The image above presents a model of a book bound in the 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. This binding uses old, worn leather to imitate the look and feel of an older book.

Carolingian binding construction

To create a Carolingian book, I start by preparing its boards. Historically, these boards were typically oak but could also be made of beech, poplar, or plane wood. For cost savings, this model uses MDF. I drill holes and carve channels into the MDF to accommodate 3 mm thick flax cords, which I use to sew the quires to the boards. I also add identical holes and channels for the endbands.

Once prepared, I sew the quires onto the supports, which attach the bookblock to the boards. These supports are made of 3 mm thick flax rope, while the sewing uses ~0.75 mm thick flax yarn. I loop the thread around the supports, though this method is not shown. All three supports appear as slight bulges on the spine of the bound book.

Endbands

After completing the sewing, I cut the bookblock flush with the sides of the boards. Unfortunately, I don’t have photos of this model before I trimmed the pages. Once trimmed, I glue leather tabs to the spine, which later become the ‘ears’ of the book. Then, I sew the endbands to the ends of the quires at the spine using the supported herringbone pattern.

Both galleries are examples of supported herringbone sewing. Comparable to the supported straight sewing of the Carolingian model B, the herringbone pattern differs in that it alternates the threads. This gives them a staggered, diagonal appearance, not unlike the herringbone pattern of a fish. The pattern also appears more sturdy because the interlocked threads provide more structural support.

Since the supported herringbone sewing endband isn’t significantly more complicated than a straight-sewn one, I’ve decided to use this method for all of my future Carolingian bindings. It appears to be more sturdy, provide extra support to the quires and, in my opinion, simply looks much more better and visually appealing than the other two options.

Fastening

My brassworking appears to be improving. For this model, I decided not to wedge the leather strap between two pieces of brass plating. Instead, I attached a single plate to a parchment-reinforced leather strap using rivets. The clasp itself is also more decorated, featuring a rounded design with three decorative indentations on the backside.