While booksellers at many bricks-and-mortar stores weigh the advantages and costs of adding print-on-demand services through an Espresso Book Machine, high-end art book publisher Assouline has decided to move in the opposite direction by offering custom binding. In partnership with Paul Vogel of Bespoke Bindery, who serves as artisan in residence, the press offers one-of-a-kind bindings and demonstrations of hand-binding at its flagship store at New York City’s Plaza Hotel.
The EBM may be able to print a book in the time it takes to make a cup of coffee, but a quick turn around for Bespoke is closer to four weeks. Typically its books take between six and eight weeks to complete, because they involve custom colors, covers, casing, handmade endpapers, embossing, and monograms. They can also range from 9 inches to two feet tall. “Someone from the 1500s could walk into our bindery and feel very much at home,” says Vogel, who has crafted White House guest books for five U.S. presidents and whose books can be found in the Library of Congress and other libraries.
Vogel, whose very first client was Crown Books, says that his most challenging requests include a case for a crystal ball from the 1800s so it could be easily accessed, but protected, and a dimensional doorway set into the cover of a book. “After three decades,” says Vogel, “it’s still fun. It’s the variety not only of the projects but the people I deal with, from Billy Graham to Tiger Woods’s father to presidents. It gives them a better appreciation of the book as an object.”
To streamline the custom process, Assouline displays several binding styles and numerous samples. However, Vogel pursues special requests, like a 22-karat gold embossed family album or a red leather monogrammed tome.
