A solid oak sketching journal and notebook. This is my wooden interpretation of the wonderful Dos Rapporté binding created by Ben Elbel. I have always loved the hinging action of this binding.

 

The design was inspired by the announcement of the first image of a supermassive black hole captured by the Event Horizon Telescope, which shows the event horizon, the edge of space and time where the force of gravity is so strong that no light can escape it. To represent this the centre of the front board was carved and stained black.. The spine board was carved and burned to represent the cosmic microwave background, and the caterpillar stitch depicts the physical forces that hold the universe together.

The signatures were sewn to the boards using Barbour linen thread and a 2-Needle Coptic Sewing at the head and tail. A second sewing along the spine was performed to anchor the signatures to raised supports and a central hemp strap that runs through both boards and buttons the book closed on the fore edge.

 

The Dos Rapporté binding was achieved by hinging three spine pieces to the front and back boards, which allows the book to lie flat when open. To ensure the back board is level when the book is used on a flat surface two stained wooden feet were attached to the back board with brass binding posts.

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What I like most about this book is how the hinging action of the spine provides so much flexibility to an otherwise rigid and solid structure. The binding is an exposed coptic sewing which is inherently flexible, whilst the spine board adds protection and stability.