Somerset Place

Being a book lover goes far beyond reading. Of course it means you love to consume stories of all kinds, but it also means you love all things book related — pretty bookmarks, nifty reading lights and pillows, journaling about your recent reads, buying T-shirts and stickers emblazoned with your favorite characters, and so much more.

It goes without saying that a true book lover also holds the objects themselves in high regard, seeking out beautiful covers and illustrations, while vintage and handmade tomes are treated with the utmost respect. In honor of World Book Day on April 23rd, we’ve assembled a delightful group of bookbinding and “bookish” studios from the pages of In Her Studio that are sure to inspire both artists and avid readers alike. Enjoy!

LORNA MCCURDY⎟ IN HER STUDIO SPRING 2025

Lorna McCurdy was inspired to become a bookbinder by her love of books and the Arts and Crafts bindings she found on her grandparents’ bookshelves, which were bound by her great-grandmother. After an eye-opening degree in art history, she trained for several years at Morley College and The City Lit Institute. From her bindery in rural Berkshire, she makes books with a focus on craftsmanship, making a variety of handmade books, book restoration, and fine leather-bound books. To learn more, visit lornamccurdy.com and Instagram (@lorna_mccurdy). Lorna welcomes email at lornamccurdybookbinder@gmail.com.

See more in the Spring 2025 Issue of In Her Studio. Photography by Mark Lord.

 

PHAM YEN⎟ IN HER STUDIO SPRING 2024

Pham Yen is the paper artist and vintage book collector behind L’escargot Papier. Starting with childhood creations from reused paper, she turned this passion into a philosophy of creativity and reuse. L’escargot Papier offers vintage and antiquarian books from the 1880s through 1920s as well as handcrafted notebooks from repurposed materials, reflecting a dedication to giving new life to overlooked items. You can find her on Instagram (@lescargot.papier) and visit her website at lescargot-papier.com.

See more in the Spring 2024 Issue of In Her Studio. Photography by Pham Yen.

 

FAITH PRAY⎟ IN HER STUDIO WINTER 2023

Faith Pray (yes, that’s actually her name, by marriage) is the author/illustrator of “Perfectly Imperfect Mira” (Little Brown Young Readers, 2022), the Black-Eyed Susan Award nominee and Crystal Kite award-winning picture book “The Starkeeper” (Random House, 2020), and the illustrator of picture book, “One Day,” by New York Times best-selling author Joanna Ho (HarperCollins, 2023). Faith’s pencils and watercolors are alive with light and movement. She’s especially fond of trying to capture curious moments, emotion, kids, dragons, and bears. She is represented by Molly O’Neill of Root Literary. To learn more, visit faithpraybooks.com, Twitter (@faithpray7), Instagram (@faith.pray), and Facebook (faith.pray).

See more in the Winter 2023 Issue of In Her Studio. Photography by Sarah Wright.

SUSAN GREEN⎟ IN HER STUDIO SPRING 2024

Susan Green is an artisan bookbinder who works from the studio in the garden of her home in Dorset, England. She also mentors and teaches bookbinding. Visit her website, boundbyhand.co.uk, to learn more about her Mentoring for Creatives service, as well as to buy sketchbooks, journals, and wedding and memory books (shipping worldwide). Susan welcomes email at info@boundbyhand.co.uk, and loves to connect with people on Instagram (@boundbyhand).

See more in the Spring 2024 Issue of In Her Studio. Photography by Alison Dewey.

AMBER SKILES⎟ IN HER STUDIO SUMMER 2022

Sister shops The House of Elements and A House of Books specialize in all things books, with a mission to utilize every book that enters the warehouse. The House of Elements curates decorative books used for home decor, ranging in styles from modern to farmhouse. A House of Books brings back the age-old hobby of book collecting by providing rare and signed books to book lovers all over the nation. Customers can also find book-related gift boxes filled with relaxing items and vintage ephemera for paper-crafting enthusiasts. You can find both shops online at thehouseofelements.com and ahouseofbooks.com, and on social media (@thehouseofelements, @a.houseofbooks).

See more in the Summer 2022 Issue of In Her Studio. Photography by Courtney LeClaire.

JOYCE HANKINS⎟ IN HER STUDIO SUMMER 2024

Joyce Hankins is a St. Louis based author and mixed-media artist with a focus on storytelling, world building, and mental health. She has written three books, “The Mage Bonds of Embermoore: Parts 1–6,” which are part of a fantasy romance series available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited. You can check out her world-building videos on TikTok (@theuniversityofcuriosity), sign up for her email newsletter through her website (moonshadow-press.com), or follow her on Instagram (@authorjoycehankins, @moonshadowpress). You are most likely to find her practicing her latte art as a barista, curled up on the couch reading a book (or writing her own), and getting lost in her art!

See more in the Summer 2024 Issue of In Her Studio. Photography by Joyce Hankins.

GAELLE JOLLY⎟ IN HER STUDIO AUTUMN 2023

Gaelle Jolly is a calligrapher and bookbinder based in Oxford in the U.K. She first learned modern calligraphy a decade ago, and went on to set up Inky Square, a stationery and calligraphy business. Gaelle combines traditional bookbinding techniques with paper-making, calligraphy, and letterpress printing to create handcrafted paper goods for dreamers and storytellers. Learn more at inkysquare.com and on Instagram (@inkysquare), or email her at hello@inkysquare.com.

See more in the Autumn 2023 Issue of In Her Studio. Photography by Gaelle Jolly.

 

AMANDA MACKINNON⎟ IN HER STUDIO SUMMER 2024

Amanda Mackinnon is a writer and poet based in Tasmania, Australia. She is the author of the boutique journal Tasmaniology. Amanda’s bespoke poems, carefully brought to life on vintage typewriters, capture the spectacular essence of her wild island home. Follow Amanda on Instagram for her poetry journey (@thewildesmith) and her Tasmanian stories (@thetasmaniantuxedo). Visit her website at thetasmaniantuxedo.com.

See more in the Summer 2024 Issue of In Her Studio. Photography by Joe Chelkowski.

 

How are you celebrating World Book Day?

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