#personal editions

[sonictoaster]

I made a slipcase for my re-covered copy of To Say Nothing of the Dog, paired with the text that inspired it, Three Men in a Boat.

I made a little collage of images for the cover of the slipcase: St Paul’s in London, (a significant landmark in the Oxford Time Travel books), the ruins of Coventry Cathedral after it was bombed in the war, the Northern lights standing in for the Veil, and Tissot’s ladies on a boat (The Gallery of the HMS Calcutta).

[sonictoaster]

After I revamped To Say Nothing of the Dog, I wanted to add a few more old favorites to my collection. Stories that I loved as a younger reader, and are still close to my heart.

I ordered a copy of the 25th Anniversary edition of Sabriel—a decent mass-market hardcover with the original Leo and Diane Dillon cover illustration. @notabuddhist sent me the perfect paper to match the book.

I cut an inset for the illustration directly into the cover before I pasted down the paper.

I liked the paper's deckle edges, so I didn't trim or cover them up. I also added a ribbon and a bookplate. The bookplates were a gift from @harrietvane

Finally, a slipcase! I experimented with an all-over pattern of keys, but it looked terrible, and in the end, minimalism won out.

[sonictoaster]

The problem with following the Folio Society and Subterranean Press is that I spend a lot of time pining after beautiful books that I cannot afford to buy. When Subterranean came out with a special edition of To Say Nothing of the Dog—one of my favorites!—it was especially hard to tell myself that no, I cannot afford to pay that much money for a book.

What I could afford to do—and what I have the skills to pull off—are my own, personalized "special editions." I ordered a copy of the first edition hardcover of To Say Nothing of the Dog on ebay. The first edition comes with a black cover that is completely at odds with the mood of the book.

I picked out a strip of green book cloth and a print of bright, summery Morris wallpaper to cover over the black. I also added a bookmark ribbon, a headband, and a bookplate.

I'm still not 100% happy with the interior of the book—but I can't do anything to change that.

[sonictoaster]

New paper (also a gift from @notabuddhist) on the cover of The Birthday of the World