The Booksleuth Series was born out of curiosity. As a bookbinder I am interested in how binders of old developed the techniques we still use today. I also wanted to share my discoveries with both professionals and amateurs. My writing style and information should suit both; the content is engaging for people already in the know, just as it is informative for those who don’t know that they love books.
Hasn’t this already been written about before? Well, not really. You would be amazed at the amount of information the Internet offers, but who has time to trawl it? Many researchers are working in isolation, using old texts to further their own work. Some of those texts are great; some are not complete. Mine will add to this collectivity. I suppose that one day I might make an online database. I am just in love with paper and hard copy material. I find them easier to navigate and use. Hence this series.
There is a plan to this series:
- The Perfume of Books (bindings description) Click here to buy book in print at Lulu.com . Click here for ebook version
- The Secret Life of Watermarks (watermark description)
- Factotum, FIligranes and Fleurons – Old writers New country – I am up to this one (catalogue of printers’ vignettes, capitals and devices etc)
- State Secrets – Rare books from our State Libraries – I am also working on this one ( a comparative examination of books in our collections)
- Marbled! A collection of 19th Century books (books with old marbled papers)
- Spanish voices under the Southern Cross (Old spanish authors in australian collections)
- Shuxiang: from palm leaves to codex (a history of asian binding)
This project has the requisite enthusiasm and directed energy (from me); it also has the support of readers. As you would appreciate, such an undertaking also requires funding and time. I have a Patreon site where you can pledge a monthly amount to my production. Or perhaps you can let your friends know about this worthwhile project. Or better still, buy my books, pre-order books or in the case of a commercial publisher, publish my books!
You can view progress on the books individual pages, located on the right hand column.
Bookish Things to think about 