Cover to Cover: How People Bind Their Books Opening Reception

There are as many ways to bind a book as there are types of books and types of readers. Before the industrial revolution, bookbinding was a separate trade from publishing, and many of the historic bindings that we see were bespoke products, commissioned by their owners. This exhibition will cover all different types of books, from miniature books to enormous folios, gold-stamped publishers’ binding to stab-stitched paper wrappers, treasured bibles to ephemeral almanacs, nineteenth century marbled papers to fifteenth century stamped leather, and more! We will also peer into the ‘guts’ of historic bindings to see how they were constructed, from the bookbinder’s craft to the print and manuscript waste hiding inside. Come judge books by their covers and experience some of Pequot Library’s hidden treasures. Enjoy an opening reception with a gallery tour by our Special Collections Librarian, Jamie Cumby, Ph.D. Light hors d’oeuvres and wine served.