Choose a Unique Book Binding

Designer Bookbinders Society

The Designer Bookbinders society evolved from The Hampstead Guild of Scribes and Bookbinders, which was founded in 1951. Its name was changed in 1955 to The Guild of Contemporary Bookbinders.¹ Since 1991 Fellows of the society have been commissioned to make designed bindings on the short-listed novels for the Man Booker Prize presented to the authors at the award ceremony. ²

Commissioning A Binding

Designer Bookbinders Fellows are elected on submission of work and are considered to have achieved the highest standards in both design and technique. Fellows are the exhibiting members of the society. You can read about each one and see their work here: Fellows.

A few examples:

Richard Beadsmoore- examples

Durer’s ‘Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse’, are printed with added acrylic paint and collage. Carrying on the theme of the Apocalypse on to the covers there are four panels symbolising pestilence, famine, war, and death. Materials used include snakeskin, fish skin, vellum, eggshell, wood, locust wings, ball bearings, and 23.5 carat gold leaf.

Deborah Evetts-a few examples

cSewn on two linen tapes. The endpapers are experimental Zebra marble paper made in the early 1970s. The edges are trimmed and gilt. The two-colour headbands are hand-sewn over a leather/vellum core. The crimson Oasis goat skin case is stamped with a design of curved lines.aption

British Bookbinding: Past, Present and Future

1

History: The Designer Bookbinders society.

2. The Booker Prize 2024 | The Booker Prizes