Flattery
Well-Known Member
Re: The Nine Gates Engravings/Woodcuts
You're right -- there were several props used if I recall correctly. I can't for the life of me find the source of that information, but the picture I posted above is definitely black sheepskin. I've worked with it before, and many other leathers of different colors, and brown will always show through a direct flash, no matter how black it seems to the eye. The photo of the book I bound that I posted earlier looks black to the eye, but in the photo the brown shows.
Watching the movie closely, the book that Depp handles in the library looks black to me -- it has a large title plate whereas the other copies shown in the movie have a smaller one, offset toward the right gutter. When Fargas points out the discoloration on Balkan's copy, that is 100% black leather. But yes, most of them look brown as you point out. So we're both right.
Either way we go with color, the prop would be screen accurate. I choose to make mine black because it is a color associated with the occult, and many fine bindings ("fine" being a type of binding if unfamiliar, basically the top of the market) were done in black. It was also generally reserved for important work.
My educated assumption based on practices at the time and the content is that Torchia would have chosen black. My theory on the brown color of the secondary props is that black doesn't respond well to artificial aging, whereas brown does, and in fact looks quite nice, especially on camera. So it makes sense to me why most of the props were brown for the aged and distressed effect. But, after years of studying and practicing classical binding, I can't in good conscience choose brown as a color given the nature of the content.
I probably would choose brown if I wanted to make a 100% screen accurate prop replica, but the book construction and longevity would be sacrificed if I were to bind the book in exactly the same manner. It would fall apart sooner than I would like. What I'm trying to do is find a synthesis between the two -- well constructed, traditional binding with screen-accurate content that will last a long time.
EDIT: Description from The Club Dumas: "Black morocco, five raised bands, no title on the exterior, a pentacle on the cover."
Here I go rambling again. Bookbinding is insanely complicated, so please take my word that I know what I'm doing here. I do admit that I am deviating from several aspects of the prop(s), but my intent is to act as if the prop had truly been bound in the 17th century.
Here are the typeset, printed, folded and cut sections for the first book (I chose the Kessler copy):
It's taken me all day to get these printed and folded. Last night I spent several hours adjusting the margins and character spacing to reflect common 17th C. typesetting practices, with a few random adjustments just to make the abbreviated Latin pop a bit more on the page.
The next step is to sew these in a "flexible" style, meaning that they will be sewn on five hemp cords that will eventually be laced into the cover boards. Before that, the spine will be rounded and backed, then the cords frayed for lacing. What will follow is the boards being attached, silk endbands being sewn, the leather cut, pastewashed, colored, pared, then the book covered and tooled. I will likely not get to sewing these until Friday, but -- good progress today!
Cheers!
You're right -- there were several props used if I recall correctly. I can't for the life of me find the source of that information, but the picture I posted above is definitely black sheepskin. I've worked with it before, and many other leathers of different colors, and brown will always show through a direct flash, no matter how black it seems to the eye. The photo of the book I bound that I posted earlier looks black to the eye, but in the photo the brown shows.
Watching the movie closely, the book that Depp handles in the library looks black to me -- it has a large title plate whereas the other copies shown in the movie have a smaller one, offset toward the right gutter. When Fargas points out the discoloration on Balkan's copy, that is 100% black leather. But yes, most of them look brown as you point out. So we're both right.
Either way we go with color, the prop would be screen accurate. I choose to make mine black because it is a color associated with the occult, and many fine bindings ("fine" being a type of binding if unfamiliar, basically the top of the market) were done in black. It was also generally reserved for important work.
My educated assumption based on practices at the time and the content is that Torchia would have chosen black. My theory on the brown color of the secondary props is that black doesn't respond well to artificial aging, whereas brown does, and in fact looks quite nice, especially on camera. So it makes sense to me why most of the props were brown for the aged and distressed effect. But, after years of studying and practicing classical binding, I can't in good conscience choose brown as a color given the nature of the content.
I probably would choose brown if I wanted to make a 100% screen accurate prop replica, but the book construction and longevity would be sacrificed if I were to bind the book in exactly the same manner. It would fall apart sooner than I would like. What I'm trying to do is find a synthesis between the two -- well constructed, traditional binding with screen-accurate content that will last a long time.
EDIT: Description from The Club Dumas: "Black morocco, five raised bands, no title on the exterior, a pentacle on the cover."
Here I go rambling again. Bookbinding is insanely complicated, so please take my word that I know what I'm doing here. I do admit that I am deviating from several aspects of the prop(s), but my intent is to act as if the prop had truly been bound in the 17th century.
Here are the typeset, printed, folded and cut sections for the first book (I chose the Kessler copy):
It's taken me all day to get these printed and folded. Last night I spent several hours adjusting the margins and character spacing to reflect common 17th C. typesetting practices, with a few random adjustments just to make the abbreviated Latin pop a bit more on the page.
The next step is to sew these in a "flexible" style, meaning that they will be sewn on five hemp cords that will eventually be laced into the cover boards. Before that, the spine will be rounded and backed, then the cords frayed for lacing. What will follow is the boards being attached, silk endbands being sewn, the leather cut, pastewashed, colored, pared, then the book covered and tooled. I will likely not get to sewing these until Friday, but -- good progress today!
Cheers!
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