Culture: Books, Exhibits, Objects
The Morgan Library & Museum
OBJECT LESSON Bookbinding for Cirque Designed by Paul Bonet 1959 Most of the bindings designed by French bookbinding artist Paul Bonet in the 1950s were some variation on a swirl. This one, designed to cover André Suarès’ Cirque, was especially intricate. But somebody murdered the publisher, and the book was never printed. A half-dozen copies exist, elaborately bound but blank inside. Skin doesn't just wrap a living body; it's a vital organ itself. The same could be said for a book's binding. Yes, says George Fletcher, curator at the Morgan Library in New York, the binding's primary purpose is "to ward o. the tooth of time" from the pages it holds. But some bindings transform a book from printed word to artifact. Witness the example shown above, one of the more contemporary artifacts in the Morgan's holdings. J.P. Morgan started collecting bookbindings over 100 years ago. Now the library named for him owns more than 1,000 historically and artistically signi. cant bindings spanning the globe and 1,600 years. A selection of 55 outstanding works are on display in "Protecting the Word: Bookbindings of the Morgan" from Dec. 5 through March 29. themorgan.org
