Sermons of John Calvin upon the Booke of Job

The Tennessee Arts Commission’s Master/Apprentice program paired us with artist Jennifer Knowles of Nashville’s Brown Dog Bindery. We spent over 100 hours together in the shop, first expanding her bookbinding skills and then collaborating on a number of bindings featuring her woodburning. This is my favorite from that program, a Banner of Truth Facsimile edition (1993) of a small folio from 1574. Titled, Sermons of Maister John Caluin vpon the Booke of Job, it reproduces the sixteenth century Georgii Bishop printing.

The book was resewn on raised cords and bound in alum-tawed goatskin. Thick boards were inset so that Jennifer’s painted wood panels could be attached, and then we created the “frames” by applying black morocco around the edges, onlaying red and white leather, and then tooling hundreds of tiny dots, stars, etc. Her paintings capture pivotal scenes bookending the beginning and end of Job’s story. The outside of our binding is exceedingly simple, being tooled only in blind, but the silk doublures and gorgeous panels inside make for one of our favorite bindings.