St. Louis, Missouri
Member for 42 years
Le Tour du Monde en Quatre-Vingts Jours, Jules Verne
Scarlet and deep purple goatskin, gold leaf, silk headbands.
29 x 20 x 5 cm
Completed in 2004
What inspired you to create this work or select this text for your submission?
In 2000 one of my binding students brought to class information about a bi-annual binding competition in France, open to anyone who bought the loose sheets. Two of the students and I decided to participate. The result was three trips to France (2001, 2003, and 2005) to see our efforts on display with the other entrants from around the world. This binding was my favorite of the three. No prize, but three "business" trips to France eased the disappointment.
Richard Baker studied binding with Bill Anthony in Chicago and his first bindery job was at Monastery Hill Bindery. He worked as a conservator at Johns Hopkins University, Smithsonian Institution, and American Antiquarian Society. From 1989-2011 he was self-employed as a book and paper conservator in St. Louis, MO.