One of the high points of my book collecting was buying 85 Franklin Library’s leather-bound signed books at a discounted price! And the collection included books signed by Kurt Vonnegut, Maya Angelou, Nadine Gordimer, Arthur Miller, Elie Wiesel, VS Naipaul and Robert Ludlum. The only problem was the books were delivered to the wrong address! After two weeks of search and multiple conversations with the postal department, I finally laid my hands on this prized collection. Franklin went out of business in 2000 and although these books may not be considered a rarity in the secondary market, for a book collector, they are still a great addition.
So, what is special about leather-bound books? Leather is synonymous with tradition in fine book publishing and collecting. The Nag Hammadi Library, a collection of some of oldest surviving books in the world, consists of 13 Coptic papyrus codices bound in leather, dating from 3 CE. It was most likely for practical reasons that leather was used as a method of holding together the pages of a book. Properly prepared animal skin is far more sturdy and durable than other materials, and domestic animal husbandry produces a ready supply of hides. A true collector would be aware of the varieties of leather, leather bindings, decorative techniques, colours and patterns.
I have been a subscriber to Easton Press, one of the few publishers still in the business of selling leather-bound books and have always looked forward to the monthly delivery of a signed modern classic. Easton Press is a world leader in the design and development of fine leather-bound books. They are stamped on the spine with 22 carat gold, have silk endpapers, and require no more care than that with which you would handle any other book. Some Easton Press classic editions include Moby Dick, Jane Eyre, and The Odyssey, and one of the most prized is a limited signed edition of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The price can range from approximately `1,700 to over `8,600 depending on the quality of leather. One thing I learnt is that if the book is unopened and retained with its shrink wrap, the value increases in the secondary market, even though ideally we should remove the shrink wrap for better longevity. And of course, as a real collector, you want to open and savour the book!
Easton Press and Folio Society are top of the line publishers focused on leather- bound books that primary sell through subscription. Barnes and Noble also sells them but at cheaper rates, and it makes them easily available through their retail outlets. In my personal collection of over 200 leather-bound signed books I would rate the Folio Society books a notch higher than the Easton Press because I like their original artwork. Another aspect to note is that all these books are machine made: handmade leather-bound books are rarer and more expensive.
While Easton Press books are reprints, Folio Society books have new versions, translations, and editions. They are also made of genuine leather and come with a slipcase to help protect your books. Finally, while I don’t collect Barnes and Noble leather-bound books, I must confess I find them beautiful.
And if there is a favourite of mine, it is Folio Society’s Ulysses by James Joyce. It is an exceptional collector’s edition published in 2022. It features a numbered slipcase and is limited to only 500 copies worldwide. The book is leather-bound and illustrated by John Vernon Lord, with the illustrator’s signature included. The edition is a must-have for any serious collector with an interest in literature and fiction.
Leather-bound books are constructed to withstand many years of use and still retain their beauty. These books serve the needs of collectors to acquire luxurious volumes of lasting meaning, beauty, and importance.
(The writer’s views are personal)