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Covering Firebelly
We think of the cover as a canvas, not just a marketing tool. A fine book covering is the opportunity for the reader to have a limited edition work of art that will enhance and compliment their understanding of the story inside. Although this aesthetic is common in custom bound books, these typically cost hundreds of dollars and are not accessible to most readers. In creating the hardcover for Firebelly, we wanted an affordable book that would grab your attention and hold it. In the 19th and early 20th century, before the advent of cost-saving dust jackets, book covers were often decorated with unique and elaborate stampings. To alleviate the expense of hand tooling each cover, binders began using a combination of hand engraved brass plates and the new presses which came out of the industrial revolution. Binders experimented with numerous foils and inks, inlay and onlay materials, and embossing and debossing techniques to create stunning designs. Many of these can still be seen at an occasional museum display, bought from antiquarian book dealers, or picked up at a garage sale. When we began asking binders and other book artisans about the techniques and tools used, we received a lot of speculation and contradictory answers. Several experienced binders told us that such covers could no longer be designed at a reasonable cost because the technology and materials available today were simply not suitable. Since we could find no one who did this type of work on a production line, we had to make our own inquiries into the material and manufacturing process. We spent several months looking at antiquarian book shops, visiting printing museums, reading articles, and talking to hand engravers, foil manufacturers, and fabric suppliers. We had lengthy discussions with a few librarians and book collectors who shared our new found passion in these older bindings. During this time, we came across a few individuals who had stashed away hundreds of these bindings thinking that one day there might be a larger public interest. After a long period of collecting sample material, and literally taking apart a few old books to see how they were put together, we began discussing the design with die manufacturers. Although some were not interested in our project, we found a small die maker in the Midwest who generously gave his time to answer our naïve questions. We ordered sample foil and cover material from numerous manufacturers and tested them with our stamping dies using a process that involved a bit of innovation and perseverance. After covering bookboards with a variety of different materials, we fastened various foils on to the surface and placed the cover on the bottom of an antique caste iron book press. A brass or copper die was then heated in a kitchen oven until it reached the proper temperature, then it was quickly placed–as carefully as possible–on top of the foil. The press was quickly cranked down held in place with just the right amount of pressure, until the foil adhered to the surface of the cover. The press was raised and the book board removed. After creating a number of prototypes, we worked with a hand binder to finalize the design details and work out the die registration issues. Once the specifics of the production process were laid out, we once again approached production binders with a final prototype and a clear plan for how to stamp the covers. The final design was made by a small production bindery in Pennsylvania. First Edition/First PrintingThe paperback and hardcover first editions are available by special request. These mark the starting point of a new author and a unique opportunity to collect something truly unique. Here is an quote from Bauman Rare Books. We could not have said it better: "With every great first edition comes a story--the creative effort that propelled it into being, the practical logistics which brought it to print, the popular reaction which either brought it immediate fame or consigned it to obscurity--for a time. A rare book collector knows that story and appreciates all of the trials and errors, struggles and successes that brought the book into being. The pleasure of rare book collecting is not only that we can consider each book for its impact on the world and its impact on our own lives, but can appreciate, in holding that fragile, rare, extraordinary first edition copy, all of the random chances that created it, and, but for the greatest of luck, allowed it to survive."
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