Book gallery Paul Delrue fine design bindings art leather commissions

Techniques

Design Bindings by Paul C Delrue

Books For Sale

On the occassions when Paul is not binding a book for a client commission, he will frequently bind books for his own pleasure, applying the same amount of care, skill and artistic interpretation that his regular clients have come to expect and appreciate. These books are often snapped up by collectors, but for the first time are now available online. Books are offered on a first-come first-served basis and are therefore subject to still being available at the time of order. To express an interest in purchase, please contact Paul directly via the details on the Contact page.

Click on the images below to see further information, pricing and a closer view of the book.

A Boys Song by James Hogg Illustration by Nicholas Parry Tern Press Limited edition printing of 100 copies SOLD	Faithful John by The Brothers Grimm Engravings by Harry Brockway. The Old Stile Press. Limited edition printing of 220 copies.	Water Collected Poems. Linocuts by Clare Curtis. Limited edition printing of 500 copies from the Incline Press.
Peter Pan By J M Barrie Folio Society In the original play format, published in association with Great Ormond Street Hospital.	The Seared Conscience by Wilfred Owen Nien poems with prints. Nicholas Parry Press. Limited edition printing of 95 copies.	A Shropshire Lad By A E Houseman Illustrations by E Wilson Heritage Press special edition of 1935.
Verses for His Children. by John Clare. Edited by Eric Robinson, decorated by Nicholas Parry. The Tern Press. Limited edition printing of 50 copies.	The Music From behind the Moon. An Epitome by James Branch Cabell. Engravings by Leon Underwood Limited edition printing of 2000 copies in 1926. SOLD	The Garden of The Night Poems translated by Iftikhar Azmi. Whittington Press 1979. Limited edition printing of 240 copies. SOLD

A Gallery of further selected bindings by Paul C Delrue

"A book and its binding are inextricably linked – the one complements the other in a way which creates something more than just a book with an attractive cover. My design bindings draw on what a book says to me and how it inspires me emotionally.

When designing a binding I reflect for some time on the nature of the book – its content, text, illustrations, size, paper, etc. Occasionally clients who commission a binding have their own thoughts which also feed into the design process. It may be that the book suggests to me the need for a piece of art to be incorporated into the design, or it could need a more interpretive or abstract approach. As a result, my bindings are as varied as they are numerous. I utilise a range of the very best quality leathers, papers, cloths, vellum and other materials, and the focus is always on creating a binding which is both technically excellent, and emotionally inspiring."

- Paul C Delrue

	'Daphnis and Chloe' by Longus Full green goatskin binding with green leather panel onlays and onlaid designs in tan. Edges are coloured with acrylic to match the boards, and introducing a range of new colours to the design. Leather doublures in yellow and green with blind tooled tan leather onlaid figures. Suede doublures in dark pink. mirrored in the lining of the green bookcloth protective box. Blind and gold tooling to the front and rear boards. Gold tooled title to the spine. In Private Collection (Hong Kong)		'Carry Me Down' by M J Hyland A Man Booker Binding Sewn onto four tapes, edges coloured in acrylics in brown , white, red and touches of green. Silk sewn headbands of matching colours to tone with the marked brown leather wrapped around the boards in the 'Tudor' style, completed with the face looking towards a misunderstood future life. The face is onlayed natural colour leather. The blind tooled lines are a kind of imprisonment, this effect mirrored on the inside covers which are covered in mid green leather. Housed in a protective box in suede lined cream buckram.
	'Rhondda Poems' by Rhydwen Williams Fully bound in decorative lacunose style leather and with onlaid design. The title suggested to me an atmosphere of brroding hardship; slog and sweat; toil and tribulation. A harsh life set in a bleak landscape which I have captured with a background of dark green relieved by a row of houseproud clean homes, defiantly cheerful against the almost overpowering threat of nature.		'The Flute of Sardonyx' by Edmund John Bound in my 'Tudor style' using goatskin in various tans and browns. Onlaid design in dark brown leather on the front and rear boards of a face in profile. Blind tooled to emphasise the tudor style design.
	'The Somme' by R Foley & H McCartney Bound in full goatskin in earthy colours with 'Tudor style' structure to the front and rear boards. Onlaid design on both boards in natural, red and black leather representing the horrors of the Great War. Edges coloured with acrylics to match the covers Doublures of dark red leather with matching suede flyleaves. Gold tooled title at the base of the spine. Commission Binding.		'The Folding Star' by Alan Hollinghurst A Man Booker Binding Heavily stylised full goatskin leather lacunose covered boards in blues oranges and purples. Edges coloured with acrylics to match the boards.
	'Jude the Obscure' by Thomas Hardy Fully bound in brown leathers of various shades, including blind tooled and sanded panels. Edge coloured in acrylocs to match the covers with a stylised landscape. Onlayed leather figures, mirrored on full leather doublures. Housed in a protective suede lined box in tan bookcloth with tooled design and title in black. Commission Binding.		'Kyffin - A Celebration' Derec Llwyd Morgan (Ed) Bound in grey goatskin with two laconose panels. sewn onto five irish linen tapes with a coloured top edge, the others being deckled. Inside the boards are leather doublures with sude flyleaves. The book is housed in an up-and-over protective box covered in grey cloth and lined inside with suede. Title on the spines of both the book and the box in black. One of a matched pair of bindings. In Private Collection.
	'Land' Poems selected by Eric Williams Images by Garrick Palmer Full red goatskin binding with boards covered in my 'Tudor style' forming attractive raised strips. Lacanose panel applied to front cover representing a landscape scene in earthy tones. Old Stile Press. In Private Collection		'The Twelve' by John Elwyn In my 'Tudor' style, leather Harmatan goatskin in natural colour. On the front cover a black indian ink drawing, done free hand of a boy at prayer. the drawing is on calf. The title is in black along the spine. The edges of the book are coloured, using acrylics, matching the front and back boards. The endpapers are in plain, understated colour. Housed in a protective box lined with suede with the title in black on the front and spine. Dedicated to my friend, Joseph Brunton. In Private Collection.
	'The Man Who Planted Trees' by Jean Giono full tan leather with inlays of light and dark brown, yellow and light and dark green. A pattern and lines of gold tooling complete the design. Tan endpapers. In a brown cloth board envelope folder with paper title label and illustrations on the front and on the inside. In Private Collection.		'The Twelve/Y Deuddeg' by John Elwyn/Glyn Tegai Hughes Bound in full tan goatskin with dark green inlays, with a design of a boy’s face in the central front panel, which is created by a simple relief tooled line design on the front and back. Endpapers in brown and matt cream paper. All edges painted in acrylics in a pattern. Laid in a tan cloth dropback box with dark green suede inside and on side trim; gold tooled title on spine and front of box. In Private Collection.
	'Bewitched' by James Tate Brown cloth spine and three strips down front and back boards, with panels of brown/yellow, and cream hand marbled paper by Jill Scott. On the front board is a black tooled circular and linear relief design inspired by the title-page illustration; with simple black relief linear decorated design on the back board. Brown endpapers. Laid in a brown cloth envelope type portfolio with board sides, embellished on the front with rectangles of the same decorated paper and a design of black rectangular lines. In Private Collection (USA)		'Black Marigolds' by E Powys Mathers In full rust colour goatskin. Heavy sections sewn on six Irish linen tapes with grey coloured end papers. The top edge trimmed and coloured with acrylics, matching the colours of the leather, the other edges are left deckled. Tudor style Delrue covering with onlays of black leather, yellow and rust. Blind tooled lines. Titling in black along the spine. Housed in a suede lined up and over box for protection with the title of the book in black on the spine and front board. Commission Binding.