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 handmade (or of course 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.

PRE REVOLUTION 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.

Anatomy of the Early-1900s Cheap Russian Binding

POST REVOLUTION Following the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, the Soviet government completely nationalised the publishing industry, transforming the look, material structure, and purpose of books practically overnight. The cheap, faux-traditional marbled covers of the late Tsarist era were cast aside as relics of a bourgeois past.

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 handmade 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 - using as assortment of handmade marbled papers, paste papers and hand printed paper, each one of the 37 books in this series is bound in a unique way. We never make the same book twice. 

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. We do not recommend using watercolour on this paper. 

SIZES: Just to slightly confuse matters, this series has been made in two sizes

- we call them size 1 and size 2. The size of this particular binding is in the title. 

SIZE 1: 8½ x 6 inches, 216 x 153 mm with 92 pages of medium text-weight paper.

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

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. 

IN THE HAND:

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 worldwide UK £6, USA £20 $27, Europe £9.50 €11.