The Art of Bookbinding - 07.01.2010

By Emily Olson

Born in Madrid, Spain, Carlos SanchezAlamo learned bookbinding at his father’s knee. When he became interested in adding his personal touch to bookbinding, he attended the Estienne School in Paris and graduated with a degree in art bookbinding. Since then, he has opened two workshops of his own over the years; proudly displayed his work in Paris and New York and in areas of Belgium, Germany and Spain; and taught numerous bookbinding courses. He recently spent some time with Stylus to give us a bit of insight into the art bookbinding craft.    

What is art bookbinding?
Art bookbinding is a binding discipline that appeared in France at the beginning of the twentieth century when large artist books printed on high-quality paper were first made. It is a creative, personal discipline based on a rigorous technique, and the end result is closely linked artistically to the person who makes it. The most important aspect of bookbinding is to make an original binding based on a flawless technique, without betraying the book’s content.

How did you begin practicing the art?
My father instilled in me the love and passion for this trade. Since I was a child, I was influenced by his bookbinding business, and I worked in his workshop for two years. My father’s semi-commercial bookbinding is very different from art bookbinding, but I wanted to learn as much as I could from him to prepare myself to go to the Estienne school in Paris. While I worked for my father, I took art bookbinding lessons at the school of Ana Ruiz-Larrea, who is a well-known art binder in Madrid. She taught me everything that can be done on a book. With her, I learned not only to cover or protect a book, but also to embellish it with the binding.

Other than your father and Ana Ruiz-Larrea, who were the other important teachers in your life?
Florent Rousseau, a prestigious French bookbinder, gave me the freedom to create new decorations working with all types of materials. With Florent Rousseau there were no limits on the techniques used in decoration. Another teacher in Paris, François Brindeau, taught me how to be efficient and accurate, and most importantly, to conceive the decoration of the binding as a personal style.

And how would you describe your style?
My work is tied to the traditional construction technique my teachers taught me: The gatherings are sewn to form the book, then protected by two boards covered with leather. What makes each artist different is not the technique, but the decoration, the style and the personality of the work. Art binding must protect and be beautiful, but also should express the personality, style and motivations of the bookbinder. This is the main challenge of art bookbinding.

When I finished my studies in Estienne, I knew that for my work to be acknowledged I had to use new techniques, working and modifying the leather in a different way from that of the other binders.
Most of my works are made in white box calf, which I dye, sand and embellish. I also sometimes will use a computer to create designs that I print on the leather.

What interests me is creating a well-built work, one that breathes quality and shows respect for the content of the book. It makes no sense to do an original decoration if it is not in the service of the book’s text or illustrations.

So you derive inspiration from the books themselves.
Exactly. If you put your personal style before the contents of the book, the end result may be preposterous. I consider it a personal challenge to find the balance between my own style and respect for the book. I’m inspired by the book’s content, but then I season it with a pinch of personal originality.

Nature is also capable of teaching and inspiring; any of my surroundings have the potential to become decorative or abstracted in my work.

Who do you find are most interested in your pieces?
My clients are individuals who want to have illustrated books bound or private European collectors of rare original editions who are seeking a unique and careful binding. Many of these collectors not only want to protect a precious book, but they want a signed binding to add a little personality to their collections.

Tell me about your current workshop.
My shop is a nineteenth century toy shop that my wife and I restored. It’s in a town called La Charité sur Loire, which is two hours outside of Paris. The quality of life in the Charité is extraordinary, and my wife and I have enough space to work and display our art, but are not too far from the center of Paris. 

So your wife is an artist as well.
Yes. She’s a calligrapher.

Then I assume she has an interest in pens. Have you developed an interest as well?
I have. I started a collection of vintage pens about four years ago. I was never happy with my handwriting, but when I discovered the way that old writing instruments could change and embellish my handwriting, I started to get interested in the history of pens.

I am attracted to the beauty of the pens of the 20s and 30s, and especially those manufactured by LeBoeuf. There is something mysterious about this make that fascinates me. The pens are technically very well made, and the colors in the celluloid they used are beautiful. These pens were made more than 70 years ago, but their charm, quality and luxury are still intact.

Do you have a favorite pen in your collection?
I think that if I had to choose one, it would be an oversized thumb-filler in grey and cream. It is a rare model, not only for its excellent state of preservation, but also because I have never seen another large size in this color with the thumb-filler system.

Another pen from my collection that I love is an oversized LeBoeuf CocoBolo. The color is beautiful, the pen breathes quality and it really impresses me when I hold it in my hand.