The Gently Mad : Edinburgh Bookbinder and Bookseller

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Examples of Work

Meet Rab & Baz

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~ Antiques ~

View our
Antiques & Collectables
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~ Baz's intricate leather onlays ~

Below are some examples of the intricate leather onlays that Baz has created for his clients special books. The process is pain-staking and each onlay takes many days, in some cases weeks, to finish.

Each tiny leather piece of leather within these onlays is pared to an almost skin-thin thickness before being stained to the required colour. The pieces are then cut to shape, pasted-up and worked onto the leather of books cover.

Once all the pieces are laid on and the illustration complete, the book's covers are then pressed between polished tin plates to flatten the entire onlay and ensure it's evenly adhered to the leather covers.

Onlay work is usually reserved for special volumes, such as collectable first edition illustrated children's books, particulary those of the Golden Age illustrators such as Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac, Willy Pogany, Kay Neilsen, Charles Robinson etc.

~ onlays for a 1st ed of Mervyn Peake's 'Alice' ~

~ onlay for front board of Dutch Nursery Rhymes ~

~ rope onlay for a book entitled 'Dying Speeches' ~

onlay of a rope for a book entitled Dying Speeches

~ Mini-binding ~

Miniature leather bound boo by The Gently Mad Bookbinder

To see our gallery
of work
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~ Beatles Poster ~

Large 1970s Beatles poster for sale
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~ Dutch Onlay ~

Examples of Baz's
leather onlay work
~ click here ~

The Gently Mad : 2 Summer Place, Edinburgh, EH3 5NR : 0131 261 6028 / 07702592972