Bookbinding

Given I grew up watching my father set type and loving the smell of ink as I do, it’s not surprising that I once had a dream of running a pub called the Printer’s Daughter–pub to one side, letterpress shop to the other. Unfortunately, when I inherited my dad’s type, the movers who delivered it (long may they rot in purgatory) turned over the type banks creating a total printer’s pie of a ton (actual measurement, not hyperbole) of lead type. Exit the Printer’s Daughter dream.

Bookbinding, however, might actually be the more natural fit. For a writer frustrated by the realities of the market, there is something deeply satisfying about “finishing a book” and holding a completed, beautifully made item in your hand. No frustrating agents who ask to see your novel and then take apparent vows of silence or who suddenly disappear from their agency website. From the workhorses (made with paper for sketching and gel pens) to the ones with Arches Texte Wove which can handle calligraphy ink and even watercolour, these are a source of delight to my soul. Images coming soon!