Here's a video that will charm and delight you. No, it's not kittens or puppies. Not even sharks. It's books.
It's about 7 minutes long.
After you've seen it, tell us the most amazing thing you heard or learned from it.
(I have several!)
14 comments:
I think the whole overview was incredible....such a work of art...it makes my rethink the book vs. Kindle.
I was really interested in the machine that was used early on for the typesetting.
Thank you for posting this, I think I will search out more of these.
Wow! How time consuming printing was in ye olden days, and what a beautiful product!
My mother used a linotype machine to set up a small town newspaper in the early 1940s. I'll have to show her this video. She'll be very interested in that part, as the machine he uses would be about the right age to compare with the one she used. :)
The time and work involved were the first things I noticed right away, especially the process of binding the book.
I was amazed that the 1898 original dictionary was still in 'decent' condition.
I liked the idea that, given its age, it was a book still in use!
I liked seeing the baby there.
A great demonstration of the process in only seven minutes. Amazing. I can only imagine the feeling of accomplishment when the final book was bound and finished. There were no short cuts. None.
Wow! That really was amazing—the workmanship, the craftsmanship, the careful miniscule detailing, all the time involved! And then, to have it all result in such a gorgeous book!
In the pursuit of making a book, do it because you love it. Do it because you never question whether or not you have a choice.
All righty. First off, I want his "grandfather's favorite reading chair", as it would match my red leather couch quite nicely (we call it the blood couch.)
Things I learned:
1. I had no idea the "bumps" on the spine were a result of the pages having been sewn to linen like that, and then bound in thread after the covers were affixed to make sure they remained prominent.
2. I'd never seen the "frames" on which books were sewn.
3. I wonder what the ink smells like as things are printed.
4. Books sure do get smacked around a lot.
5. This whole process was very satisfying to watch on a neurotic and bookly spiritual level. With or without the strings.
6. In fact, I might have preferred it without, to better listen to the machines as they ran.
I agree with Jennifer R Donohue. The book binding just blew me away. Everything from the sewing of it, to what the bumps stood for on books. Amazing.
I was also curious why they cut the books, then shape them into the curve. (They have to shape the curve!)
Very cool. Thank you for sharing.
I think, as a graphic artist/writer who came up in the field just as computers and "desktop publishing" took hold, that I have grown so accustomed to the instant gratification of typing up words, applying push-button formatting and spewing it from a laser printer that I have completely lost sight of what used to go into making one single book.
This is amazing. I don't know why I never realized they would be hand-sewn, let alone did I ponder how such precision was achieved. My jaw was dropped by the end.
I love books and this video only brings more appreciation for the craftsmanship and work that goes into making, printing and binding a book. After I saw the video this morning (I somehow missed this post yesterday) I went to my library and took down several of my leather bound old books. I touched them with renewed appreciation. I think one of the most amazing things is the length of time it took to bring the book to fruition.
The beautiful baby at 1:09.
The fact that this was over 10 years of work just to get all the pages set. The dedication floors me. I have the urge to purchase one of these babies right now.
There is an amazing book museum in Mainz, Germany (Gutenberg's stomping grounds). Having visited it (twice!), I was well aware of the craftsmanship required to hand-make a book.
The artistry and dedication demonstrated in this film is awesome, in every sense of the word.
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