Search results for ""Author PAPERBLANKS""

Photographer Gérard Degeorge has travelled the world, capturing grand pieces of architectural design through the scope of his lens. This design comes from his vast collection of photography and is reminiscent of the Alhambra in Granada, Spain.

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This red and gold Paperblanks Equinoxe Carmine journal reproduces a 1688 binding protecting L’office de la Semaine Sainte. The original binding was adorned “à la fanfare,” a handtooled pattern edged in gilt. “Fanfare,” which was a style popular in the seventeenth century, required tremendous skill on the part of the bookbinder and was reserved for books of great importance.

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Laurel Burch was a self-taught artist and “flower child” whose work spoke from her heart with an unmistakable style that was the manifestation of her love of life and strong imaginative nature. Paperblanks Soul & Tears journal is based on one of Burch’s famous images, inspired by the verse, “The soul would have no rainbow if the eyes had no tears.”

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The Adventures of Asterix, our series in partnership with Les Éditions Albert René, channels the spirit of Asterix the Gaul from the celebrated comic book series. In these stories, Asterix, along with his friend Obelix and canine companion Dogmatix, ventures to lands near and far with unwavering ingenuity and just a little bit of magic potion.

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Reproducing an expensive goatskin leather book binding crafted in Amsterdam in 1835 by Friedrich W.J.C. Kolb, our Onyx journal celebrates the harmony between art and science. The binding was originally designed to contain a Latin oration on the physiology of plants by the renowned Dutch botanist Willem Hendrik de Vriese. De Vriese, a member of the Royal Dutch Institute of Sciences, Literature and Fine Arts, named many species of plants in the Asterales order (Asterids).Today this significant binding can be found in the KB, National Library of the Netherlands, which was founded in 1798 with the intention to celebrate the written word and share Dutch creativity and innovation with the world.

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Connect with the ornate Dutch world of yesteryear with this stately gold on black geometric design.Reproducing an expensive goatskin leather book binding crafted in Amsterdam in 1835 by Friedrich W.J.C. Kolb, our Onyx journal celebrates the harmony between art and science. The binding was originally designed to contain a Latin oration on the physiology of plants by the renowned Dutch botanist Willem Hendrik de Vriese (1806–1862). De Vriese was a member of the Royal Dutch Institute of Sciences, Literature and Fine Arts and, in his studies, named many species of plants in the Asterales order (Asterids).Science and art have long found a common ground in Dutch history, with artists from the Netherlands pioneering the form of still life, so there is little wonder why this significant binding can be found in the KB, National Library of the Netherlands. Founded in 1798, the library holds the intention to celebrate the written word and share Dutch creativity and innovation with the world. We are honoured to partner with the KB, National Library to bring this beautiful binding to the Paperblanks collection.

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Azulejos (meaning “small polished stone”) are painted, glazed ceramic tiles that date back to 13th-century Portugal where they were used inside buildings during the Gothic period. Today, we see these decorative tiles across a wide range of buildings, from monasteries, palaces and restaurants to bars, railway stations and family homes. The design on the tiles commonly related to the building’s unique history, and the individual pieces often end up forming an elaborate mosaic.The design seen here is pulled from the traditional tiles gracing the façades of a variety of old houses in Porto, Portugal. Ornate in detail, these tiles do not just serve as decoration but represent an important part of Portuguese culture and tradition.

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The eternal appeal of a classic floral design is captured in the work of Irish illustrator William Kilburn (1745–1818). The artist behind William Curtis’ Flora Londinensis, a comprehensive book on 18th-century English botany, Kilburn was also a leading designer and printer of calico. With winding twigs, colourful petals and undulating seaweed, Kilburn’s unique ability to blend local flora with exotic plants is on full display in this design.

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This gold-tooled design comes from a 1990s binding crafted by Scott Husby, who used fragments from the early 1800s to create a beautiful new cover for this copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio. Originally published in 1623, Mr. William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (or, First Folio) is the only reliable text for nearly 20 of Shakespeare’s plays, including The Tempest and Twelfth Night.Today, the First Folio is one of the most valuable books in the world, with one being sold in 2001 for over $6 million. There are only 235 surviving copies, from approximately 750 printed, and the Folger holds nearly one third of them, including the binding reproduced here.

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This glorious design comes from Sangorski & Sutcliffe, a world-renowned British bindery best known for their bejewelled cover of Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat. Established in London in 1901, Sangorski & Sutcliffe quickly rose to become one of the 20th century’s most important bookbinders. They were especially celebrated for their jewelled bindings, like the one reproduced here. Originally crafted in 1922 to house Rudyard Kipling’s 1897 “Recessional” poem written for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, it incorporated real turquoise, aquamarine and ruby gemstones, alongside medieval-style illumination by Alberto Sangorski and gold tooling by George Sutcliffe.

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This striking Art Deco design comes from the British bookbinder Sybil Pye (1879–1959), heralded as one of the top female artisans of her time.Self-taught, Pye began producing her first works in the early 1900s using naturally coloured leather, before graduating to multi-coloured panels. By 1934 she was creating complex covers of up to six different inlays, and her work was regularly exhibited throughout England and around the world.This particular design was crafted to hold a collection of William Wordsworth’s poems illustrated by Pye’s lifelong friend Thomas Sturge Moore. Though we can’t be sure that Pye intended to evoke the image of a lion’s majestic head with this cover, the possibility offers an interesting connection between the binding and its original contents, as one of Wordsworth’s poems is titled “Picture of Daniel in the Lions’ Den, at Hamilton Place.”One of the youngest pre–First World War women binders, Pye was the only binder in England who specialized in inlaid leather bindings. With this series, we pay tribute to a pioneering woman in the art of book design.

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This glorious design comes from Sangorski & Sutcliffe, a world-renowned British bindery best known for their bejewelled cover of Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat.Established in London in 1901, Sangorski & Sutcliffe quickly rose to become one of the 20th century’s most important bookbinders. They were celebrated for their jewelled bindings, like the one reproduced here. Crafted in 1922 to house Rudyard Kipling’s 1897 “Recessional” poem, written for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, the original binding incorporated real turquoise, aquamarine and ruby gemstones, alongside medieval-style illumination by Alberto Sangorski and gold tooling by George Sutcliffe.In the late 1980s, Sangorski & Sutcliffe was acquired by Asprey, joining forces with Zaehnsdorf under the SSZ umbrella. But the family name was restored in 1998 when Shepherds Bookbinders bought the company. It is an honour to work with such a luxurious bookbinding and to share the legacy of Sangorski & Sutcliffe with 21st-century stationery lovers and bibliophiles.

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For over a century, the Cockerell family name represented the highest quality bookmaking. Though no longer in business, the Cockerell and Son Bindery remains celebrated for their unique style of paper marbling, developed by the late Sydney (Sandy) M. Cockerell.Described as a “latter-day Leonardo,” Sandy Cockerell possessed not only an artist’s talents, but a scientist’s mind and engineer’s skill as well. He took the painstaking tradition of handmade marbled papers and found a way to produce the strikingly complex designs at high speeds and volumes. By improving existing equipment and creating his own gadgets and tools when that which he needed did not already exist, Cockerell embraced new mass production techniques.For his contributions to the paper arts, Sandy Cockerell was awarded an OBE and an honourary doctorate from Cambridge. When we launched Paperblanks journals in the early 1990s, a selection of his designs graced some of our first covers. We are honoured to return these iconic marbled papers to our collection with this black, white and red Rubedo design.

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Artistic, religious and cultural traditions unite in the handwoven fabric of this Sacred Tibetan Textiles design. For centuries, Muslim families in Varanasi, India, have practiced the art of handweaving silks to create cloths and vestments for sacred rituals. The city lies just 12 kilometres from the Buddhist pilgrimage site Sarnath, where the Buddha first gave his sermon upon becoming enlightened, and so Islamic, Buddhist and even Hindu practices have become woven together in the area.The fabric reproduced on this cover comes straight from the Kasim Silk Emporium in Varanasi and is an authentic expression of the weaver’s cultural heritage. In this design, created for a Buddhist monastery, the weavers have portrayed the path to enlightenment, both in the symbolic pattern and in the brightness of the colours chosen.With this Sacred Tibetan Textiles journal, we pay tribute to the rich heritage of Indian handweaving and to the craftspeople who continue this devotional practice today.

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The art of still life painting is a celebrated part of Dutch culture, but before still life emerged, there were illustrators who delicately illuminated handwritten manuscripts with images of flora and fauna to add emotional power to a written work.One of the most celebrated practitioners of this style was Joris Hoefnagel (1542–1601). In the 1590s the Emperor Rudolf II commissioned Hoefnagel to add his illuminations to the Mira calligraphiae monumenta, a mid-16th-century manuscript on the art of calligraphy by Georg Bocskay. The page reproduced here is known as Martagon Lily and Tomato.

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Behold the majesty of the ancient cathedral of Ely! This striking notebook design comes from the 1830 cover of James Bentham’s The History and Antiquities of the Conventual and Cathedral Church of Ely, an exactingly crafted ode to the magnificence of the cathedral and the ancient curiosities held within its walls.Ely’s rich history begins with the Anglo-Saxon princess Saint Ethelreda, who founded a monastic community in the Cambridgeshire Fens in 673 ad. Over the centuries, the original abbey was built, destroyed and rebuilt in various forms, with today’s cathedral beginning construction in 1083. With architect George Gilbert Scott at the helm, the Ely Cathedral underwent restorations between 1845 and 1870, rebuilding the galilee porch, lady chapel and choir in an exuberant Decorated Gothic style.With such a rich artistic and spiritual history, it is no wonder that the cathedral would inspire James Bentham to dedicate his life’s work to documenting its artifacts. We are honoured to work with the Bodleian Library to celebrate Bentham’s passion project.

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Our cover reproduces a 1688 binding protecting L’office de la Semaine Sainte, which explained the many rites and observances to be followed during the most important period in the Christian calendar, the Holy Week.The original cover was adorned à la fanfare, a handtooled pattern edged in gilt. Fanfare, which was a style popular in the 17th century, required tremendous skill on the part of the bookbinder and was reserved for books of great importance.Poetry in BloomThis cover design, originally crafted by Riviere and Son, centres around a sensitive plant (mimosa pudica) surrounded by chambers containing snowdrops and other richly hued and contrasting flowers, foliage and butterflies. The original binding was used for The Sensitive Plant and Early Poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley and is a celebration of the many moods of the creative spirit.

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Reproducing an original work by designer Pierre Legrain (1889–1929), this cover brings a sense of movement to the heavy geometric elements of its Art Deco influence.Legrain was a key figure in early 20th-century French bookbinding but began his career in illustration, theatre design and cabinetmaking. After leaving the French Army in 1916, Legrain became recognized for his eye for design and was commissioned by Jacques Doucet, a French bibliophile and collector, to create unique bindings for Doucet’s impressive library. Adopting an attitude of experimentation, Doucet encouraged Legrain to be “freely inspired by contemporary artists’ vibrantly coloured mosaics, bold play with geometric forms and straight-lined bands.”Legrain’s works, often using exotic materials, have revolutionized the relatively staid world of bookbinding, finding their way into the collections of art and architecture enthusiasts around the world. This modern mosaic design is now proudly a part of the Spencer Collection at The New York Public Library.

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Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) was one of the greatest of the Post-Impressionist painters. Though much of his work, like this Irises study, is filled with brightness and light, Van Gogh’s own life was filled with personal turmoil.A severe mental health crisis, in which he now-famously cut off his own ear, prompted Van Gogh to admit himself to the Saint-Paul Asylum at Saint-Rémy in the south of France. His recuperation began with painting of the asylum garden, Irises chief among the resulting output. The close study of nature was the foundation of Van Gogh’s art, as his precise delineation of individual flowers suggests, but he also brought to that study an astonishing degree of subjective intensity. One can emotionally feel the painting’s strong colours, thickly applied paint and powerful decorative rhythms, all of which convey the artist’s sense of nature’s surging vitality.We are honoured to feature this seminal painting from the J. Paul Getty Museum in our collection.

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Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) was one of the greatest of the Post-Impressionist painters. Though much of his work, like this Irises study, is filled with brightness and light, Van Gogh’s own life was filled with personal turmoil. A severe mental health crisis, in which he now-famously cut off his own ear, prompted Van Gogh to admit himself to the Saint-Paul Asylum at Saint-Rémy in the south of France. His recuperation began with painting of the asylum garden, Irises chief among the resulting output.We are honoured to feature this seminal painting from the J. Paul Getty Museum in our collection.

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Our Safavid Indigo design reproduces a leather filigree pattern incorporating handtooled motifs, retaining the elegance and style of the Islamic Golden Age even in our modern context. Originally released in a classic brown leather look, this new deep blue colour scheme pays tribute to the darkest tone of Persian Blue.

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This fiery Baroque-inspired cover comes from a 1725 binding of The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio, a masterpiece of Italian literature.Giovanni Boccaccio (1313–1375) was an Italian writer and poet who helped lay the foundations of Renaissance humanism. His defining work, The Decameron, is a collection of novellas, each narrated by one of ten main characters who find shelter from the Black Death in a secluded villa just outside Florence in 1348. With its scope from humour to tragedy and its vivid narrative structure, The Decameron remains an affirmation of humanity and moral values even when read today.

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The Musée Condé is home to over 1500 antique manuscripts, including Eusebius’ Evangelica praeparatione. What makes the 1540s edition so special is that it is the “editio princeps,” or first printing, of the Evangelica, which had existed only as a manuscript. Its regal binding is reproduced for this Evangeline journal cover.

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William Morris (1834–1896), one of the most celebrated practitioners of the Arts and Crafts movement, created woven and printed textile designs using the ancient technique of hand woodblock printing. As seen on this Paperblanks Morris Windrush softcover Flexi notebook, his evocations of the natural world, with their depth of tone and magical gradation of tints, have become design classics.

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Capturing the flavour of Renaissance-style bound books, Paperblanks Old Leather Flint journal pays homage to the craft of delicate gold tooling. For this cover design, we have incorporated a textured white design reminiscent of chalk, flint or limestone, adding an edginess to the look of finely wrought leather.

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Our Paperblanks Flexis Aurelia soft cover notebook design is fit for a king. Its inspiration dates back to Paris in the mid-18th century and the original binding housed copies of King Louis XV’s procedures for Holy Week. This book design is a marvellous riot of gold-tooled rococo elements, featuring birds, flowers and leaves.

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Our Kikka soft cover notebook reproduces Michiko Kamee’s “full of chrysanthemum” design originally hand-painted with gold overglaze and colour on china by employing Kyo-Satsuma. In this Paperblanks Flexi cover design the viewer can see hints of the kaleidoscope of flowers in bloom, as well as fine boned artistry in every brush stroke and hue.

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Taking their slightly sullen cues from previous artistic movements, the New Romantics of the 1980s brought their hairstyles and attitudes to new prominence. Our Peacock Punk journal celebrates the drama that made the New Romantic movement some of the most ironic good times popular culture has ever had.

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In Search of Lost Time, Marcel Proust’s seven-volume masterpiece, is an examination of French society that almost completely lacks any sense of plot. Needless to say, it caused a sensation when the first volume was published in 1913. This Paperblanks journal cover shows a page from his lined notebook with his copious notes in the margins.

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This blue and gold Paperblanks Equinoxe Azure journal reproduces a 1688 binding protecting L’office de la Semaine Sainte. The original binding was adorned “à la fanfare,” a handtooled pattern edged in gilt. “Fanfare,” which was a style popular in the seventeenth century, required tremendous skill on the part of the bookbinder and was reserved for books of great importance.

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If you are celestially minded, this brilliant Paperblanks journal is sure to enchant and delight. With its central star shape, Solis exerts an emotional pull akin to a warm, glowing sunrise after a long winter’s sleep. For those inclined to contemplate the cosmos, look no further than the books in our Nova Stella series.

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This deep blue Delphine journal celebrates the exuberance of the Florentine style. The original book of designs, published in the 1890s by Ginés Codina y Sert, contained over a hundred decorative patterns adorning everything from murals to wallpaper to tapestries.

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Bukhara, one of Uzbekistan’s largest cities, was the birthplace of this dazzling eighteenth-century Islamic binding. The city’s rich intellectual and cultural lifestyle was shaped by Indo-Persian influences, particularly the golden age of the Samanids. Paperblanks Bukhara Adina journal features heart-shaped leaves, a centre rosette and intricate corner pieces, all executed with skill and artistry.

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Featured on our Miroku journal cover is the Miroku Bosatsu Hanka Shiyui statue, a National Treasure at Kyoto’s Koryu-ji Temple, built in 603 AD. This sculpture depicts Maitreya, the Buddha “yet to come,” sitting in stillness as the guardian of the Teachings of the Buddha. As a metaphor for Compassion, Maitreya teaches that each of us possesses the potential to be Enlightened.

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Plaid has always been a pattern that crosses lines. Closely associated with Scottish clan tartans, plaid material has been unearthed in Central Asian tombs from as far back as 1500 BC. The plaid shown on our Kensington journal cover was collected in France in the 1800s, but looks as though it could have come from last year’s runway collection. So goes the cheeky versatility of plaid!

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This red and gold Paperblanks Equinoxe Carmine journal reproduces a 1688 binding protecting L’office de la Semaine Sainte. The original binding was adorned “à la fanfare,” a handtooled pattern edged in gilt. “Fanfare,” which was a style popular in the seventeenth century, required tremendous skill on the part of the bookbinder and was reserved for books of great importance.

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Paperblanks Gold Inlay journal cover reproduces a “Stil der Neorenaissance” (neo-Renaissance style) design popular in 19th-century Germany. The original binding, composed of solid metal, was covered in a fine layer of gold which was then meticulously engraved by skilled craftsmen. Bindings like this were highly valued and were frequently adorned with silk, cloisonné enamels or precious stones.

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Combining the Latin words “filum” (thread) and “granum” (seed), silver “filigree” describes an art form that is achieved by first die cutting a base layer of silver sheets and then meticulously etching elaborate grooves into its surface. The polished binding seen on Paperblanks Silver Filigree Maya Blue journal is inspired by a 1697 French binding of Johann Arndt’s Paradiesgärtlein.

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Our Ironberry journal cover reproduces the binding of a prayer book belonging to the Archbishop Clemens August of Cologne. The interior contents were an extraordinary example of German calligraphic engraving. The prayers were written by Maria Joseph Clement Kaukol and the bound copies were given as gifts to the Archbishop’s friends, presumably to strengthen ties of friendship.

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Paperblanks Safavid journal portrays a leather filigree pattern incorporating handtooled motifs, retaining the elegance and style of the Islamic Golden Age even in our modern context. Symmetry is the hallmark of this binding, which features medallions, a pentagonal envelope flap closure and elaborately decorated “doublures” (interior covers), exquisite creations in cut-out leather and gilding.

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French author and illustrator Benjamin Lacombe lends his unique spirit to our collection with this lively design. Lacombe describes his style as being a combination of pop surrealism and lowbrow art.

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Capturing the flavour of Renaissance-style binding at its zenith, this intricately embellished book cover is unique, tactile and so very pleasing to the eye. During this remarkable period in history, manuscripts were renowned for their exquisitely crafted covers made of fine moroccan leather. Brought into Europe via the flourishing trade routes to the Far and Middle East, this style of ornamentation lent a new vibrancy and lightness of design not found in medieval manuscripts.

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William Morris was one of the most celebrated practitioners of the Arts and Crafts movement in the late 19th century. Created using woodblock printing done by hand, his evocations of antique florals and plants in all their magical gradation of tints have become design classics gracing the decorative arts.

Read more less

Photographer Gérard Degeorge has travelled the world, capturing grand pieces of architectural design through the scope of his lens. This cover design comes from his vast collection of photography and is reminiscent of the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. The geometric pattern, floral design and arabesque setting are all suggestive of the art and architecture styles found in the western Islamic world.

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Inspired by the 17th-century binding that originally housed the Bustan, a seminal work by Persian author Saadi (1210–1291), this design features intricate birds and flowers that beautifully mirror the contents of the original volume. Today the historic binding can be found in the British Library.Saadi Shirazi, known by his pen name Saadi, was a poet and prose writer born in Shiraz, Iran. He was nicknamed “The Master of Speech” among fellow Persian scholars for the quality of his writing and the depth of his social and moral thoughts. Saadi’s work conveyed his worldview through the beauty of poetry. The strength of his writing not only impacted Persian literature but also influenced the use of Persian language in everyday life.The Bustan (known in English as The Orchard) is one of Saadi’s two best-known works. Written entirely in verse, the stories within are rich in moral thought and principles. Scattered throughout are aphorisms, practical wisdom and reflections on the human existence. With its delicate botanical patterns, this design reflects the fruits of Saadi’s wisdom.

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This glorious design comes from Sangorski & Sutcliffe, a world-renowned British bindery best known for their bejewelled cover of Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat. Established in London in 1901, Sangorski & Sutcliffe quickly rose to become one of the 20th century’s most important bookbinders. They were especially celebrated for their jewelled bindings, like the one reproduced here. Originally crafted in 1922 to house Rudyard Kipling’s 1897 “Recessional” poem written for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, it incorporated real turquoise, aquamarine and ruby gemstones, alongside medieval-style illumination by Alberto Sangorski and gold tooling by George Sutcliffe.

Read more less

Capturing the flavour of Renaissance-style binding at its zenith, this intricately embellished book cover is unique, tactile and so very pleasing to the eye. During this remarkable period in history, manuscripts were renowned for their exquisitely crafted covers made of fine moroccan leather. Brought into Europe via the flourishing trade routes to the Far and Middle East, this style of ornamentation lent a new vibrancy and lightness of design not found in medieval manuscripts.

Read more less

This lovely, organic pattern comes from the illustrious carpet-making traditions of the Moldavian people. By mixing ideals of beauty and harmony with folk mysticism and mythology, Moldavian craftspeople elevate everyday carpets to works of spiritual and cultural expression. This particular design comes from a contemporary rug manufacturer, Floare Carpet, who design their floor coverings in the traditional ways.

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