Leonard's Book Restoration

One of the things I try to do here is share information about Bible rebinding. We've shown off quite a few rebinding projects (and I have a backlog of new ones, just waiting for me to post), and I provide a list of Rebinding Links in the right-hand column to point you to various sources. Having a Bible rebound is an exciting process, opening up a world of possibilities, but as always, it's important to have realistic expectations. Our community is fortunate to be served by a number of skilled craftsmen, and I hate to see the quality of their work obscured by the disappointment that "it isn't perfect."

I've had a link to Leonard's Book Restoration for awhile now, but it wasn't until this morning (thanks to Matt Blair) that I discovered their blog, which includes this charming demonstration of what bonded leather sounds like when it rips! 

 

Proprietor Eric Haley, who's featured in the video, has written about why he doesn't like "floppy" Bibles. His rationale has to do with durability:

"So my case against floppy Bibles is this. To achieve it nearly always requires a very thin leather with no interior liner, and almost no glue to secure the end pages. Because it's so floppy, the reader is then tempted to fold the Bible over backwards while holding it. <wince!> This stretches the sewing, warps the spine, and/or breaks the glued binding. The end result is a short-lived Bible. Eventually, that result will reflect on the one who made it a floppy Bible in the first place."

It's no surprise that I value flexibility in a cover, so you might think reading this would induce a <wince!> in me. Not so. 

While I value flexibility in a cover, what I treasure first and foremost (as I pointed out in my recent piece on the ESV Pitt Minions) is a book's ability to open flat. If you get that right, all the rest is negotiable to me. Ideally, I want to feel an organic bond between text block and cover, and that requires some suppleness from the leather since paper isn't exactly rigid. But there's a wide spectrum where flexibility is concerned, and some text blocks seem better suited to liquidity than others. In some cases, supporting the text block with a more structured cover makes a lot of sense to me. My feeling is, there isn't a "norm." The ideal shifts, depending on the materials, the methods and the end user. 

The "Bible yoga" shots on the site might give the impression that I delight in nothing so much as abusing books, but that's not the case. If you find a dog-eared, spine-creased book on my groaning shelves, it's a good indication that I bought it used. As readers go, my footprint is small. As a bibliophile from the cradle, I love finishing a book without having left any sign that I was there. There is nothing destructive about the gymnastics you see on the site -- the covers are capable of such flexibility, and the bindings are not stressed any more than they would be open flat. (Sadly, opening flat does stress some bindings, and these are the truly wince-inducing.) 

Anyway, it's exciting to see a rebinding specialist blogging about the trade. I haven't used Leonard's for a rebinding project, but what I see here certainly gives me the itch. Has anyone had the pleasure yet? I'd love to hear how it turned out. 

Comments

[Ron Parish]

Thanks for the post. Eric worked on my Nelson's Signature Series KJV Reference Edition a while back, and did a great job. In fact, there's probably a comment or two on this blog about my experiences. If any of my Bibles need repair in the future, I will not hesitate sending the project to Eric.

As always, Mark, you are a wealth of information.

[Alan]

"I love finishing a book without having left any sign that I was there."

Exactly!

[Aaron Laurent]

I've had two bad experiences with Leonards book restoration. Uneven edges of over 1/8 inch, a simple measurement could have prevented this; severe rippling on --super thin goatskin-- 1/4 inch overhang. I recieved a somewhat snide e-mail response from them after complaining. That's just fine with me as there are plenty of rebinders out there. I'll try to post the photos these Bibles soon and you can judge for yourself.

[Frank Cruzata]

"I love finishing a book without having left any sign that I was there."

I think I'm gonna cry... I was beginning to think I was some kind of alien because I too enjoy not leaving a sign I have read a book. Friends come by and see my books and ask me when am I gonna read them. They don't believe me when I tell them I have read all of them and some of them more than twice.

I let a good friend read one stinkin paragraph in a book and...he's now just someone I once knew. ;)

Looking forward to get a couple of bibles and books rebound.

[Ryan]

1. I do prefer a heavier, slightly stiffer Bible (due to thickness) versus a super floppy one. I like to know the leather is there.
2. I want a Kangaroo skin Bible! Even if it must be purple.
3. How do you take care of a good Bible to slow or stop the leather from drying out?

[John Meza]

I was clicking your links to book binders the day before you posted this!!! From the other links, I want to know what an elephant skin Bible feels like.

[Alan]

Try this stuff for conditioning leather bindings. I've used it for years. You'll be amazed at what it can do for old dried out leather.

http://www.shopbrodart.com/shop/cb/product.aspx?pgid=497

[Brian Fox]

Ryan,

The best way to keep leather from drying out is to handle it.

[Michael Swoveland]

Great video, I hope they do more.

I am in the planning stages of another Bible rebinding project, so I hope you get those new ones posted soon. I thinking of "going medieval" this time.

[threegirldad]

@John Meza,

Since no one else has responded to your curiosity about an elephant skin bible, I'll offer this: perhaps you can get some idea if you happen to live near a Western Wear store. If you do, you could drop by and handle a pair of elephant skin boots.

I'm only guessing, but it seems like anyone using elephant skin as a bible cover would need to seriously skive the stuff in order for it not to be bulky and stiff.

[Michael]

Re an earlier comment you make somewhere on this blog about Cambridge University Press not being what it was -

I recently bought a copy of the bible in the Authorized Version (which Cambridge now calls the "King James Version" for some reason). Anyway, the paper seems thinner than a pocket bible I had from the same publisher some years ago. The print is not particularly crisp. The pages stick together until each one is indivdually prised apart from its neighbours. Worse, the binding is shoddy - somehow uneven so that there's a large dent in the spine.

I notice the pocket bible was printed in England; but this new one was printed in Belarus. I don't know if that is significant. In any event, the old pocket bible I had - I say "old"; in fact, this is only five years or so back - had the feeling of being a high quality item. This new Bible seems cheapened and shoddy. It doesn't compare well at all. Neither does it compare well with a ten-year-old RSV I've got from Eyre and Spottiswood of roughly the same size and weight.

I'd say Cambridge are definitely compromising on quality, and I wouldn't touch their stuff again.

[Lee Miller]

I recently had to return a Cambridge "Presentation Reference" Bible because the lining, both front and back, separated at the hinge. The replacement I received matches Michael's description above. The paper is thin, I had to go through the Bible page by page to separate each sheet (incredibly difficult with some pages), the gilding is very uneven, particularly on the top edges, and the binding, while labeled "French Morocco", is thick and "doughy", not particularly pleasant to handle, and has a trimming defect in the rear like they were trying to use up scrap leather.

I can't complain about the print quality--it's equivalent to most recent Cambridge editions I've seen. This particular copy was printed in the Netherlands and the UK, but I'd say Belarus is a move in the wrong direction.

I decided to live with this replacement copy, since the chances of getting anything better aren't so good, but like Michael I wouldn't buy a new Cambridge Bible at this point. Not at their prices, anyway.

It's too bad . . .

Lee

[Michael Swoveland]

It is with a sad heart that I have to agree with the comments above about Cambridge. About three years ago I bought a Cambridge Concord AV in black calfskin. I found that some pages were printed lighter than others. Worse, after about two years the leather endpapers that line the front and back cover split at the fold.

I believe the era of Cambridge Bibles being the "gold standard" are over and I doubt I would ever buy a new Cambridge Bible again. That said I would consider a "vintage" Cambridge Bible from the 1960s to 1980s if such an animal could be found.

[John Meza]

Thanks threegirldad!

I'm gonna see if there are elephant skin boots around here that I can rub.

I wrote that first comment too quick. I had meant to say that I had been checking all the binding links the previous day and had watched that video right before Mark posted about it.

[ElenaMarshall28]

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[Martin Biggs]

I don't know if anyone will see this, as most of the posts here are from 2008. But I just received my first Bible rebound from Leonard's, and I want to comment. It was Zondervan's Reader's Hebrew and Greek Bible. The only cover available for it was a thin, low quality bonded leather cover, although the binding was sewed. I judged this a perfect candidate for a rebinding job, since I knew that the bonded leather cover would deteriorate quickly (from experience), and the best rebinding possibilities come with newer Bibles. I read my original languages frequently and well, and wanted this Bible to have a quality cover that would look like a real Bible and that would last. I was overwhelmed with the quality of the job. I chose a goatskin cover with silk moire end pages, and custom imprinting on the outside. The cover actually feels better than the two Allan Highland goatskin and the Cambridge goatskin Bibles I own. It is both softer and thicker, which translates into more supple. But it lays open flat (unlike before with the bonded leather cover). If Leonard's only did art gilt edging on Bibles, I would prefer this Bible's binding to every other Bible I own in every way. The quality of the job is superb and I have no complaints whatsoever. The staff was very professional and courteous throughout the process and took great pains to make sure that the job was done exactly as I wanted. I would heartily recommend Leonard's to anyone desiring any type of rebinding project, especially a Bible. They are undoubtedly one of the few businesses left that take pride in their work and make a quality job a priority.

[Dee]

Thanks for the blog. I too have a project with Leonards and I'm very excited to see the end result. Very courteous and professional dealings. I will definetly keep you all posted. Ostrich, and other exotic skins for the upcoming project. Can't wait to show off their finished product.