Northampton, Massachusetts
Member for 45 years
BOOKBINDINGS HONORING CRAFT: In memoriam. Two volumes.
Jost Amman's Cuts of Craft-Workers, Jost Amman
Black goatskin, paste paper by Henry Morris, gold foil, Bugra endpapers.
A Binding Love, Arno Werner & Carol J. Blinn
Gray goatskin, marbled paper by Arno Werner, gold foil, Bugra endpapers.
20.3 x 13 x 1.5 cm (Jost Amman)
21 x 14 x 1.3 cm (A Binding Love)
Completed in 2020
What inspired you to create this work or select this text for your submission?
Thinking about the 40th anniversary of the New England Chapter GBW made me nostalgic about important people in my life with books, who sadly are no longer with us. One of them is David P. Bourbeau, a self-named "bibliotect" who gave me a small poster which has always been in my bindery. It reads: "Craftsmen are those who cannot help doing whatever is given them to do better than anyone else thinks worthwhile."
For this exhibition, I decided not to bind anything fancy, but to submit a 2-volume set of quarter-leather bindings which I've titled "BOOKBINDINGS HONORING CRAFT: In memoriam" to honor master bookbinder Arno Werner--with whom I apprenticed in 1973--and master printer and publisher Henry Morris--for whom I bound a number of editions for his Bird & Bull Press. I consider both of these men consummate craftsmen. I decided to honor Henry by binding a copy of Jost Amman's woodcuts of craft-workers with a pastepaper Henry created, overprinted in gold ink. I found both a customer in Henry and a very good friend. I used one of Arno's own marbled papers to bind Carol Blinn's recent book of letters between her and Arno. It chronicles their love and friendship, which I shared as well.
Barbara B. Blumenthal came to bookbinding through a love of books and reading. She studied typography and calligraphy at Smith College and apprenticed with master bookbinder Arno Werner while still an undergraduate. She has had her own Catawba Press & Bindery since 1976 and also worked as a rare book specialist in the Mortimer Rare Book Room at Smith College for 35 years, retiring from Smith in 2017.
