Another Paul Sawyer Rebinding Project

Back in December, I featured a rebinding project by Paul Sawyer, an ESV wide margin Matt Morales sent him. That inspired Michael Swoveland, another reader of the blog, to send his new Ryrie Study Bible to Paul Sawyer for the magic treatment. Now Michael has been kind enough to share the results with us all. Here are the photos and Michael's description of the entire process:

At the beginning of the year and after quite a bit of research I purchased a KJV Ryrie Study Bible. I had decided that there was no way I was going to be able to locate a study Bible that I liked that was also bound in a way that was pleasing to me as I have a very specific set of things I like in a binding. My idea, although not yet fully formed, was to find an edition in which I was satisfied with the study tools and to later have it rebound. In spite of this I decided to go with the "genuine leather" edition offered at the Bible shop because I was not sure how long it would be before I would get around to having it rebound. It turned out that the "genuine leather" was a very cheap, thin leather that had a hard plastic feel that was unpleasant to me.

At about this same time a ran across your blog and was exposed to some of the superb rebindings your readers were having done. In particular I was struck by an ESV that Matt Morales had rebound by Paul Sawyer. I wanted a Bible that stood apart from those that come off the shelf at Christian book shops, something with a antique European feel to it. I sent an e-mail to Paul with a very specific list of features I was looking for in a binding, in his reply he said that he could (and would) do everything I wanted, so I packed my Bible and shipped it off to him at once.

Paul bound my Bible in a natural Russell's Nigerian goatskin leather with a light patina added to it. Although this leather is a little thicker than what would normally be used on a Bible and thus a little less flexible, that thickness adds to the antique look and feel I was going for. That said it is flexible enough and I can tell that it will become quite supple with use. Paul used marbled brown silk endpapers, this was something I was not entirely sure I would be happy with, but the end result is very pleasant and again adds to the vintage appearance I had in mind. I also had him add three gold ribbon markers as the two in my old Cambridge Bible never seemed to be enough.

On the spine Paul added five raised bands and put an indented line on either side of each band, which was something I would have never thought to ask for. This highlights the raised bands very well and gives the Bible an almost medieval look. For the gold stamping I asked for a Roman typeface that had an old fashioned look, I feel that he did a good job of selecting the type. At the top is "HOLY BIBLE" in the middle I opted for the more traditional "AUTHORIZED VERSION" rather than"KING JAMES VERSION." At the bottom of the spine I had a request that I thought Paul might not agree to, I learned from his website that he used to own a bindery in London called "Lakedale." For some reason I was really fond of that name, it sounded pleasant and to me suggested a bookbinder operating in a quaint little English village not yet touched by the Industrial Revolution. To my surprise Paul agreed to put "LAKEDALE BINDERY - LONDON" at the bottom of the spine.

I have found Paul Sawyer to be very pleasant and willing to bend over backwards to give his customers just what they are after. He is also very fast, I put this Bible in the mail on 29 January and got it back on 08 February. He is also quite a talker when you get him on the phone and it is clear from talking to him that he loves his craft.

In order to give a balanced review I feel that the negative aspects should be included along with the positive. However, I can not think of a single negative thing to say about Paul or the work he did on my Bible.

Thanks for the photos and the review, Michael. It certainly whets my appetite to have something rebound by Paul Sawyer -- perhaps the upcoming Personal Reference ESV? For those of you who feel the same, you cane contact Paul Sawyer via his website: www.sawyerbinder.com.

Comments

[Stan]

Looks stunning!

I feel a fieldtrip is in order as Sawyer Binding is only 39 miles from my home.

[matt]

Michael - looks great!!! I love the color of the leather. I would like to use paul again, but I have learned from a couple bindings that I am a leather lining (not silk lining) guy. So I would have to make sure he'd use leather linings.

[Brian in Fresno]

This is an exceptionally beautiful Bible! Thanks for sharing the photos.

[Nathan]

Wow that is beautiful. I showed my wife all of the images and explained the project and she loved it as well. I'm more partial to leather liners but she liked the marbled papers. I think the way he highlighted the bands adds an impressive look very subtly. It was also interesting to read and see the Lakedale Bindery ~ London stamping and his personal stamp on the inside, definitely a unique touch. Thanks for sharing!

[Michael Swoveland]

Thanks for all the kind comments. I'm not snobish, but I like having a unique Bible, something that you can't just go to the store and buy.

I wish that I were a better photographer, I have not done a very good job of capturing the color of the leather, but I think it is much more appealing in person than my photos suggest. I should also add that the feel of this Nigerian goatskin is just splendid, you almost can't tell where your fingers stop and the leather starts.

I will be asking Paul to do my next project which will be a Textus Receptus. Although a much smaller book, I think it would be neat if it matched this Bible.

[PDS]

Michael -- beautiful.

If there is one thing I'm quickly learning...the sky is the limit. I suppose it's like building your house for the first time. After living in the home awhile, you see things you would do different and improve on the next time around...I imagine the same can be said here too. The only difference is that we benefit from "lessons learned" from those who are doing these projects. We learn the "musts" and the things to avoid. Good stuff...I'm looking forward to more project reviews.

Hey Mark -- it might be cool to do an interview with Paul or something like that...get a plug and some discounts for your readers! :)

[Michael Swoveland]

An interview with Paul Sawyer, that is a great idea. It is obvious that Paul knows a lot about bookbinding and love his craft very much. I would love to hear what he has to say about the various choices in leather, what he looks for in a binding et cetera.

[Jesus Saenz]

JMB, and those that are planning future projects with the upcoming Personal Size Reference ESV, my homie Stuart at crossway has confirmed that the genuine leather edition will have a sewn binding while the others will be glued. I do not know if the $15 price difference(MSRP) will be enough to persuade one to use the GL edition over the others or just pay to have one sewn in the rebinding process.

If I have one of the PSR rebound, I would start with a block that is already sewn.

[Stuart]

Michael - Thanks for sharing this with us... That has to be one of the most beautiful Bibles I've seen!

Jesus - Thanks for the tip. I had 2 tru-tone editions on pre-order at Amazon.com but I'll now be upgrading to the sewn binding for sure. What a wonderful source of information this blog continues to be (expensive, but wonderful)...

[Eric]

Has anyone ever done a rebind with McSpaddens? I was looking at their webpage and it looks like they do great work.

[kurt h]

Michael -- What a beautiful Bible! Might I inquire as to the price (ballpark range)? You can email me if you prefer not to post it to the entire Internet. clashcityrocker12 AT yahoo DOT com.

I'm thinking about having my Greek New Testament rebound, and something very similar to what you have would be just the ticket. I could contact Paul Sawyer, but I prefer not to waste his time if I'm not sure what I'm going for. Counting the cost and all that, you know...Thanks!

[Randy C.]

I have spoken to Mr. Sawyer on the phone. That he loves his craft is as obvious from talking with him as it obvious from seeing your photos that he also excels in the art of binding. I was convinced that I would find a wide-margin ESV and settle with the best they offered. Later I discovered a couple of translation errors that bothered me and was at a loss as to where to turn next. A friend had heard that I wanted a wide margin bible for note-taking and discovered a brand new extra HCSB in the Notetaker's Interactive Edition. Wow! I like the way it reads and with one exception I like the page lay-out. Tomorrow I will speak with an editor from Holman to see if they have such a change in mind.
My plan is to use the English calf Mr. Sawyer suggests and have several extra signatures added to the back (hopefully lined) in addition to those he always puts in the front and the back. I like the idea of a leather lining instead of silk and welcome any serious suggestion for my consideration. Note to self, remember to read and meditate on the Word of God. It's not just a book of good stuff to only understand intellectually.

http://www.sawyerbinder.com/