Her booke: experiences in seventeenth-century bookbinding

Bookmaking, as with any craft, is deeply entwined with the culture and personality of the creators. As such, unique regional practices of book aesthetic and structure can lead to a heightened understanding of what people cared about during a given time. In the Early Modern period, bookbindings provide a particularly poignant example of those motivations and priorities. This thesis explores the question: What books wouldI make if I were a woman in 1626? I chose to focus on four distinct areas of the world and the distinctions between each: England, Armenia, Ethiopia, and Italy. Though it is impossible for me as a modern binder to truly mirror the methods and materials of the past, by melding my personal story with the stories of Early Modern women, I gain greater appreciation for the important role books played in feminine devotional practices.