Razor Girl [Design Binding]

New York: Knopf, 2019. Unique. Hardcover. Fine in Fine Archival Box. Unique. Hardcover. "The events in story spiral wildly out of control with razor sharp wit and I wanted to play on the title with a whimsical cover. I have a huge jar filled with used razor blades from a machine that I use to pare leather and decided to secure these onto a leather cover. The leather staple binding style is a throwback leather bomber jackets and embossing the leather with sandpaper is a nod to the sand selling scheme in the story." [artist statement]
Coleen Curry is a contemporary design binder. Since she bound her first book in 2003, Coleen's aim is to craft technically evocative bindings that provide a visual, sensual, and tactile experience. In 2009, Coleen received her Diploma in Fine Binding from the American Academy of Bookbinding (AAB). In addition to teaching at the American Academy of Bookbinding, Coleen has led workshops in leather and stone binding as well as leather dying and surface treatments since 2014. She is past President of the Hand Bookbinders of California and a current Board member of the San Francisco Center for the Book. Her work has been widely exhibited internationally and has won several awards. Coleen's work is held in private and public collections, such as the Bancroft Library, Boston Athenaeum and Bainbridge Museum of Art. Coleen is Canadian and lives on the California coast where she crafts design binding, and in her free time, swims and rock climbs. Tight, bright, and unmarred. Staple binding with calf skin cover affixed to text with 15 wire staples threaded through metal and parchment tackets. Calf skin is hand-dyed, debossed, tooled and painted. Sewn onto cover are 23 blunted, sanded, and painted razor blades. Hand tooled and acrylic painted title recto. Doublures made of embossed and airbrushed suede with 3 additional razor blades. All edges airbrushed with acrylics. Airbrushed paper fly leaves. Original dust jacket bound with book block. 8vo. 333pp.