THIS IS A PREVIEW LISTING
This book will be available to purchase on Sunday, November 1  at:
UK 8pm, Berlin 9pm, LA 12pm (midday), NY 3pm.

PUBLISHER'S SEMI BINDING

One of a series of 37 bindings for drawing & writing.

ABOUT THIS SERIES OF BOOKS: Based on books published in Russia between 1900 and 1917, these half-leather bindings are contemporary Properly Made versions of something which was cheaply mass produced up until the revolution.

"Publisher's semi-binding" became a highly specific, standardised fixture of late Imperial Russian mass-market printing. Before the turn of the century, most cheap Russian books were sold as fragile softcovers, leaving it to the buyer to pay a workshop for a custom hardback casing. However, to meet the soaring demand for literacy in the early 1900s, iconic mega-publishers like Ivan Sytin and Adolf Marx revolutionized the market by offering pre-bound, cheap hardcovers.

PROPERLY MADE PUBLISHER'S SEMI BINDINGS

Our versions salute the aesthetic of the original books whilst replacing the cheap materials and machine-made construction with the best quality materials and high-end handm22ade techniques. In other words, we offer something that looks like the original item but made to the very highest standard.

LEATHER SPINES with simple blind tooled patterns.

HAND PRINTED PAPER COVERS This is one of the outlier papers - printed 343 years ago, this cover is an original page from the book Cosmography and Geology In Two Parts - an English translation of Geographica Generalis by Bernhard Varenius. This page was printed in 1682 or 1683 - we know this due to the monogram of Charles II. The paper on the back of the book marks the beginning of "Sect. III: Wherein the constitution of the Land, or the dry part of the Earth, in four Chapters is declared." Chapter VIII begins underneath, focusing on how oceans divide the landmasses into continents and islands.

The decorative, hand-carved woodcut initial "T" at the start of the paragraph is a classic hallmark of early English printing from this era.

INSIDE Filled with blank, natural white coloured, British-made, acid-free cartridge paper, these bindings naturally lend themselves to drawing and writing.

This paper is perfect for use with dry media (pencils, pastels etc) and drawing and writing inks.

LAYFLAT: All Properly Made Books are made to open completely flat and beyond, opening a full 360 degrees, cover to cover, without causing any damage to the spine and giving complete access to the papery real estate. 

SIZE: SIZE 2: 9 x 6½ inches, 231 x 166 mm with 140 pages of lighter weight paper. 

IN THE HAND:

The VPCo PSB is the perfect size for use in the studio or on the go. Easy to carry in a bag or keep on a desk. 

ABOUT PROPERLY MADE BOOKS.

Properly Made Books are made over a period of weeks and months.

Imagine how a book was made in the 18th century - this is precisely how our books are crafted. They are bound entirely by hand in Scotland to the absolute highest standard using traditional techniques and only the finest quality materials

All Properly Made Books are LayFlat allowing them to open fully without causing any structual damage and making them completely usable in the field or studio.

Properly Made Books can be found in countless collections around the world including the Met Library in New York City, Harvard and Yale Special Collections, Miami U and many more.

Every Properly Made Book is unique - VPCo never makes the same book twice

MADE ENTIRELY BY HAND IN SCOTLAND

We ship to the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

UK £8 (tracked and signed for), USA £28 (tracked and tariff paid), Canada, Australia, NZ £22 (tracked)