The Edward James Bookbinding Competition

Posted on 2nd August 2024

This annual competition aims to acknowledge, support, and promote emerging bookbinders within West Dean's Books and Binding programme. It takes its inspiration from Edward James (1907-1984), who established West Dean College as an educational community for artists and makers. James was a prolific writer throughout his life and left an extensive collection of his writings, including over 20 published books of poetry and other works.
To mark the 40th year since his death, students on the FdA (Foundation Degree Arts) Books and Bindings programme have been invited to bind and make new covers for copies of his book, The Next Volume, 1939 (first edition 1932). There are multiple copies of his books in the College Collection and many, like these, remain unbound.

James once wrote about his method of issuing his books and, later, reviewing them:
"...I have tried to produce books which in their illustration and general production may achieve a degree of merit which the text itself may not yet have attained... instead of issuing all, at once, for sale, I have thought more fit (after giving one or two copies to my intimate friends) to lay them by in my cellars as one lays up a stock of wine, to wait for it to arrive at such period when it can at last be reviewed in retrospect and drunk in that state of mature fermentation which only the patient years give."

Shuyan Chen
Bookbinders' statement:

This book is bound in semi-transparent paper to emulate vellucent bindings. The hand-painted cover pays homage to women artists of the Chivers bindery in an original design featuring decorative elements derived from those found within West Dean House. The front cover depicts the symbolic figures of Muse and Angel, which have been frequently called upon in the poems: they are the pillars of the poet's creative power, providing guidance and protection respectively. The intertwining shafts rising from the base represent the sacred fire of Vesta, which is alluded to as well. It echoes the illustration on the title page and is a sign of the poet's persistence in the pursuit of his art. The cover is selectively tooled in gold foil. The artist/binder's initials are found on the back cover.
The textblock is sewn on linen tapes. The head edge is trimmed and gilded with gold leaf. The endbands are made with a ribbon, as well as the bookmark. The endpapers are printed Italian papers in a historical reproduction pattern, to reflect the main portion of this volume, written in Italy with a backward gaze.
The slipcase is covered in cloth, with a hand-tooled leather label identifying the printer/publisher. The palette of this binding is blue and gold. Blue stands for the depth of a melancholic, poetic soul, and the many oceans the poet has crossed while he composed his works; gold stands for a taste for the classical, and ideal all creatives aspire to.

Hana Grace Remington
Bookbinders' statement:
Full goat leather binding, sewn on sunken cords, laced on boards, double core silk endbands, uncut text. The inspiration for this binding is unbeknownst love. Using traditional binding techniques, the exterior is symbolic of a Surrealist design, whilst the structure is visible and unhidden through the simplistic endpapers. The vibrancy of his love for life and nature is represented in the vivid grain of the intense green leather, adorned with inlays of orange and purple leather in James's signature. Towards his later years Edward James was unable to use his fountain pens, inspiring him to enrich the pages of his poetry with eccentric colours. Using soft-tipped pens did not hinder his passion for writing.

The magenta, blue and yellow of his beloved macaws are represented in the sewn silk endbands, purposely hiding the traditional beading to represent the missing unity he never found in a human companion. Despite his patronage of Surrealism, fine art, and traditional craft, his own legacy as a poet, through his private press, remained unfulfilled. His unrealized passion is echoed in the empty impression of 'poet' in his own hand. Leaving the pages uncut allows the reader to explore these verses of James's poetry and encounter his intensive musings.

Emily Beattie
Bookbinders' statement:
This copy of Edward James' poetry is bound on stubs in a sketchbook style structure. The stubs allow easy, flat opening of the book and the front board is designed to be able to fold all the way back as if it could have been his pocket notebook or field journal. To continue this theme, the front cover is hand-dyed linen, chosen for its close resemblance to canvas, dedicated to the artists he supported. Tooled gold leaves are scattered in the trees for a hint of light and movement.
The scene depicted is the current view from his grave, looking up into the trees from the stone. The endpapers are a hand-painted landscape, which is visible walking from the burial site towards West Dean. I have also included the statue that once presided over his grave and now resides in the house. Edward James' poetry contains multiple ancient Greek references, so l chose to cast the statue as the muse Calliope keeping watch over him and his legacy.
Other decorative features of the binding include the graphite top edge which is blind tooled to reference the iconic flint that covers the building. The fore-edge and bottom edge have been left undecorated, in keeping with the sketchbook reference. The binding is influenced by Rubrow and Danish millimetre bindings. The top and bottom edges have a continuous hint of natural leather which elevates and complements the handmade bookcloth. The same leather is also used for the endbands where the title is hidden.

Beth Sullivan
Bookbinders's statement:
This version of 'The Next Volume' was sewn together on five recessed cords with a Hahnemuhle hollow and false raised bands. The choice of dark-coloured leather reflected Edward James' poetry, which often explores dark themes. The purple orb in his stained-glass window, a symbol of wealth, inspired the use of purple and indigo blue, further symbolising the wealth of the James family. West Dean is surrounded by nature, so I stamped a floral pattern across the endpapers and the head and tail edges.
The tooling on the book and box also used the same floral and leaf tools in the design. The book is fully covered in goat skin leather with silver foil tooling. For the front cover, I tooled an outline of West Dean College's front entrance; for the back cover, I tooled one of the seating areas in West Dean Gardens.
As the book is fully covered in leather, made a box to protect it. I covered the box with a similarly coloured dark blue buckram and used the same silver foil and floral hand tools to decorate it. On the cover is an illuminated letter 'E' for Edward; on the back l used the same floral design but removed the 'E. The title is blocked onto the box's spine.

These books have been bound by students completing their first year of the Foundation Degree in Books and Binding at West Dean. This is a new degree programme started in 2023 and builds on our long history of Book Conservation programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate level. The College increasingly recognised the lack, nationally and internationally, of programmes that supported the creation of new bound books and the passing on and development of the fine craft skills required. We have been delighted by the number of students who want to become the bookbinders of the future and look forward with great anticipation to the works they will produce.

West Dean would like to thank the competition prize sponsors who through their kind support made this project possible:
Marc Lamb from Harmatan and Oakridge Leather Ltd
David Lanning from J. Hewit & Sons Ltd
Jill Sellars from The Society of Bookbinders, UK