Bookbinding Example
An incredible amount of editions, reprints, custom bindings, etc. exist for The Lord of the Rings...some simple, and some extremely intricate. One bookbinder/artist, Philip Smith, invented a new method of leather book covering termed "maril" (named after Tolkien's The Silmarillion) and inspired by creating original bindings for Tolkien's books. Below is an excerpt from an interview with Smith describing his inspiration, process, and work with Tolkien. Without his work on The Lord of the Rings, this innovative bookbinding method may not exist.
As a designer bookbinder, what drew you to the works of Tolkien as good subjects for some artistic bindings?
I was simply fascinated by his writings and made bindings eventually when I could get the publishers to send unbound sections, paid for at the publication prices.
I believe you developed a method of applying layers of leather for which you coined a term which was actually based on something from Tolkien's writings - could you perhaps explain what it was and how it works?
I began mixing my off-cuts and parings of leather (waste from other projects for example) into a kind of 'porridge' and then putting the damp mixture in a wooden frame to compress it into a slab or tile, then when air dried I shaved thin layers off the slabs and by various selections of the slivers I glued these down on to a background leather, and when assembled thus and allowed to dry, I turn over the leather with the patches of what I then called 'maril' (extracted with Tolkien's permission from silmaril or Silmarillion) and level the leather area with a spokeshave to remove the equivalent thickness of the 'maril' from the flesh side of the leather (or skin) to level it flush to the same thickness - the 'flesh side' is the opposite side to the grain side.
How many different works of Tolkien have you produced designer bindings for?
I can't quickly estimate how many works of Tolkien I have bound with artistic covers; but they include a binding of The Annotated Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings (about 55 bindings, of which 21 were formed into what I termed a 'book-wall') and about four copies of The Silmarillion.
As a designer bookbinder, what drew you to the works of Tolkien as good subjects for some artistic bindings?
I was simply fascinated by his writings and made bindings eventually when I could get the publishers to send unbound sections, paid for at the publication prices.
I believe you developed a method of applying layers of leather for which you coined a term which was actually based on something from Tolkien's writings - could you perhaps explain what it was and how it works?
I began mixing my off-cuts and parings of leather (waste from other projects for example) into a kind of 'porridge' and then putting the damp mixture in a wooden frame to compress it into a slab or tile, then when air dried I shaved thin layers off the slabs and by various selections of the slivers I glued these down on to a background leather, and when assembled thus and allowed to dry, I turn over the leather with the patches of what I then called 'maril' (extracted with Tolkien's permission from silmaril or Silmarillion) and level the leather area with a spokeshave to remove the equivalent thickness of the 'maril' from the flesh side of the leather (or skin) to level it flush to the same thickness - the 'flesh side' is the opposite side to the grain side.
How many different works of Tolkien have you produced designer bindings for?
I can't quickly estimate how many works of Tolkien I have bound with artistic covers; but they include a binding of The Annotated Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings (about 55 bindings, of which 21 were formed into what I termed a 'book-wall') and about four copies of The Silmarillion.
Philip Smith's The Lord of the Rings bindings book wall. (below)
The Lord of the Rings Editions
It seems near impossible to obtain an accurate number of printed editions of The Lord of the Rings given that it has been printed many times, in many forms, in many different countries and languages. For this project, I wanted to take a closer look at the 1974 Collector's Edition that I personally own a copy of to examine the cover materials, title page, font and illustrations/ornamentations contained within.
This edition, published by Houghton Mifflin is "bound in handsome leatherette with gold, green and blue foil stamping, two color text setting, and large format fold-out maps containing the complete texts of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King, and six appendices." (abebooks.com) This edition also comes in a nice protective matchingR slip case. Below left is a closeup of the cover ornamentation where the three foil colors can be seen more clearly. Below center is an example of the rune ornamentation found on the pages that denote new sections or books. Below right is the title page with additional rune decor and colored text.
It seems near impossible to obtain an accurate number of printed editions of The Lord of the Rings given that it has been printed many times, in many forms, in many different countries and languages. For this project, I wanted to take a closer look at the 1974 Collector's Edition that I personally own a copy of to examine the cover materials, title page, font and illustrations/ornamentations contained within.
This edition, published by Houghton Mifflin is "bound in handsome leatherette with gold, green and blue foil stamping, two color text setting, and large format fold-out maps containing the complete texts of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King, and six appendices." (abebooks.com) This edition also comes in a nice protective matchingR slip case. Below left is a closeup of the cover ornamentation where the three foil colors can be seen more clearly. Below center is an example of the rune ornamentation found on the pages that denote new sections or books. Below right is the title page with additional rune decor and colored text.
References:
Journal - The Magazine Discussing All Things Tolkien. (2010). Interview with Phillip Smith. Retrieved April 29, 2015, from http://www.festivalartandbooks.com/journal8kjh/index.html
Phillip Smith Image: Retrieved from - http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/press/981-Book-art-book-binding-lord-of-the-rings.php
LOTR book images: taken myself of my own copy of the book.
Journal - The Magazine Discussing All Things Tolkien. (2010). Interview with Phillip Smith. Retrieved April 29, 2015, from http://www.festivalartandbooks.com/journal8kjh/index.html
Phillip Smith Image: Retrieved from - http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/press/981-Book-art-book-binding-lord-of-the-rings.php
LOTR book images: taken myself of my own copy of the book.