Review | Designer Bookbindings
Review | Contemporary Designer Bookbindings From the Collection of Neale and Margaret Albert
Yale Center for British Art
Through March 29
Derek Hood, designer and binder of Shakespeare’s Comedy of Twelfth Night, or, What You Will by William Shakespeare, with illustrations by W. Heath Robinson (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1908), bound in 2015, goatskin binding, with leather onlays, tooling in palladium, gold, and white gold, © D. Hood, Collection of Margaret and Neale Albert, Yale JD 1961, photo by Richard Caspole
The Art of Books
Sharon Lin
These days, books can be found anywhere: at home, on your phone, even at the Yale Center for British Art. Located on the second floor and curated by Molly Dotson, Contemporary Designer Bookbindings From the Collection of Neale and Margaret Albert showcases the works of multiple bookbinders. Comprised of two rooms, each with tables displaying books arranged by year, artist, or cover subject, this exhibition allows viewers to peruse a variety of bookbinding styles and techniques.
As supporters of bookbinding, Neale and Margaret Albert commissioned many of the works on display and are honorary members of Designer Bookbinders, a society dedicated to artistic bookbinding. Through this collection, Dotson and the Alberts show that book covers are more than just decorative images—they are worthy of appreciation.
One of the first tables in the exhibition displays the tools used in bookbinding, alongside books related to the bookmaking process. Inside the Book by David Esslemont educates readers on the fundamentals of book publishing. This particular copy has a cover designed and bounded in 2015-16 by James Reid-Cunningham that reflects both the contents of the book. It also showcases the geometric shapes that characterize Reid-Cunningham’s typical bookbinding style.
Yet unlike his typical works, Reid-Cunningham creates ‘puzzle pieces’ from this geometric composition, allowing a reader to remove individual shapes and fit them back together with the help of magnets. Reid-Cunningham’s unorthodox bookbinding lends a playful, child-like quality to a book on the grown-up topic of publishing. As Inside the Book illustrates the fundamentals of book publishing, Reid-Cunningham’s cover indicates that even the intricate craft of bookbinding comes from fundamental building blocks. These pieces appear to show that anything—even art—can be constructed by breaking down a complex process into simple steps.
George Kirkpatrick, designer and binder of The Tempest, by William Shakespeare (Canton, NY: Caliban Press, 2001), bound in 2013, leather binding, with leather onlays, and silver and stainless-steel wire, Collection of Margaret and Neale Albert, Yale JD 1961, photo by Tom Grill
Next to this table is one of the most illustrative books on display: George Kirkpatrick’s cover for Shakespeare’s Tempest (bound in 2013). Kirkpatrick’s design evokes the feeling of the stage with the viewers as his audience. A green curtain lines the top and spine sides of the book, revealing the scene. On stage, characters appear to act out the scene, reinforcing the nature of Shakespeare’s story. The perspective of the floorboards and the layering of characters and scenery add veracity to the design while creating a sense of illusionistic space. Wires attached to the characters remind viewers that these characters are much like puppets performing on the stage, acting in accordance with the playwright’s puppeteering. Through his clever design, Kirkpatrick displays his knowledge of various artforms by connect writing with acting through bookbinding while giving viewers a front-row seat to the story.
George Kirkpatrick, designer and binder of The Neale M. Albert Collection of Miniature Designer Bindings; A Catalog of an Exhibition Held at the Grolier Club, September 13–November 4, 2006,by Neale M. Albert (New York: Grolier Club, 2006), bound in 2008, leather binding with leather onlays and gold tooling, Collection of Margaret and Neale Albert, Yale JD 1961, photo by Richard Caspole
Another one of Kirkpatrick’s bound books that demonstrates his facility with sculpture is The Neale M. Albert Collection of Miniature Designer Bindings by Neale Albert (bound in 2008). At first glance, the work appears to be a miniature wooden bookshelf, accompanied by tiny leather-bound books. In reality, the bookshelf and books are actually a cover designed for a book catalog. Each miniature book featured on the cover includes a book title, indicative of the contents inside. This innovative way of binding a catalog exudes the thought and effort behind cover designing; this creative deception is masterfully achieved and reminds viewers that we may have books sitting quietly at home, waiting to be picked up and read again.
Across the room from Kirkpatrick’s bookshelf catalog are bindings with simpler, less three-dimensional designs that depict nature, architecture, and geometric shapes. One such book featured is Midori Kunikata-Cockram’s binding of Wine from My Garden by Miriam Macgregor. Bound in 2015, the petite grape green book is imprinted with small vines and leaves of a grapevine. The way that the pattern of grapevines curls around the book’s binding captures the feeling of real grape vines wrapping around their support.
Hannah Brown, designer and binder of Flowers from Shakespeare’s Garden: A Posy from the Plays, illustrated by Walter Crane (London: Cassell and Co. Ltd, 1906), bound in 2016, goatskin binding, with leather onlays, embroidered with silk and metallic threads, gold-plated brass, and carbon and gold tooling, Collection of Margaret and Neale Albert, Yale JD 1961, photo by Richard Caspole
Kunikata-Cockram is known for her elegant portrayal of nature, and the delicate appearance of the leaves shows that the vine is young with fresh grapes, ripe for picking and turning into wine inside the book. Adjacent to this book, a small wine bottle has also been bound by the same materials, but its dark green color hints at the aging of the wine. The elegant aesthetic of the bindings fosters a sense of the class associated with fine wine while instructing viewers to appreciate the care and detail required to bind books as well.
Through the craftsmanship of the bookbinders in this exhibition, viewers experience books as more than just a collection of words on a page. In the present day, the abundance of e-Books limits the viewer’s experience of a book cover, especially when the cover has been designed to utilize a book’s shape. The cover design of 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami, for example, matches the scale of the physical book and conveys the main character between two planes of existence—a dynamic that the digital copy is unable to portray.
Contemporary Designer Bookbindings From the Collection of Neale and Margaret Albert gives viewers pause to consider the art of bookbinding and cover design.
Sharon Lin
Sharon Lin was born in Whittier, California and was raised in the hills of West Virginia. As a young child, Lin often watched her mother draw characters from cartoons, hoping to draw as well as her mother one day. Curious by nature, she wanted to know how things worked, and she often asked her parents to repeatedly explain various processes. Lin first gained an interest in forensic science in the sixth grade while visiting her grandparents in Taiwan. There, she saw the detective series, Detective Conan, and was hooked on the idea of piecing together events through observation and analysis. Since then, she has read the Sherlock Holmes books, part of the Arsène Lupin series, and the Bug Man series—all of which feature detective work. Inspired by these books, Lin decided to pursue a career in forensic science. She is currently a sophomore at the University of New Haven, majoring in forensic science and planning to minor in art. As a forensic science student, Lin is currently interested in ballistics, handwriting and document analysis, and forensic facial reconstruction. In her free time, Lin likes to read and draw. She has a small manga collection, enjoys watching anime, and hopes to visit Japan. In the future, Lin hopes to be able to have a job that combines both forensic science and art, or at least work in forensics while doing art on the side.
