Medieval and Historical Bindings in a Modern Design 2 (USA)

'Medieval and Historical Bindings in a Modern Design 2 (USA)' consists of 11 exhibits of varying sizes including eight made especially for the exhibition at this venue, in 2006.

This commissioned exhibition at the Thomas Dodd Research Centre enabled the making of a number of new book bindings and to assess their utility when seen together. As part of the researcher's long standing interest in codicology, four considerations informed the practice based research which applied and adapted historical binding techniques. These were high levels of strength, complete protection for the text block, easy of display and opening, durability and the use of decorative design rooted in traditional precedents but copies or pastiches. The public was encouraged to handle the exhibits throughout which all stood up well to this incurring no damage. Subsequent inspection under magnification reveals only the very slightest surface damage.

The exhibits displayed a wide variety of techniques pertaining to leather dyeing, staining and tooling, gathering and stitching, pleating and onlays, and a wide choice of core and basic materials in order to demonstrate effectives across the four categories given above. The exhibits including three exhibited in Poland and the Czech Republic, then recently acquired by the Dodd Research Centre together with eight entirely new pieces. This collection has an extensive holding of rare books including Scottish decorative bindings and material relating to Robert Hauser, author of 'American Decorative Papermakers', 1984.

It was also important for this exhibition for the researcher to only use materials and processes that lent themselves to ease of conservation at some future point. Therefore particular attention was paid to adhesives that are reversible and materials with a proven longevity in stable conditions.

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