The bookbinding shown in the image above presents a cutaway model of a book bound in a medieval, Carolingian style. The term ‘Carolingian’ refers to the style and techniques of bookbinding that were prevalent during the Carolingian Renaissance, roughly between the 8th and 9th centuries, under the reign of Charlemagne and his successors. This binding was my earliest attempt at recreating the Carolingian method of binding a book.

Carolingian binding construction

The construction of a Carolingian binding begins with the boards. Historically, these boards were primarily crafted from oak, although beech, poplar, or plane wood were also utilized. However, for recuded costs, this model employs medium-density fibreboard (MDF). I drilled and carved holes and channels into the MDF to accommodate 3 mm thick flax cords, which secure the quires to the boards. Identical holes and channels were also added for the endbands.

Once done preparing the boards, I sew the quires onto the supports using thinner flax yarn, approximately 0.75 mm thick. The model features three sewing supports, two of which are clearly visible in the spine image above. Each support is characterized by two thick flax cords running parallel from one hole to the next. Additionally, a third support is visible poking through the leather cover. These supports play a crucial role in maintaining the structural integrity of the book.

Endbands

After sewing the quires onto the supports, I cut the paper to size along the board’s edges. Unfortunately, I did not photograph the book before trimming the pages. Once trimmed, I glued leather tabs to the spine and sewed the endbands. For this model, I employed two different methods for sewing the endbands: a supported straight sewing method at the top and an unsupported endband sewing method following the Coptic technique at the bottom.

Bottom endband

The unsupported Coptic style of sewing an endband mostly disappears due to the leather tab. Though easy to apply and structurally sound, it is the least aesthetically pleasing solution. In my opinion, it looks like a series of knots connected by short, arced pieces of yarn. A similar technique got used on the square edges of the tab. But this doesn’t look particularly better, as it gives a crude appearance. For these reasons, I decided future models will all use either supported sewing of the straight or herringbone type.

Top endband

The straight supported type of sewing an endband essentially involves wrapping the binding thread around a thicker, more durable core. The core, together with the binding thread, links the end of the quires with the ends of both boards. However, since I incorrectly sewed the endband, opening the book caused it to loosen and warp. As a result, it has an unwelcome, malformed look. A properly executed straight supported endband would lie perfectly flat.

Fastening

I created the clasp and its attachment point using various hand tools and a column drill. The attachment point is made from a ⌀ 4 mm brass rod, which I improvisedly milled into an orb shape. The clasp itself consists of two 0.5 mm brass plates wedging a leather strap, riveted together using brass nails. Finally, I attached it to the boards in a recess using four more brass nails.