Paperblanks Turquoise Chronicles Hardback Guest Book – Plain, 144 Pages

Gather wishes, memories and signatures from weddings, celebrations and special occasions in this Turquoise Chronicles hardback guest book from Paperblanks, with 144 plain pages.

This cover is based on the binding for a book titled Chroniques, published by Salel Binder in Paris in 1514. The exuberance of the design reflects the splendour of the Renaissance approach to decoration. In this green-blue journal cover you may see the intricacies of your own stories.

The Story Behind the Design

Whenever we introduce a new antique cover design, we touch upon the thread of bookbinding traditions that weaves its way through time and space. Our Turquoise Chronicles design was inspired by one such decorative book cover representing a key point in the evolution of the European branch of the craft.

The design reproduced on our Turquoise Chronicles cover originally hails from the Salel Binder in Paris. The book was published in the early 16th century, when Paris was a flourishing centre of the publishing trade. The city’s reputation was second only to that of Venice, which was spearheading the Renaissance movement and looked to by the rest of Europe for artistic ideas and influences. It was at this time that the gold tooling technique arrived in France from the Islamic realm, where it had originally developed. Combined with the French king’s generous patronage of the arts, this ushered in an age of superb French book binding.

Turquoise Chronicles features an especially fine example of early 16th-century French gold tooling. Formed in a graceful, flowing ornament of interlaced arabesques and delicate dots, it shows hints of its Eastern influences and of the decorative styles that would soon emerge in the ateliers of other French binders.

To bring out the details of the original pattern on our cover design, we contrasted the gold with a jewel-like turquoise background. The many hues of the cover surface have a mesmerising look of a never-still ocean, an ancient witness of all things past that invites you to contemplation. Echoing this idea of a record keeper is the title given to the series, Turquoise Chronicles, named so after the original contents of the binding, a book entitled Chroniques.

• Original artwork: Chroniques, crafted by Salel Binder
• Era: 16th century
• Region: Paris

Product Details

• Size: Guest Book – 230 × 180 × 24 mm
• Interior: Plain
• Pages: 144 (72 sheets)
• Paper: 120 gsm acid-free cream laid paper
• Cover: Hardback
• Closure: Decorative metal clasp
• Binding: Smyth sewn – lies flat and stays durable
• Edge printing: Yes
• Corners: Rounded
• Design: Turquoise Chronicles
• Collection: Chroniques
• Satin ribbon marker
• 100% recycled binder boards
• Decorative printed cover paper
• Threaded stitching and glue, as needed
• Cloth headbands
• Acid-free paper
• Weight: 518 g
• Product code: PB3218-2 | ISBN: 9781439732182

About Paperblanks

Paperblanks works with museums, libraries, galleries and artists around the world to faithfully reproduce remarkable artwork, historic bindings and treasured manuscripts. Every book is made to last, with binder boards crafted from 100% recycled materials, and the back endpaper tells the fascinating story behind the cover design and credits its creators.