Artist’s Bookbinding Celebrates Blegen Library’s 75th Anniversary

An internationally renowned artist gains inspiration from the Blegen Library and from her own UC student experience to design an elaborate cover for one of UC’s rare books.

Date: 10/21/2005 12:00:00 AM
By: Dawn Fuller
Phone: (513) 556-1823

Photos By: Archives & Rare Books

The poem by D.H. Lawrence never looked this good. A celebratory binding honoring the 75th anniversary of the Carl Blegen Library now protects a first edition of the D.H Lawrence poem, “The Triumph of the Machine.” The poem was published in 1930, the year that Blegen Library opened as the University of Cincinnati’s Main Library.

The binding reflects the lampposts in front of Blegen Library.

Bound in full brown goat skin with green, brown, gray and fair calf leather onlays and gold palladium and blind hand tooling, bookbinder Gabrielle Fox designed the cover to reflect the lampposts at the entrance of Blegen Library. Symbolizing knowledge and growth, light is represented in many ways throughout Blegen’s architectural elements, including bronze chandeliers and sunbursts.

Fox, known around the world for her artistry, earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Cincinnati and at one time worked as a handbinder-conservator at UC.

Kevin Grace, head of the Archives and Rare Books Library and University Archivist, says the Lawrence poem was selected for the celebratory binding because of the large Lawrence holdings – including first editions and correspondence – housed in the Archives and Rare Books Library, which is located on the eight floor of Blegen Library.

The special binding will be on display in the Archives and Rare Books Library through the end of the year.

Blegen Library’s 75th Anniversary – Celebrating a Heritage of Books and Learning