The Chelsea Bindery and References to the Doves Press/Bindery

While browsing YouTube, I stumbled across a channel of the Peter Harrington Bookshop. It showcases many beautiful works of book art. Lots of videos were posted there, until some moment last year they, unfortunately, stopped making new content.

You can find there works by William Morris’ Kelmscott Press (see some of their bookplates here), Thomas Cobden-Sanderson’s Doves Press and many more. Rare editions of beloved books like Alice in Wonderland and Winnie the Pooh are also showcased there as well as modern volumes like an uncorrected proof copy of the first Harry Potter novel by J. K. Rowling. And last but not least they have a video showcasing the processes of bookbinding by the Chelsea Bindery.

What or who is Peter Harrington? It is a bookshop based in London and was established in 1969. It is specialized in selling and buying rare books. They founded the forementioned Chelsea Bindery in the year 2000, and its specialization is fine binding and box making for customers and the shop.

If you are looking for some inspiration for your next bookish project, you may want to check out their website. You’ll find some real gems of bookbinding and printmaking craftsmanship there.

The more generic bindings in the portfolio of the Chelsea Bindery seem to be heavily influenced by the more simple designs of the Doves Press/Bindery. That may be most visible in the structure of the spine, which is divided into six sections, separated by five raised bands. Each section has a single line golden frame and the year of release on the tail. Also, the front and back cover is framed, which, in my opinion, is a simple yet tasteful design.

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