The invention of e-books created a strain on the book industry, especially on traditional bookbinders. Despite this shift to digitalization, bookbinders continue to find new ways to adapt—returning to the origins of their craft to create luxury products.
Traditionally, bookbinding was a long, resource-intensive process, with the binding and writing all being done by hand. Because of this, books were costly.
The invention of the printing press in the late 15th century led to the mass production of books, binding them with cheaper materials so they could be sold at a lower cost.
“Everything is pretty much done by machine and the hardcover books, generally they’re coming off the market, are usually made in China with just glue on the spine and a simple cover holding it together,” said Robert Angus, owner of Octavia Bookbindery in Calgary.
A dying craft?
With the rise of e-books, many bookbinders in the city closed, without passing on their knowledge of the art.
Peter Houston, an archivist and special collections librarian with Mount Royal University, believes that the physical book still holds an important place in the book market due to the unique tactile experience you can not get from e-books.
Traditional bookbinders like Angus do not simply produce books. Their long, hand-crafted works are more akin to works of art than a standard book, which is reflected in the prices.
A rarefied craft
There is no set price for a leatherbound book—the price is determined by the difficulty and intricacy of the project, as well as how long it takes to complete.
“Bookbinding has become sort of a more rarefied craft,” said Houston. “The existing bookbinders that we have today are real artisans keeping this hand-sown tradition alive—and certainly books can be beautiful works of art.”
Bookbinders like Angus offer many other services than binding and book creation, due to the expensive nature of the craft, including book repair. A frequent service that helps keep his business running.