This is the second review of a Craftboy Workshop Blankety Blank Book. This book is made from reclaimed hardback covers from old Reader’s Digest Condensed Editions. Both the front and back covers are salvaged and filled with creamy hand stitched signatures of blank paper. The spine board is new book cloth selected to coordinate with the print on the covers. The hardest thing I had to do was to choose only one of the many beautiful covers.
Above is a photo of the whole display of Reader’s Digest covers to choose from at the Ric Rac Roundup last weekend. Now you see why it was so hard to pick just one?
These blank books were bound using a method Craftboy refers to as the Lost Belgian binding.
Inside each book is a book plate. I just love the attention to detail! With its hand stitched binding, the book opened easily and laid flat with no effort on my part, the sign of a quality hand binding.
Once again, I put a book to the pen test. Every pen went smoothly onto the paper with no effort. (If you’re curious, all pens came from Jet Pens except the Sharpie which I swiped off my husband’s desk.)
From the reverse side of the page, these is just a touch of show-through on the Pilot Envelope Pen and the Sharpie is clearly visible.
Inside the back cover is a label that includes information about the original publication date of the Reader’s Digest book from which the covers came. I find this detail to be an exquisite nod to its history. Again, I have no specifics as to a method to order one of these books online but you can try emailing Craftboy via his website.
