Vladimir Nabokov, Speak, Memory (G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1962). Bound by Gillian Stewart, 2026.
Bookbinder's Statement
Taking on the binding of a memoir of such a skilled writer as Vladimir Nabokov, is no mean feat, and this book covers a lifetime of observations, relationships, places and memories. I was struck by two things that acted as a continuous thread throughout this book, which provided huge inspiration and a guiding light for my design. In Speak, Memory, memory and recollection itself is a creative act. Memories are layered over each other, returned to and expanded.
This layering informed the multiple layers and textures that exist in this design. The second inspiration came in the many and varied descriptions of light in this book. The first line refers to light : “The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness”.
Throughout the book there are many more. In particular, I was drawn to this description to inform my design: “I see the awakening of consciousness as a series of spaced flashes, with the intervals between them gradually diminishing until bright blocks of perception are formed, affording memory and a slippery hold”.
Both of these aspects evoke things coming in and out of focus through observation and time. Through use of light, gold and textures, I hope to convey a sense of something precious being recalled and rehandled.
Technical Details
Full leather binding. Hand dyed Hewit’s fair goat. Dyed with multiple layers of resists, aniline and spirit dye, as well and hand tooling and gold leaf. Edge to edge leather doublures. Endpapers of hand dyed Japanese papers. Edges decorated in the rough with acrylic inks and gold and caplan leaf. Housed in a clamshell box.
