Comments on: At Sangorski & Sutcliffe

By: Michelle edwards

Michelle edwards — Mon, 08 Apr 2024 21:28:15 +0000

My Nan worked there until 1974. I still have the book she was given as a retirement gift

By: Jane

Jane — Sat, 31 Mar 2018 13:02:10 +0000

My grandfather was workshop foreman for this company at one time and helped with the production of the Bibles and Order of Service books for Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953. Fascinating blog

By: John Campbell

John Campbell — Tue, 30 May 2017 19:59:13 +0000

Great post, really interesting. I thought the young woman in picture 4 looked very 21st century!

By: gkbowood

gkbowood — Tue, 30 May 2017 17:27:19 +0000

WELL! This definitely calls for an encore visit to SEE that (hopefully now finished!) jeweled edition of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam!! Loved this look back at a magical process. Thank
you for this post.

By: theodora

theodora — Tue, 30 May 2017 13:24:41 +0000

What a fantastic post! thank you

By: Gary Arber

Gary Arber — Tue, 30 May 2017 11:32:23 +0000

I wonder if this was the company who bound the book containing the record of the murder at the red barn. The murderer of this well documented murder was hung and his corpse was skinned and used to bind this book. People who have handled this book say that it has an unpleasant feel.
Gary.

By: Wendy Lowe

Wendy Lowe — Tue, 30 May 2017 08:01:49 +0000

Thank you for writing about this interesting firm.

By: John Barrett

John Barrett — Tue, 30 May 2017 07:56:59 +0000

This is a fascinating blog by GA today showing aspects of the printing trade rarely seen. Book production shown here would be for the top end of the trade. Equipment shown could be hundreds of years old in design and shop floor presence. Skills have been past down with little change. These super-printers and binders are tops with the restoration (shown here) and enhancement of old books, manuscripts & docs for National Libraries, Museums & Private collections saving many for posterity. My favourite’s are the heavy bound leather volumes with tooled or embossed gold inlay, one can only gasp at the quality, nice to see, touch & smell can be heavy. My late father in law told me aspects of the trade. He was a small job printer humdinger of a bloke his work discipline reflected in his home life nice. He had a break went to war and earned his medals. Poet John

By: Shawdian

Shawdian — Tue, 30 May 2017 07:27:04 +0000

Good to see those people at work on a skill which has fascinated me since childhood, whence I loved the knowledge, look, form & smell of books and led me to make my own hand made journals for note recording etc. I stayed with the Monks at Quarr Abbey just up the road from where I live and was thrilled to watch them at work Book Binding and seeing some of the most beautiful craftmanship I know I will never again see at such close quaters. At the start of the E-books revolution many predicted the end of realtime books; “Never!” As convenient as the e-books are, you can not beat the Anticipation, Joy, Closeness, Feel and Smell of One of The Greatest Pleasures in Life : Holding a Real Book in ones hands and when you finish reading its secret contents, you then have the long term pleasure of seeing your collection of books on your shelves. Some of my most treasured books are signed first editions, some from 1874 and I wonder who those people were who made those treasures and the strangers who owned those books before me, their hands and their minds leafing through beautiful leather bound books crisp white or cream pages still passing on their message into the modern world. But my most treasured are the ones signed and anotated by George Bernard Shaw. Books bring you close to their creators in a personal way no e-book ever can. A book is as personal and as individual as the person who creates them and the people who buy and read them. Thank you Sangorski & Suttcliff and well done, the book binding skills you are continuing are very important. Long may the skills of book binding continue.

By: Valerie-Jael

Valerie-Jael — Tue, 30 May 2017 04:49:40 +0000

Wonderful photos – I wonder where the finished book went to? Glad the firm is still in existence. Valerie