Panther Peak Bindery
What photos were selected for the site?
I intentionally did not only select the cream of the crop, these bindings range from spectacular to mundane and I wanted the photos on this site to reflect that.
What is the numbering system for the books?
There are mostly three letters plus a number for each book. The first letter is the type of binding (M is millimeter, S is Sandgren, R is Rubow, P is paper, H is a half binding, etc.) With some of the photos it might be difficult to see what kind of binding it is, so the first letter can help with that. The second two letters are the initials of the binder. Books with an X are unsigned books. I added this catalog number to the images in case someone has questions about a particular book, but I also added the name and cover paper style in the hopes that the “site search” would also be able to locate books through the photo descriptions.
What is the difference between paper types?
I try to distinguish between: paste papers; decorated papers; Salto papers; marbled; and plain paper. Paste papers also include papers which I think the binder might or potentially could have made in their bindery in a method other than printing. Decorated papers are those which were printed. Of course there are papers which could have been printed that I guessed might have been paste papers and vice versa. Fortunately web sites can be changed in an instant, so if I got something wrong please let me know. Salto papers were designed by Salto and were labeled as such when I purchased them. There are some labeled as marbled paper that might be paste papers and, again, vice versa. There are some with only plain, unadorned paper used on the covers, these are described in the inscriptions as paper.
Comments on the photos?
Except in a few cases I did not do editing or processing on the photos on the site. Mainly because I wanted to get the site up. The plan is to finish off the last few pages, and then I’ll go back and work on the photos that need work. Many need only cropping, but I think the ones that are here now are useful, even if they need a bit of work. Or maybe rephotographing. And as time goes on I’ll be adding more examples, there are more books and bookbinders in the collection that deserve being put out into the world in this way.
Some of the galleries have quite a few photos and can take a while to load, depending on your internet speed.
