VPCo's Properly Made Books are the highest quality and most beautiful, off-the-shelf blank books available anywhere.

Imagine how books were bound in the 1700s - this is exactly how VPCo crafts Properly Made Books in the 2020s.

Bound entirely by hand in Scotland to the absolute highest standard using traditional techniques choosing only the finest quality materials. There is no machinery involved,  no corners cut. We do whatever it takes, however long it takes to produce something exquisite and special. 

The papers inside are always carefully chosen to work as well as possible, be it for inks, pencils or paint.

The pages are folded and hand sewn onto flat cotton tape or round hemp cord for strength and longevity of the book block. The spine side is then glued, clamped in a press and rounded by hand with a hammer.

The cover and lining prints are printed in-house using various technques - lino, letterpress, paste, Dutch Gilt, stencilling and often a combination of these.

These cover papers are then polished with an agate stone and finished with multiple layers of shellac varnish to strengthen the surface making them resistant towards wear and tear.

To make a spine for a Properly Made Book we use animal vellum/parchment or Scottish vegetable tanned goatskin or calfskin which we dye and polish in-house to bring out the grain and deep rich walnut browns. The leather is dampened and moulded over the spine and hemp cord which is how raised bands are created.

We use genuine yellow or white gold leaf with brass hand tools to create beautiful decorative patterns on the spines. 

More often than not the books feature vellum, or leather tipped corners which are both decorative and utilitarian, protecting the corners of the book when in a bag or being placed on a shelf.

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. We use leather or vellum for the spine materials.

Properly Made Books can be found in countless collections around the world including the Met Library in New York City, the Special Collections Department at Harvard and Miami University Special Collections.

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