Bookbinding involves a lot of precision craftsmanship. Making a lasting object that can open and close out of paper, leather, cord, and an adhesive isn't a simple task. The nitty-gritty of book mechanics is a lifetime of study and practice.
The first time I learned about phase boxes, I was on a tour of The Leeds Library. It was conducted by their bookbinder, Brian Cole, who ventured up from the depths of the library basement to show us around.
Nowadays when people talk about communication security, they usually mean computer encryption. The thing about being a bookbinder, though, is that you tend to have a fondness for outdated technology. And before the internet, tracking numbers, and self-sealing envelopes, there was letterlocking.
When you start out in bookbinding, you usually use blank white paper. Your first, second, and maybe even your third book are all empty pages waiting to be filled. Now be honest with me: how many of you have ever actually written anything in those books?
In 2013, I signed up for my first bookbinding course. It was a general interest course that ran for 3 hours every Tuesday evening for 11 weeks. It was kind of a whim—I just thought it sounded cool. What I didn't realize at the time was that this course wasn't just my introduction to bookbinding...
I have a copy of The Fair Penitent by Nicholas Rowe, published in 1776. I found it in a rare bookstore. It has no boards, barely any spine left, and the frontispiece has been cut out.
