Girdle Book - Ireland
2015
4" x 6" x 1.75"
15" tall with extension
$2400
Tawed calf skin on oak boards, handmade paper.
This medieval book form was unique by making books "wearable" by tucking the turk's head knot under one's belt — a form of intimate security for a prized possession. Many of these old books lost their tails when incorporated into libraries, and there are now only 26 know books that retained their original form from medieval times. I have made several girdle books after learning the form at a workshop presented by Renate Mesmer at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., which I have documented on a separate page >>
This book is a unique production, inspired by my trips to Ireland and its rich medieval heritage, but also by the natural forms that abound there.
