be found here : http://artsinbushwick.org/ Also, if you have been wondering, that is what I have been up to instead of writing here. So sorry. Lastly, a new website that features my bookbinding will be launching soon.

Mid way through working on a commissioned set of books for a carpenter friend of mine I came across a binding style referred to as the K-118 by Bruce Levy who wrote about and bench tested the structure. The K-118 structure piqued my interest immediately due to its remarkable flexibility and full access to the gutter. I originally tested the structure on a collection of books, articles and transcribed lectures on bookbinding that I digitally compiled into a single document and printed in signatures. The basics of the structure are a text block sewn on velum strips, tapes or cords in a manor to keep swelling to a minimum. The block is rounded but not backed and covers are shaped on the spine edge to continue the arch of the round of the block. Covers are attached and the spine is lined with velum cut to fit in between the supports and three times longer than the width of the spine. The excess velum on ether side of the book is cut into thirds and the outer two sections are attached to ...

One of the first successful Springback books I bound was a sketch book I created for my brother. After finding some rather incomplete information about the Springback structure online I started making my own prototypes. A mistake on my part converting metric to imperial lead to this book to have a pronounced lump where the too thick lever was fed into the split board covers. This structure is a couple years old at this point but last week I got to see and touch it again. I am happy to say that it is holding up beautifully and looks as new as the day I finished. 

I determined that a Springback album I was making for the carpenter wasn't going to work. At all. But thats okay. After this was determined I was able to pull off the covers, spring, and spine linings.  See that Here.  What I was left with was the sewn block that had an exaggerated round with no swell and also sewn in end bands.  I chose the Springback structure for this project because of its inherent ability to throw the pages out and allow them to lie flat with full access to the gutter. It is able to accomplish this without forgoing spine liners, hard covers or other design and strength elements that I wanted or needed to include for a pair of books this size. Part way through this project I read an article about the K-118 structure and further research led me to write  a bit about it and start sewing together a text I had to serve as my introduction to the style. What struck me about the K-118 structure originally, besides its natural flexibilit...

A project I have been working on over the winter and coming into the spring is a set (pair?) of books, one a sketchbook and one an album. The pieces are part of a trade I set up with a good friend and master carpenter in exchange for a proper bench in which to bind books on. The idea at first to was have a twin set matching in style and decoration. The two were worked in almost parallel but the sketchbook was the first to be ready for covering material and besides a necessary modification of the spring, you can see it here. It caused no issues and functioned pretty close to what I expected. The album is made from the same one hundred percent cotton paper as the sketchbook. Its construction features the use of loose guards sewn alternating with the full folios in a ratio of 3:2. The intention to create a spring back led me to sew the pages to four stations of double 1/2" linen tapes. Once the sewing was complete the levers were formed with card stock, paper and the sewing suppo...

I made this small spring back travel journal on commission as a gift for an incredible photographer / visual artist. Her long time assistant approached me awhile back and asked several times for me to make this piece. Its pages are 24lb Mohawk Superfine and its covered in a beautiful piece of alum tawd goat. I was able to find a turn of the centenary map of Brooklyn and located both the home and studio of the artist's and worked the map in as the end papers of the book. No matter how far she goes she will have a piece of home with her.

I have been working on a logo because I really want something that can be stamped in or on finished books. This is a vector I created from a photograph of a spring back book I made in the late fall last year.