This is a book I finally finished this week just in time to mail it off for an exhibit at the Chicago Public Library called "One Book, Many Interpretations". I was able to bind my all time favorite book, "Pride and Prejudice", by Jane Austen. I kind of have a problem with procrastination, but luckily it all came together in the nick of time, thanks to some help from my friend Matt with getting it formated for printing, as well as a briliant idea to use one of my shirts to cover the book, which turned out perfectly! Here's the binders statement I submited with the book and a little more info about it:
Book: 14.5 H x 12 W x 2.5 T (cm)
Title: Pride and Prejudice
Author: Jane Austen
Publisher: none, this is a Project Gutenberg E-Book that was printed on a laser printerDate and Place of Publication: June 1998 with Project Gutenberg (12th edition), http://www.gutenberg.org/
Description of Binding:Book: Yellow Dotted Swiss Cotton, laser printer paper, ink speckled edges. Packed Raised Cord sewing, Tight-Joint binding.
Box: Cream bookcloth, Italian decorative paper
Date Bound: July 2006
Binder's Statement: I wanted to create a representation of Elizabeth Bennet, the heroine of "Pride and Prejudice", in book form. I chose to do the book in a smaller size than expected because, like Elizabeth, you can't judge a package by it's size or appearance. The book, and Elizabeth, pack a powerful punch for something so small and delicate. I chose to cover the book in a fabric that Jane Austen, or Elizabeth would have worn themselves at the time, and the dotted-swiss brings further femininity to the binding. I also chose the packed raised cord binding for the book because it's ideas and principles are just a little "old fashioned" and I wanted to emphasize that through the structure. The box was more of an afterthought, but it captures the life a young lady such as Miss Bennet would have led, very crisp, clean, and although it may look fairly decorative, is actually quite useful, as Elizabeth was to all her acquaintances.
I will hopefully hear somtime in August if I made it into the exhibit. It opens in Chicago in September.
