About this Item
Secreta concisely describes three methods for laying gold leaf for manuscript illumination. The methods are based on formulae, begin with the medieval, and end with the modern: gum arabic, gesso, and hyplar. Nineteen monochrome photographs visually describe the gesso process and there are numerous in-text line drawings to complement the text. Included are a Foreword, Introduction, Technical Notes, Glossary, Bibliography and Resources. This book on gold leafing is self-referencing, as it is in a spectacular, blind tooled, and gold leafed binding by Talin Bindery. The binding is unique and the bindery is no longer doing work of this type. Finely bound in green Morocco leather over boards, with 4 raised bands and 5 compartments. The binding is hand tooled in gilt blind with a central device in horizontal framing and divided into quadrants. The front and back have identical designs, with the front bearing title, subtitle, and author in blind. The compartments have floriform devices in gilt blind. The pastedowns and endpapers are marbled in-house by Talin, and the variegated greens compliment the binding. Binder's tag at the tail of the rear pastedown. One of a limited edition of 200 trade copies from a total edition of 250 published by The Alcuin Press, the private press of Charles Lehman, Portland, Oregon. Being a calligrapher, his first published books were on that topic, but the press branched topically to other types of handwriting, ornamentation, and history. This book's design by Charles Lehman and set in Centaur display type and Janson text by Irish Setter, the typesetting business of Patti Morris and Martin White. Printed by Ash Creek Press on Karma text paper. This oblong 16mo book is 6 1/2" x 9 1/4". Paginated [21],2-67,[3],70-77,[2],82-83,[2],86-90,[3],94-95,[3] for 112 pp. All text block edges trimmed and the top edge gilt. Bound by the Talin Bookbindery, this unique copy was not originally for sale, but was created to be displayed as an example of the bindery's finest work. In absolutely clean, sharp-cornered, Fine condition.; B&W Illustrations; Oblong 16mo 6" - 7" tall; 112 pages.
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