I’m a leatherworker but also an art bookbinder(relieur in French), passionate about a craft rich in history and tradition. The term ‘relieur’ comes from the Latin word ‘ligator’, meaning ‘to bind’. This skill dates back to Antiquity with the first codexes, a set of sewn and bound sheets of paper.
At the time, codexes consisted of wax tablets held together by leather ties, a system that replaced volumen (papyrus scrolls). Later, the wax tablets were replaced by parchment, and the leaves were sewn onto ox nerves.
What’s fascinating is that binding techniques changed very little over the centuries. Nowadays, oxen’s nerves have been replaced by hemp twine, but the same terms and the same tools are still used: cousoir, folder, punch, etc.
Knowing that the techniques I use today are those of the Middle Ages, the golden age of bookbinding, is extremely satisfying. This craft has survived the centuries, evolving in its materials while retaining its essence.
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Thank you very much for your comment.
Nathalie