Leather-bound books

It’s possible to shop for leather-bound books by searching for books issued by specialist publishers.

Easton Press specializes in leather-bound books with mid-range prices. The Franklin Library was a publisher of fine leather editions from the early 1970s until 2000. The Folio Society in the UK sometimes publishes leather-bound limited editions.

Canterbury Classics publishes famous titles in leather covers at affordable prices. Barnes & Noble also has an affordable leather-bound classic collection of books in bonded leather, which is a mixture of leftover real and artificial leather combined with a polyurethane binder – bonded leather is also called reconstituted leather or composition leather. Both Canterbury and Barnes & Noble produce colorful leather editions with minimal use of plain brown leather.

The most expensive leather-bound books are custom bound by leading bookbinding firms such as Bayntun-Riviere, Sangorski & Sutcliffe, Monastery Hill, or Zaehnsdorf. In these cases, the value of the book is in the binding which can feature elaborate gilt designs or lettering.

To understand rare leather-bound books, you need to become familiar with the terms used to describe leather bindings.

Calf is the most common form of leather binding. It has a smooth surface with no identifiable grain. Its natural color is light brown but it can be treated to give a marbled or polished effect.

Morocco bindings, which can be dyed, are made from goatskin and appeal for their appearance. The name has no geographic meaning and just refers to goatskin.

There is also a white leather binding called Vellum, which was originally made from de-greased calfskin and today is produced from lamb, goat or other skins. Books with Cosway bindings, where a miniature painting is inset into the cover, are often bound in fine leather.

A full leather binding covers the front board, rear board and spine. A quarter leather binding covers the spine. Half leather is where the spine and corners are bound in leather.

The long history of leather-bound books has ensured the existence of countless unique books. Traditionally, wealthy people would purchase a book and then take it to a professional bookbinder to have it bound in leather in their preferred style, or according to their budget. This means that when browsing antiquarian books today, we are presented with a wide variety of fine leather bindings.