Vellum Ledger #2
Vellum-bound ledger books.
A series of Properly Made Books revisit the days of personal account and note keeping in a practical pocket-sized format.
THE DETAILS These books are entirely made from recycled antique materials with a minimalist, elegant touch of gold leaf tooling to the corners.
The covering material comes from antique vellum legal documents. Vellum (aka parchment), like leather, is an animal skin product but it's processed differently to leather to give a strong, papery surface.
About vellum - In the UK, until the 1920s, vellum was widely used in important legal documents (loans, documents, mortgages, wills etc) because it was and remains the strongest of writing surfaces, its strength, flexibility and longevity prized. Under normal conditions, vellum is virtually indestructible.
The pages inside, are repurposed from a large antique ledger which has been cut down, folded and sewn into smaller, pocket sized versions. The ruling and lines on the pages inside these books vary from page to page, lending random-ruled character to what would otherwise be uniform and a little bit boring!
The style of these books is taken directly from pocket ledgers commonly used in the 1800s and 1900s, soft bindings (flexible, non-hardback) with a closure tab that tucks into a slit in the cover, keeping it securely shut when not in use.
STATS: This book measures 5½ x 4 inches (140 x 100mm) and contains 164 pages of ruled/lined paper
The Inspiration - In use for hundreds of years, long before Microsoft Excel and Quickbooks, people kept records of their personal transactions in ledgers of all sizes including pocket-sized books.
Above is a vellum ledger from the 1900s upon which our 2024 version is based.
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 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