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© Hugo Julliot & Louise Bescond
© All rights reserved
© All rights reserved
© All rights reserved

Louise Bescond

  • Bookbinder
  • Brussels, Belgium
  • Master Artisan
Louise Bescond Bookbinder
Contact
French, English
Hours:
By appointment only
Phone:
+32 499236154
© All rights reserved

Binding books as Haute Couture

  • • Louise started this job when she was 19
  • • Her technique follows the French traditional method
  • • Binding a book means to pass on its contents and secure it for the future

Louise Bescond is orthodox in technique but daring in decoration. For her, binding a book is not just an aesthetic feat, it means valuing its content – protecting it over time and passing on its contents. It is a real art dedicated to memory. The Latin concept "scripta manent" is more valid than ever. The technique takes up the ancient tradition of French binding. But creativity is her signature. And she asks that those who turn to her trust her art, leaving her free to improvise. It is here that Louise’s hand finds real inspiration. A hand that weaves a tailored dress to the book, in harmony with the content. A diary will have a different look to a novel from the 19th century. And that’s why it is such a special art, which takes a lot of time. And why it still fascinates her – and her customers.

Read the full interview

Works

  • © Hugo Julliot & Louise Bescond
  • © Hugo Julliot & Louise Bescond
  • © Hugo Julliot & Louise Bescond
  • © Hugo Julliot & Louise Bescond
  • © Hugo Julliot & Louise Bescond
Photo: © Hugo Julliot & Louise Bescond
Jules Laforgue, Le Sanglot de La Terre

This classical full leather binding is crafted following the French tradition of book binding. The binding is sewn with five hemp cords and linen thread, and the flyleaves are crafted with blue goatskin suede. All the edges are gilt on deckle edges with gold-leaf. The cover is crafted from natural calf leather, dyed in various shades of blue, embossed and powdered with gold.

Photo: © Hugo Julliot & Louise Bescond
Jules Laforgue, Le Sanglot de la Terre

This manuscript is bound with a classical full leather binding, in the great French tradition. The manuscript is sewn with five hemp cords and linen thread, rounded and backed. All the edges are gilt on deckle edges with gold-leaf. The cover is crafted from natural calf leather, dyed in various shades of blue, embossed and powdered with gold.

Photo: © Hugo Julliot & Louise Bescond
Patrick Modiano, Pour que tu ne te perdes pas dans le quartier

The soft cover of this novel by Patrick Modiano is bound with a full leather binding, in the great French tradition of this craft. The novel is sewn with five hemp cords and linen thread. The interior is finished with leather end bands and pearl grey goatskin suede flyleaves. All edges are gilt on deckle edges with white gold. The book is covered in natural calf leather, dyed in various shades of blue and embossed.

Photo: © Hugo Julliot & Louise Bescond
André Gide, Les Faux-monnayeurs

This novel by André Gide is crafted following the great French tradition of binding. The novel is sewn with five hemp cords and linen thread. It is crafted with endcaps, edge-to-edge gold covered paper doublures and brown goatskin suede flyleaves. The edges are gilt with deckle edges with gold-leaf. The cover is crafted form natural calf leather, dyed in various shades of pink, embossed, and powdered with gold. On the boards, there are burled walnut inlaid panels.

Photo: © Hugo Julliot & Louise Bescond
Arthur Rimbaud, Correspondance inédite

This book is bound in a classical full leather binding, following the great French tradition of the craft. The book is sewn with five hemp cords and linen threads. The cover is crafted from natural calf leather, dyed in various shades of blue, embossed and sown with hundreds of palladium dots, on a regular frame. Edge-to-edge doublures and flyleaves are crafted from the same leather, with the same design.

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