Binding the Bard
An Exhibition of Our International Bookbinding Competition
The pleasure of owning, holding and reading a well-made book is a feeling as familiar today as it was hundreds of years ago.
The historic craft of bookbinding is an important feature of many of the rare books held at Palace Green Library and this exhibition celebrates the continuation of the artform by showcasing the skills of modern-day designer bookbinders around the world.
As part of the research project investigating our copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio, Durham University invited binders to submit proposals of how they would like to bind a modern reproduction of the book. One of these submissions will be commissioned as a design binding to be added to the Palace Green Library collection.
The illustrations displayed here show the binders’ proposal for a First Folio design, while the physical bindings demonstrate their skill in executing the techniques they’ve proposed. Each binder offered dramatically different approaches to the book with a variety of materials and artistic flourishes.
Scroll down or use the menu to see the efforts of the entrants to our competition and hear about the technical and creative process behind their work in their own words.
Organiser's Statement
Tony King, Senior Collections Care and Conservation Manager
Lauren Moon-Schott, Book Conservator, Cosin’s Library Project
As special collections conservators, we never could have predicted running an international design binding competition, but the opportunity that presented itself when we worked on Durham’s First Folio conservation project was too good to pass up. Disbound and stripped of so many aspects of its history, our book prompted the question, “How would the modern world bind not just any Shakespeare First Folio, but the Durham copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio?”
This catalogue celebrates the outstanding response of the bookbinding community: the modern world would bind it through a combination of exceptional technical craft and creative achievement. We could not have been more delighted as entries from all over the world were delivered to our door: through a diversity of materials, techniques, and thematic perspectives, binders reflected on the many aspects that make our book unique, as well as those that connect it to the wider family of Folios left in the world.
The format of our competition is such that we got the pleasure of enjoying not only the design of the Facsimile’s proposal binding, but also an example binding demonstrating the binder’s craftsmanship and abilities, redoubling the creative spread to take in. Accompanying each entry are statements in the binder’s own voice reflecting on their techniques and inspirations. We hope that you enjoy the creativity and craftsmanship the binding community offered in response to our call as much as we do!
First Place
Cesar Fariza-Navarro
Spain
Binder's Statement (physical binding):
The work presented is Macbeth by William Shakespeare, 2012 edition by Editorial Libros del Zorro, with illustrations by Ferenc Pintér and foreword by Jorge Luis Borges.
Full laced-in boards binding in hand-painted and hand-sanded goatskin, sewn in meeting guards, decorated with incisions and perforations on both covers and spine on the outside and inside.
Headpieces hand-embroidered with silk thread and edge-to-edge guards in dark brown goatskin. Title and author stamped on cover.
Inspired by the 16th Century theatres where William Shakespeare's plays were performed. Wood as a constructive medium with its nuances and imperfections.
Binder's Statement (facsimile proposal):
Full krust leather binding, hand-painted and sanded in faint grey with perforations (black in the drawing) revealing the guard, dark brown incisions (similar to those on the guard) and mosaic pieces at different heights in antique gold and dark brown (yellow and dark brown respectively in the drawing).
Headbands silk thread in shades of brown and gold.
Edge-to-edge guards, the back cover guard in the same colour of leather and bark as the exterior and the guards of the guard guards in dark brown goatskin. Back cover guard with mosaic pieces in antique gold and dark brown leather.
Title and author's lettering in dark to match the mosaics and small highlights in antique gold.
1. Physical binding submission
1. Physical binding submission
2. Physical binding submission
2. Physical binding submission
3. Facsimile Proposal Submission
3. Facsimile Proposal Submission
1. Physical binding submission
1. Physical binding submission
2. Physical binding submission
2. Physical binding submission
3. Facsimile Proposal Submission
3. Facsimile Proposal Submission
Second Place
Fabrizio Bertolotti
Italy
Binder's Statement (physical binding):
Songs from Shakespeare’s plays
Editiones Officinae Bodoni
Officina Bodoni – Verona 1975
Limited edition no. LXXXV
Bound in dark blue morocco Cape with 1314 pieces of beige, light blue and red Breteuil goatskin inlayed.
Cover’s decoration is made with inlay technique. It’s the reproduction of London Globe theatre seating plan.
Endpapers is made by marbled paper and handmade Roma Fabriano paper.
Endpapers’ decoration are handmade with mixtion gold size and gold leaf 23.75kt and it represents audience access in the theatre.
Top edge gilt 23.75kt.
Dark blue morocco Cape headbands handmade decorated.
Binder's Statement (facsimile proposal):
Bound in dark green morocco Cape with more than 1590 pieces of beige, light green and red Breteuil goatskin inlayed.
Cover’s decoration will be made with inlay technique. It’ll be the reproduction of London Globe theatre seating plan.
Title on front and back cover will be made with inlay technique.
23kt gilt title on spine.
Endpapers (doublures) will be made by dark green morocco Cape and handmade Roma Fabriano paper.
Endpapers’ decoration will be handmade with mixtion gold size and gold leaf 23.75kt and it will represent audience access in the theatre.
Top edge gilt 23.75kt.
Headbands will be handmade with 4 different silk thread (green, beige, black and red).
Third Place
Joshua James
United Kingdom
Binder's Statement (physical binding):
I’ve based this binding of the sonnets on a combination of Elizabethan garden design, and the bindings of the period in which Shakespeare’s work was first published. From the former, I took the idea of using a precise, formal grid arrangement in which to display my onlaid leather flowers. Elizabethan gardens are very structural, but within that structure tend towards exuberance. Flowers lend themselves well to use as design elements on books, and have been so used for centuries.
This basis in the historical was something else I wanted to communicate. I didn’t want to go too far; by no means was I hoping to create a facsimile of a period binding. But minor references, I hope, help ground the book in the culture and time during which the text first flourished. The rhythm of the design on the boards is taken from late c.16 and early c.17 panel-stamped bindings. The spine is laid out after similar smooth-backed spines of the period, with more compartments than are afforded by the usual four or five raised bands.
The blind hatching at the head and tail of the spine, and the blind tooling on the book edges are also common to the period. The idea to set and affix gems came from my love of Sangorski & Sutcliffe bindings, and I thought would fit well within the flower scheme. They are a few of the many gems which Shakespeare evokes in his work: pearls, opals, peridot, carbuncle, emerald, turquoise and coral.
Binder's Statement (facsimile proposal):
Part of my decision to bind the sonnets was because I felt it was a good text for testing some of the elements and techniques I might use on a binding of the First Folio. My pitch for the binding would be to run much further with the thinking behind my submitted book: to ground the structure of the design in the historical, but within that structure to have quite a lot of fun.
It’s a much bigger book, and it’s a wildly important book, so I would suggest putting more gold on the spine, more onlays on the boards, and affixing more precious stones. There are quite a few I wasn’t able to include: jet, amber, mother of pearl, crystal quartz. I would arrange a border of onlaid flowers and gems at the board edges, around another border of cut mother of pearl and set stones, enclosing an area of simple tools arranged in a diaper pattern.
The central figure is an actual Elizabethan garden layout (again referring to panel-stamped bindings), with its compartments housing leather onlays in many colours. Because I’ve put this together digitally, the colours seem to me a bit harsh and gaudy, rather than exuberant, but the colour of actual leather would be a good deal softer on the eyes. Besides, I think the binding should be lively, exciting and fun, whilst making no apologies for being a historical text (of historical importance), and I hope my proposal conveys this.
1. Physical binding submission
1. Physical binding submission
2. Physical binding submission
2. Physical binding submission
3. Facsimile Proposal Submission
3. Facsimile Proposal Submission
1. Physical binding submission
1. Physical binding submission
2. Physical binding submission
2. Physical binding submission
3. Facsimile proposal submission
3. Facsimile proposal submission
Newcomer Award
Shuyan Chen
United Kingdom
Binder's Statement (physical binding):
Originally published in a cloth case binding by the Viking Press, this 1963 edition of The Complete Plays of Christopher Marlowe has been re-bound in leather with laced-in boards. This work demonstrates the binding and decoration techniques proposed for the Shakespeare First Folio facsimile with the exception that the endpapers are not my own creation.
They are Italian papers, nevertheless, block printed using the same method I intend to use. The cover is solely blind-tooled; though full, it remains subtle enough to contrast the heavily patterned endpapers. The tooling indents the smooth cover and catches light in such a way as to give a soft glimmer that changes at different angles. This technique is inspired by cuir-ciselé, or cut-leather, and the cover layout is modelled after a late fourteenth-century binding from the monastery of Göttweig.
The fire-breathing creatures and dragons are not directly related to the content of the book, as per the convention of bookbinding before mass production, yet speaks also to the mystery and wonders between the pages. The title is calligraphed in a Flemish Textura hand.
The chevron endband is wrapped in silk threads, with red as the theme colour which also runs across the endpaper and the edge decoration. In the First Folio facsimile, the theme will be purple, sourced from the Durham University logo and fitting for a work of the highest rank. Combining a craft rooted in traditions with modern design sensibilities, my binding continues the search for the bridging of past and present.
Binder's Statement (facsimile proposal):
My proposed binding for the Shakespeare First Folio facsimile juxtaposes bookbinding conventions from varied times and places to reflect the timelessness of the bard’s work, considering its sources and influences. The history of the Durham First Folio’s loss and return heightened its sense of belonging, therefore my design also incorporates elements marking the book’s ownership.
The facsimile is to be fully bound in a dark calfskin. The covers will receive extensive blind tooling in an arrangement that harkens back to the Middle Ages, featuring central panels depicting the Durham cathedral (front) and the jester mirroring the comedy mask and tragedy mask (back). The title is calligraphed around the panels in an English hand. The edges of the book are to be sprinkled, contemporary to the fashion of the day which saw the publication of the First Folio.
The endpaper is uniquely designed according to Durham’s coat of arms, and will be hand-carved and printed in two colour blocks. Other features include Renaissance chevron endbanding, sewing on tapes, hollow spine, and false raised bands, all of which contribute to the book’s aesthetic harmony and ease of use.
By applying techniques both modern and traditional and bringing together personal skills in drawing, calligraphy, and printmaking, my design seeks to shape a First Folio that appears decidedly old as well as new, just as Shakespeare’s plays are to people near and far.
Benjamin Alonso Castillo
Spain
Binder's Statement (physical binding):
The binding submitted to the competition is Shakespeare's Teatro Completo, a book published in 2007 with the best translations into Spanish from the 18th century to the present day and illustrated with 52 plates by the artist Jaume Plensa, created specifically for this edition.
My work is based above all on Plensa's aesthetics, taking the words of his plates to the covers, while trying to recreate the very particular aesthetics of some of this Catalan artist's sculptures. Words that transcend the text and come out of the book through the covers thanks to the high and low reliefs. Words that, when read, can be interrelated at the observer's pleasure.
The binding is a full leather laced-in boards binding. The materials used are basically goatskin, white for the outer covering and black for the inside and the headbands. The cardboard leather endpapers are edge to edge and in the flyleaves I have used a black leather suede printed with a transfer technique to recreate part of the aesthetics of the interior sheets.
The stamping has been done letter by letter with bronze tools and black transfer film treated to give it the irregular appearance that can be seen.
Binder's Statement (facsimile proposal):
My proposal for the facsimile is a full leather laced-in boards binding.
Decoration combines several elements. Perhaps the most striking is the skull, printed with transfer technique, which takes us back to a key and easily recognisable element of Shakespeare's work.
The hand lettering of all the plays contained in the First Folio and the motto of the Globe, make up another very characteristic element of the period: the Ruff. All this using the typography of the original text.
Shakespeare's signature is included around both covers to emphasise and give the binding an identity.
The covering material would be a white goatskin or crust, I have worked with both materials and I like their finish, cleanliness and quality.
The stamping would be done with bronze tools for the texts and engravings for the signature, using matt black film, perhaps with some silver details.
On the inside, the boardpapers and flyleaves would also be goatskin, edge to edge, and palatine coloured, to give it an anchorage with Durham University. The touch of colour in the interior would be provided by gilt stamping with Shakespeare's signature.
Finally, the headbands would be hand-stitched in palatine and gilt silk.
I recognise that this may be considered an unconventional aesthetic, very contemporary and perhaps a little risky, but it is a very personal vision that suits my way of working.
1. Physical binding submission
1. Physical binding submission
2. Physical binding submission
2. Physical binding submission
3. Facsimile proposal submission
3. Facsimile proposal submission
1. Physical binding submission
1. Physical binding submission
2. Physical binding submission
2. Physical binding submission
3. Facsimile proposal submission
3. Facsimile proposal submission
Erin Fletcher
United States
Binder's Statement (physical binding):
When designing for such an iconic text, my goal was to create a binding that didn’t immediately read as The Raven. The binding must be fully opened to get the full sense of the story.
The design captures the raven mid-flight on its approach to the bust of Pallas (also known as Athena, goddess of war). Both elements were created by layering various hand-cut pieces of leather, eel skin, vellum and handmade paper. In isolating areas of colour, I was able to mindfully select materials that would create movement through contrast and texture.
Adding further embellishment through embroidery and coloured pencil worked to elevate the materials, while also creating a secondary tactile experience to the surface of the binding. These main elements are set to a backdrop of a rich blackberry that has been slightly sanded to evoke a soft velvety feel.
More of the story is revealed upon opening the binding. One is presented with an interpretation of Night’s Plutonian shore (also known as river Styx) or the boundary between Earth and the Underworld. This is done by layering together different styles of paste papers against a stone marbled paper for the fly leaves.
Binder's Statement (facsimile proposal):
The portrait of Shakespeare found on the title page of the First Folio is as iconic as the book itself. Few books in history retain such intrigue in both their content and ownership. Many copies hold provenance including discovery, theft, incomplete texts and transference of ownership.
The unique history and documentation of the Durham University’s copy inspired the design for this facsimile. The works of Shakespeare are the most read and adapted stories of all time. Our collective interest in telling and retelling his works has not waned for centuries. On the cover of my proposed binding, I want to transform this 17th century engraving into a 21st century collaged portrait by layering hand-cut pieces of handmade paper and leather embellished with embroidery.
I propose that this facsimile be a stark departure from the palette of Cosin’s collection and other existing copies of the First Folio. My work is greatly inspired by the historical embroidered bindings of the 15th century and how time has reshaped this decorative technique to what we see today. However, I would like to pay homage to Cosin’s contribution by placing the phrase “NON MINIMA ERUDITIONIS EST BONOS NOSSE LIBROS” on the doublure of the front cover. This phrase will curve over an “arch” created with marbled paper.
A timeline of the major events surrounding the Durham’s copy will run from the spine to the inside of the back cover, beginning with the publication in 1623 and ending in 2025 with the creation of this facsimile.
Glenn Malkin
United Kingdom
Binder's Statement (physical binding):
‘The Winter’s Tale’
By William Shakespeare
Limited Editions Club (1940)
Illustrated by Albert Rutherston
Bound in 2025
The binding design is inspired by the famous demise of Antigonus at the claws of a bear in the play, the slashes on the covers and the red silk representing the wounds made by the bear.
However, these slashes also allude to the popular Elizabethan trend of men wearing doublets which were slashed to reveal the expensive coloured linings beneath as a symbol of status. This fashion would doubtless have been used by the players of the period to portray high status characters.
The simple gold tooled frame alludes to the pages of the copied scripts the players would have learned their lines from. The crimson colour of the silk in the slits is mirrored in the leather doublures whilst the structure of the Lokta endpapers perhaps hints at the web of relationships found amongst the characters in Shakespeare’s plays.
The binding is in full Pentland goat leather which has been lightly airbrushed and incorporates raised slits on the front and rear boards within which is crimson silk. There is a gold tooled frame on each board and the title is tooled in gold on the spine. There are edge-to-edge red leather doublures and spiderweb Lokta paper endpapers.
The endbands are hand-sewn in silk and the top edge of the book is polished and sprinkled with red ink and gold leaf. The other two edges are left deckle-edged as published.
Binder's Statement (facsimile proposal):
The design for the facsimile of Shakespeare’s First Folio will be a full dark blue Pentland goat leather binding incorporating edge-to-edge leather doublures and suede endpapers. The leather on the boards will be airbrushed with a dark gradient effect and will have horizontal slits - the gaps revealing silk of different colours within.
The slits represent examples of dialogue from within the text – from the first page of Macbeth on the front cover, being the exchange between the three witches, and from the first page of The Tempest on the rear board, being the initial conversation between the Mariner and his crew.
The different coloured silks within each line indicate the different players in the play. The presence of the coloured silk also alludes to the Elizabethan trend of wearing doublets which were slashed to reveal the expensive coloured linings beneath as a symbol of status. This fashion would have been used by players of the period to portray high status characters. The offset gold tooled frame on the boards represents the pages of the copied scrips the players would have learned their lines from.
The spine would incorporate a facsimile of Shakespeare’s signature in gold.
If appropriate, following receipt of the pages to be bound, the edges of the book will be trimmed and smoothed to a gloss finish. They will be decorated by sprinkled blue ink and gold leaf and then polished. There will be multicoloured hand-sewn silk endbands, being a suggestion of the multiple characters within.
1. Physical binding submission
1. Physical binding submission
2. Physical binding submission
2. Physical binding submission
3. Facsimile proposal submission
3. Facsimile proposal submission
1. Physical binding submission
1. Physical binding submission
2. Physical binding submission
2. Physical binding submission
3. Facsimile Proposal Submission
3. Facsimile Proposal Submission
James Reid-Cunningham
United States
Binder's Statement (physical binding):
The Sonnets of Shakespeare are in many ways the most accessible of his writings for contemporary readers. They have a haunting, almost elegiac quality, enlivened by moments of joy.
Thos. Mosher’s edition of the sonnets of Shakespeare is a splendid example of turn of the 20th century book design. The tall, slim format is extremely elegant, deserving of an elegant binding to enclose it. My artistic bookbindings all have a certain cryptic quality. I try to express my feelings about the text, rather than to illustrate the contents.
Shakespeare’s Sonnets is bound in full dark blue goatskin. The design is created with lines of leather inset in tooled lines. The bright colours on a dark ground create a feeling of movement. Small gold circles punctuate the design. The over-sized title is in gold on both boards.
The edge-to-edge doublures and the flyleaves are handmade paper, decorated in heavy gold lines that reflect the cover elements. The dark exterior leather and the bright doublure and flyleaves create a striking contrast. On the binding, the colourful lines within negative space create a sense of movement, stasis and balance. The lines almost sway, corresponding to the lilting movement of the sonnets.
Binder's Statement (facsimile proposal):
The First Folio will be bound in full alum tawed skin, with doublures also of alum tawed skin. The use of alum tawed skin is something of an anachronism for a binding from the period of the First Folio, but it is more stable than tanned leather over time. This reflects how Shakespeare’s works have stood the test of time.
The paper for the flyleaves will be chosen to match or blend with the text leaves. The sections, flyleaves and inner hinges of alum tawed skin will be sewn all along on single raised linen cords. The cords will be laced into the boards. There will be worked silk endbands. The design does not feature titling because bindings contemporary with the printing of the First Folio did not have titling.
The design proposal features strips of gold, orange, green, red and blue leather inset in tooled lines. The lines begin beside the spine bands and radiate out across the boards, wrapping around the board edges and onto the doublures. The lines of the design parallel the way that Shakespeare’s writings have spread across the globe over the centuries.
Jesus Gonzalez-Propin
Spain
Binder's Statement (physical binding):
The work presented is King Lear by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare Institute of the University of Valencia. Full cow leather binding, sewn in meeting guards, decorated with hand-painted mosaics on both covers and spine.
Headpieces hand-embroidered with silk thread and edge to edge guards in Japanese paper and suede flyleaves.
Title and author stamped on cover and back cover.
Inspired by the legend of King Lear of Britain, a Celtic monarch who, according to legend, ruled in the 12th century.
Binder's Statement (facsimile proposal):
The proposed design for the First Folio facsimile binding.
Cardboard binding with full krust leather, stitched on meeting guards, painted and mosaicked using techniques such as transfer.
Headbands hand-embroidered with silk thread and edge-to-edge leather endpapers.
Title and author stamped on front and back covers.
1. Physical binding submission
1. Physical binding submission
2. Physical binding submission
2. Physical binding submission
3. Facsimile proposal submission
3. Facsimile proposal submission
1. Physical binding submission
1. Physical binding submission
2. Physical binding submission
2. Physical binding submission
3. Facsimile proposal submission
3. Facsimile proposal submission
Karen Hanmer
United States
Binder's Statement (physical binding):
One comedy, one tragedy, one history and the series prospectus from the Limited Editions Club The Plays of William Shakespeare (1939-1940) bound together to approximate the size and heft of a First Folio. Included are The Taming of the Shrew illustrated by W. A. Dwiggins, Antony and Cleopatra illustrated by Enric C. Ricart, and Henry the Eighth illustrated by Eric Gill.
Bradel binding: goatskin spine with false bands, handsewn silk endbands, marbled flexi endsheets, edges sprinkled in white acrylic. Vellum boards laser etched with the two most recognizable pages from the First Folio: the title page bearing the Martin Droeshout portrait of William Shakespeare and Ben Johnson’s dedication. Blind tooling on spine and as a frame around both boards. Digital images of the First Folio courtesy of the Library of Congress.
This austere binding mirrors Johnson’s exhortation to “dwell not upon the physical book but on the words within.”
Binder's Statement (facsimile proposal):
My binding will return to Durham University’s First Folio (facsimile) the iconic pages that were removed after the 1998 theft: the title page bearing the Martin Droeshout portrait of William Shakespeare and the facing page with the dedication by Ben Johnson. Images of these pages will be laser etched onto vellum that will cover the front and rear boards.
This marriage of traditional materials and contemporary technology honors the past while creating a modern binding for this four-hundred-year-old work.
The binding structure echoes this melding of classical and modern: viewed from the spine the binding appears to be sewn like the original on five raised supports laced into boards. When open the book reveals the contemporary lines of a three-part Bradel binding.
Natural markings visible on the vellum suggest the age of the First Folio and in particular the storied history of Durham University’s copy.
The edges will be sprinkled in white acrylic and the endbands sewn in taupe and white silk to not overshadow the white and cream of the boards. The endsheets likewise are a near monochromatic marbled paper. Blind tooling on spine and as a frame around both boards.
Keith Valentine
Canada
Binder's Statement (physical binding):
"Don Sebastian", by John Dryden, 1692.
My 1692 copy of Dryden’s play “Don Sebastian” had been cut from a larger book. But it was complete, and still held together by the remnants of seven raised bands. I felt it was worth saving, and decided upon a limp vellum cover as suitable for the period and its modest size (only one hundred and twelve pages).
I used Jen Lindsay’ clear description of the technique in the New Book-Binder (1991, vol.11), with tan goatskin thongs and simple endpapers of Kaskad paper, to maintain the earth brown nature of the text.
Vellum needs limited decoration, and the spine was not suitable for tooling, so only the cover carries a design (in gold leaf); title and author information derived from the title page, with a small image of Don Sebastian, based on a portrait by Cristovao de Morais c.1571 (which is in the public domain).
Binder's Statement (facsimile proposal):
A limp vellum binding seems in keeping with the age and content of a First Folio. I am assuming that it will be available to the public. In which case the cover can be easily renewed if it becomes scuffed or damaged.
I will follow the same cover technique that Jen Lindsay described clearly in the New Book-Binder (1991 Vol 11). I used it for my submitted personal binding. For the facsimile it will have alum tawed thongs and headbands. Endpapers will be “double made”, of handmade neutral coloured paper.
Only the cover will carry decoration, in gold leaf. Author, title, etc., are derived from the original title page., and a border at the foot and foredge, is based on some header and footer designs in the First Folio. It includes a detailed plan of the gouges to be used.
1. Physical binding submission
1. Physical binding submission
2. Physical binding submission
2. Physical binding submission
3. Facsimile Proposal Submission
3. Facsimile Proposal Submission
1. Physical binding submission
1. Physical binding submission
2. Physical binding submission
2. Physical binding submission
Luis Enriquez
Mexico
Binder's Statement (physical and facsimile binding):
Binding technique: Bradel binding in paper with decorated paper onlays.
Endbands and assistance: Paulina Palacio and Martha Romero
The design of the binding evokes the psychological and emotional complexity in Shakespeare's work.
Plain and the decorated paper as the book's covering materials emphasize the fragility and resilience of the human feelings and soul; main characters in Shakespeare’s plays that I have read.
Stephen Glendenning
United Kingdom
Binder's Statement (physical binding):
Shakespeare’s Poems and Pericles. Oxford 1905.
Shakespeare transports us to the deepest experiences of human lives and experiences with their passion, humour and tragedy. I have done my best to create a design that provokes our curiosity into the originality of his genius and also reflects the context and importance of the First Folio at The Palace Green Library.
The costumes in Shakespeare’s plays were my starting point. I enjoyed Tom Stoppard’s adaptation of Hamlet at the National Theatre in 1996, both the play and his film were great but the film allowed the audience a closer look at the costumes and this made a memorable impression on me.
I wanted to create a binding where the design had a touch of playfulness as Shakespeare often employed comedy within very serious situations. The design also needed to be layered in such a way as to give the impression that a historical drama was hidden within the book, inviting the reader to open it and enter into the story.
Curiosity is often aroused by something amiss or left unsaid so I have masked something that appears old within something that seems new. I used grey archival book cloth to give an impression of the modern, quiet and conservative, while allowing the spine of the book some freedom to be flamboyant and slightly archaic.
This partnership of materials and themes attempts to bring together the visual language of both the theatre and the library archive. They’re an unlikely pair in the sense one is loud while the other quiet. I enjoyed the challenge of making my design and when I look at it I can imagine Malvolio in his yellow garters exclaiming his boisterous greetings in Act IV of The Twelfth Night amid the studious “hush” that is characteristic of library special collections!
Binder's Statement (facsimile proposal):
The binding I have submitted is a representation of how I would like to bind the folio. The dimensions of the book will differ but the design and materials will remain the same with the positioning of the raised bands being traditional; using the classical proportions based on the golden section as is common on 17th century folios.
The sewing will be on cords using a herringbone stitch and its construction is essentially a cloth bound hollow back with additions for added strength and longevity. These being that the text block will consist of gathers sewn onto cords but the spine of the block will receive a high quality twofold cotton backing which is glued and sewn to the block and this material extends attaching to the boards where the splayed cords also attach. These two systems of co-exist without conflict and create a soft easy feel to opening the book and turning the pages.
My research for this design included:
16th century Italian stationary bindings at The Baker Library. Katherine Beaty, 2019.
Surrealist bindings of Mary Reynolds at The Art Institute Of Chicago. Glover Godlewski, 1996.
The Ashley Book Of Knots. Clifford Ashley, 1994.
The Mad Folk Of Shakespeare. John Bucknill. 1867.
1. Physical binding submission
1. Physical binding submission
2. Physical binding submission
2. Physical binding submission
3. Facsimile Proposal Submission
3. Facsimile Proposal Submission
1. Physical binding submission
1. Physical binding submission
2. Physical binding submission
2. Physical binding submission
3. Facsimile proposal submission
3. Facsimile proposal submission
Toben Lewis
United Kingdom
Binder's Statement (physical binding):
This binding explores the intersection of Shakespeare’s era and the modern day, drawing inspiration from the past to inform contemporary design. It incorporates a historical binding structure familiar to Elizabethan England—not as a strict recreation but as a modern adaptation of historically appropriate elements.
This structural choice is not a gimmick or mere nod to history. Instead, it thoughtfully integrates the strengths of past techniques with modern bookbinding practices. Ideal for a large volume, the chosen structure is durable, protective, and allows the book to open fully and easily. This book aims to demonstrate that such a structure can also be refined and well-suited for a design binding.
The design draws from embroidered gloves of the period, referencing both Shakespeare’s heritage as the son of a glove maker and the rich decorative arts of his time. It also incorporates the six plants Oberon mentions in his Act 2 monologue.
The painted endpapers evoke sunset at the beginning and sunrise at the end, enclosing the book within the night. Sewn silk endbands match these colours. The rough edges are sprinkled with the same hues, along with 23.5k gold leaf for a subtle, fairy-like shimmer. This gold leaf is also used on the covers, both in surface gilding and traditional gold tooling. The wood is British quarter sawn oak and was shaped entirely by hand.
Binder's Statement (facsimile proposal):
Shakespeare, his actors, and audiences understood the symbolic meanings of plants in his plays. In A Shakespearean Botanical, Margaret Willes notes, “William Shakespeare may be a man of mystery in many ways, but it is clear from his works that he was familiar with a wide range of botany… Moreover, he recognised the important role that plants played in the daily life of Tudor England.”
Using this resource and the plays themselves, 36 plants were selected for the design. The proposed binding continues the aesthetic of embroidered gloves and contemporary book structures employed in the submitted binding.
Its central motif features flowers with symbolic meanings relevant to the Durham First Folio: willow for grief and everlasting life, rosemary for remembrance, pansies to ease the heart, oak for constancy, and deadly nightshade—used to deceive Romeo—mirroring the Folio’s temporary but seemingly permanent absence.
Key differences between the submitted binding and the proposed facsimile include:
- Sewing on five cords to echo the original, with packed sewing for added strength.
- Alum-tawed leather for the quarter leather section.
- Thicker boards, proportional to the facsimile’s size, still made of British quarter-sawn oak.
- Endpapers, edges, and endbands designed to coordinate with the cover, rather than responding to an individual play as in the submitted binding.
Judge's Reflections
Durham’s First Folio has a unique history. It is a book that belongs both to its time when it was first published 400 years ago, and to our time and place today. The bindings produced for this competition represent how we artistically respond to that dynamic by encapsulating the Folio’s past, present, and future in Durham.
Being part of Binding the Bard is a very emotional experience for all of the judges. We are all aware of the tragedy of the loss Durham once experienced, as well as the joy of the book’s recovery and the counterbalance of the shock of its vandalization. Binding the Bard is an incredible and incredibly important way of celebrating the return of this much-loved book to its original home.
Binding the Bard is truly about a proposal. First prize will be awarded a facsimile edition of the Folio to be bound in the manner they propose, and that binding will be acquired into Palace Green Library’s collection, to take its place beside the actual Durham copy, as well as other facsimile editions bound in styles matching the historical bindings the Durham copy once had. The collection will then represent the past, the present, and a hypothetical future of how the Folio might be rebound by modern society.
We encourage you to look at the bindings in detail. In this catalogue, you have seen works of art that happen to be in the shape of a book, made by trained craftspeople who combine their craft with fine design. These demonstrate a diverse scope of techniques and an extraordinary aesthetic range. There are some extremely well-made books here, and extremely, beautifully designed books. It's a joy to see.
Meet The Judges
Director of University Library and Collections and University Librarian at Durham University
Director of University Library and Collections and University Librarian at Durham University
Panel Chair: Stuart Hunt
Stuart Hunt joined Durham University in December 2023. In his role he has leadership responsibility for the strategic and operational management of the University’s Libraries and Collections. This encompasses the University’s libraries, museums and galleries, archives and special collections. He has been a librarian for 30 years and has held a proven track record of strategic leadership, digital transformation and building external partnerships.
Artistic Director Emeritus of the Royal Shakespeare Company
Artistic Director Emeritus of the Royal Shakespeare Company
Sir Gregory Doran
Gregory Doran has been described as “one of the great Shakespearians of his generation” (The Sunday Times). He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company as an actor in 1987, and became its Artistic Director in 2012, stepping down a decade later.
He initiated the “Live From Stratford-upon-Avon” programme – broadcasting to cinemas around the world, and streaming into UK schools for free. Notable productions include Antony & Cleopatra with Harriet Walter and Patrick Stewart, Hamlet and Richard II with David Tennant, All’s Well that Ends Well with Judi Dench, and a digitally pioneering production of The Tempest with Simon Russell Beale.
His production of Julius Caesar with an all-Black British cast was described by Michael Billington as one the ten best productions in the 60-year history of the RSC.
Greg’s long relationship with his late husband, Sir Antony Sher, produced many acclaimed productions, including Titus Andronicus, Macbeth, The Winter’s Tale, Othello, Henry IV (Parts 1&2) and King Lear.
He is an honorary senior research fellow of the Shakespeare Institute, a trustee of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, and an honorary associate of the British Shakespeare Association. Greg’s recent work includes Richard III, with Arthur Hughes, (the first disabled actor to play the role for the RSC), and Cymbeline, which marked his 50th production for the Royal Shakespeare Company.
He is currently on a quest to see as many extant copies of the First Folio across the globe as he can!
Former President of the Society of Bookbinders
Former President of the Society of Bookbinders
Dominic Riley
Dominic’s binding work is mostly the restoration of antiquarian books and the creation of artistic bindings to commission. He has won many prizes in the Designer Bookbinders competition, including both first prizes and the Mansfield Silver Medal in 2007.
He was elected a Fellow of Designer Bookbinders in 2008. In 2013 he won first prize — the Sir Paul Getty award — in Designer Bookbinders’ International Bookbinding Competition and spent two years travelling around the world with the exhibition.
His bindings are in collections worldwide, including the British Library, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the St Bride Library, all in London, the John Rylands Library in Manchester, the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, the Bodleian Library in Oxford, the Grolier Club in New York the San Francisco Public Library.
He spends part of the year teaching masterclasses across the USA, and has conducted teaching tours in Australia, New Zealand and Brazil. He has his bindery in Cheshire, from where he travels across the UK teaching and lecturing.
Dominic co-founded the bookbinding program at the San Francisco Center for the Book, the Society of Bookbinders’ Seminar, the SoB/DB joint workshops, and Book Camp UK. He is an accredited lecturer with the Arts Society, Patron of the Association of Book Crafts (NZ), and past President of both the Hand Bookbinders of California and of the Society of Bookbinders.
Professor of Shakespeare Studies; Tutorial Fellow, Hertford College, Oxford
Professor of Shakespeare Studies; Tutorial Fellow, Hertford College, Oxford
Professor Emma Smith
I teach at Hertford College, University of Oxford, where I specialise in Shakespeare – and in particular, the reception of his works in print, performance, and criticism.
I’m most interested in why we think what we do about Shakespeare, and the cultural uses to which his works have been put at different historical moments including our own. My recent books include Shakespeare’s First Folio: Four Centuries of an Iconic Book (2023), This Is Shakespeare (2019) and Portable Magic: A History of Books and their Readers (2022).
And this is my dog, Nan – who doesn’t seem interested in Shakespeare or in books, but perhaps that’s for the best!
Teaching and Curriculum Development Curator, Library and Collections Department at Durham University
Teaching and Curriculum Development Curator, Library and Collections Department at Durham University
Dr Danielle Westerhof
I am the Teaching and Curriculum Development Curator in the Durham University Library and Collections department. My role ranges from acquiring new rare and early printed books to enabling intellectual and physical access to the collections, including the internationally significant seventeenth-century library built by Bishop John Cosin.
With a background in historic libraries, I am interested in how the book as object functions within the domestic and public space, and what books tell us about ourselves. For me, each book is a unique object with a history of its own, which is why I am really excited to be on the judging panel for Durham University’s first ever bookbinding competition.
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