HBC 44: Tom Conroy's HAMLET

Tom Conroy

Berkeley, California

William Shakespeare.

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.

New York: Knickerbocker Leather & Novelty Co., n.d.

7.6 x 5.3 x 1.3 cm.

Washed and gelatin-sized. Herringbone sewing on tawed goatskin thongs. Tracing cloth spine liner, pasteboards, tight backed. Laced-in linen backbead headbands, overembrodered with scarlet silk. Full scarlet Russell’s Oasis goatskin, blind and gold tooling.

Bound in 1986, but not previously exhibited. This was one of the first books I washed by myself, and one of the first where I used medieval structures for modern binding, but it was difficult to shelve. Once the notion of a nest of boxes presented itself they seemed to create themselves, over a period of three or four months; then the Muse departed as quietly as it had arrived, leaving the outer box of the main series untitled. A separate series of three enclosures (not exhibited) contains binding fragments, and the assemblage also includes a series of four-flap folders (not exhibited) as used by various rare book libraries in the 1980s; someday I will make one box to hold the entire assemblage.

Making the nest of boxes had the charm of naughtiness: almost all of them are styles that are not approved of by conservators, although old examples are often wonders of craftsmanship and have protected their books admirably. Also, it includes many scraps of material too small for other use but too good to throw away.

1). Molded fireproof pull-off case. Terracotta Harmatan goatskin, scarlet Oasis on throat.

2). Slipcase with chemise. Olive Oasis goatskin, chemise lined with paper marbled by Daniela Lang, sided with paper marbled by Richard J. Wolfe.

3). Traditional drop spine box (false solander case). Ochre Oasis goatskin with green onlays; gold and blind tooling. Lined with French marbled paper.

4). Oriental style four-flap portfolio. Tan bookcloth, jigsaw catch covered with tan goatskin, lined with yellow silk brocade, pegs of Honduras rosewood.

5). Reversed slipcase. Double false spines of undyed Harmatan goatskin, labels of green and gold goatskin, paper marbled by Daniela Lang on head and tail edges to mimic book edges. The call number is the proper Dewey number for Hamlet.

6). Library of Congress standard rare book box without portfolio. Off-white bookcloth lined with synthetic woven felt.

See Conroy's HAMLET in person, at the Hand Bookbinders of California's Annual Members Exhibition which will be on display through September 3rd in the Skylight Gallery on the 6th floor of the Main Library.