We are delighted to announce the upcoming opening of a new exhibit highlighting a selection of rare books from the University of Michigan's collections, each of which illustrates binding topics featured in "Suave Mechanicals," the acclaimed nine-volume series dedicated to the study of the art and history of bookbinding.
Spanning from 2013 to 2025, the series Suave Mechanicals contains 85 essays, 27 of which examine the same type of binding as the artifacts on display. Edited by Julia Miller and published by Cathleen A. Baker of The Legacy Press, the series was conceived as a platform for fresh, in-depth scholarship on bookbinding, from its earliest origins to contemporary practice.
Contributors include first-time authors and established experts — bookbinders, conservators, librarians, curators, catalogers, book artists, collectors, and historians — offering a vibrant array of voices and insights into the craftsmanship, culture, and enduring fascination of bookbinding.
Join us for a conversation with Julia Miller and Cathy Baker in Coffee with the Curator on October 1st, 10am-12pm.
Type of Event: Exhibit
When: September 8 - December 15
Where: Hatcher Gallery Exhibit Room
Hatcher Library North, First Floor, Room 100J
Spine and front cover of The Book of Common Prayer…. Cambridge: Printed by John Archdeacon, Printer to the University; And sold by Benjamin White, Charles Dilly, and Frances & Charles Rivington, in London; and J&J Merrill in Cambridge, 1792. Bound with a Brady & Tate version of the Psalms, title page lacking. Contemporary red goatskin; tooled in gold, including Greek key roll; spine gilt, and unlettered.
Plain endpapers elaborately decorated with owner inscriptions/paintings. The Book of Common Prayer…. Cambridge: Printed by John Archdeacon, Printer to the University; And sold by Benjamin White, Charles Dilly, and Frances & Charles Rivington, in London; and J&J Merrill in Cambridge, 1792.
This extraordinary copy of The Book of Common Prayer (Cambridge, 1792) is featured in the exhibit and is held at the Special Collections Research Center. It represents Rosa Moore's essay, “Finding Identity on the Endpapers: Folk Traditions of Writing and Drawing in Books.” Suave Mechanicals, Vol. 2, pp. 298-381.