Thomaston, Maine
Member for 47 years
Heloise and Abelard, George Moore
Black Niger goatskin, antique silk brocade, gold leaf, linen, ink & vellum.
22.0 - 23.4 x 15.8 x 4.6 cm
Completed in 2020
For Sale - Book: $1,325 // Book & Box: $1,750
Did you fully plan every aspect of this piece before starting to work on it, or did you make design decisions along the way?
Pierre Abelard was a 12th century French priest & theologian who had a secret affair with his young, brilliant student Heloise. Originally, many years ago, I was going to bind the book in just a plain black leather cover, with all the color of silk brocade and gold leaf confined to the inside. However, I set it aside when I realized that it would not be very effective in a show. This year, I finished the binding after I contrived a way that the outside could reveal the rest of their story: Her guardian discovered the affair, Abelard was attacked and mutilated, and Heloise made to join a distant nunnery. (They never met in person again but her correspondence with him is considered part of the foundation of French literature.)
Julie Stackpole studied German, French, and British bookbinding after college and set up her bindery on Nantucket in 1975, moving to Maine ten years later. She does all kinds of fine binding as well as rare book restoration. See more of Julie’s work here.