The San Francisco call., 1908-03-08

were red letter days for those San
Franciscans interested in that most
rare and beautiful OF arts-the making
OF the Book Beautiful" More than
400 visitors thronged the rooms OF The
Holden studio on those days TO look at
and exclaim with pleasure over the
is exquisiteIy .ovely specimens of the
bookbiDders art presented for their ap
probation by Miss Averin Cole.
There were two glass cases for hold
ing the books so that they should not
become soiled by handling. and in the
center OF one case lay the lovely vol
ume which won the international medal
at Brussels. where Miss Cole studied
eight hours every day for four years
with II. Jacobs, the royal master IN this
most difficult OF arts. The prize volume
is the writings OF Marcus Aurelius An
toninus. beautifully bound in levant, in
laid with blind tooling and holding
cover designs OF such rich simplicity
that even q tyro in the art could per-
ceive the hand OF an artist in the work
The inside OF the edition. rare one in
itseIf-is devlur richly fooled in gold
and mosaic work, the whole forming
with It's brown leather case OF an al
most classic simplicity a work of the
highest art, pure and simple Miss Cole
was at work for months on this
one volume, and the estimate in which
she holds her labor may be realized
when all inouirers are told that the vol
ums is not fer sale. In fact, when one has
toiled over a work like this. lived with
il. dreamed OF 1t. labored over ali the
delicate. indescribably wondrous last
touches. some OF them given with a
brush SO fine as TO contain only two
hairs, the feeling engendered is so
strong and enduring that the worker
seldom cares TO think OF day of final
parting That Miss Cole feels this is
evidenced by the manner in which she
handles her works of art. To her they
are precious things. as. indeed. they be-
come in q short space of time TO any
one who has the delight OF lingering
over them and turning their exquisite
pages. decorated so harmoniousIy, so
elegantly. that the Joy OF beholding
such a superbly harmonious whole
makes one realize in part what they
must become TO their creator.
Next 10 Marcus Aurehus comes Gray's
Elegy. splendidly bound in French
crushed levant, with an inlaid leather
design. This book is done in the Itai-
ian renaissance style, and each initial
al the beginning OF q verse is made to
correspond charmingIy with the general
cover design in conception and color
This volume forms q very attractive
ensemble. It. too, is the labor of
O4 I, anu TIC llOel pdlllb-
taking work is shown IN every beau
tifUl detail so carefully and elaborately
carried out
A second Gray's EIegy is bound in
brown calf. blind fooled and inlaid with
tuberoses and green leaves. the only
touch Of gold being In the petals Of the
flowers The rich tints of the brown
seem 10 melt and simmer into each
other, beneath the skillful handiwork
that intensifes good points and sup
presses all inharmonious or defective
bits. "Prue and J." a delightful book
known to all book lovers, is bound in
French lerent. with inlaid flowers and
leaves. and its sister volume. Thomas
Kempis.v is also in French levant
with an tnIaid conventional design in
gliding. This book Is an example OF
work after Grolier, the famous French
exponent OF the bookbinders work
The Garden OF Allah is bound In calf
with the idea OF the story carried out
in tiny green oases in the inlaid green
leather. The books are all lined in
side with silk OF various shades which
Miss Cole dyes herself. In fact, story
binding. lining, initiating all are
sought to be combined In a production
on which the eye OF a connoisseur can
rest with unmarried pleasure. There arc
several examples OF work done In the
manner OF the old monkish missals
when years We're spent IN the produc-
tion of q single volume The profes-
sion of book binding has but few
followers. there being less than $50 in
the United States and but half q dozen
resident in California William Norris
cobden-Sanderson, Douglas Cockerill,
Jules Dumont. lie Maile and Leon
Cruel are the names recognized on the
continent, while in America Emily
Preston of New York has greatest note
Visitors enjoyed also the novelty of
seeing specimens Of books in different
stages OF completion, the work of Miss
Octavia Holden. This was most inter
esting as the stages were carefully ex-
plained and illustrated, and the ex-
treme difficulty OF some OF the more
complicated parts OF the working out
of q design was expounded- It is
fascinating occupation, and one won
ders little after seeing these specimens
OF beauty that the prices should range
from $3.50 to $1,000 q volume. They
are meant to last more than life
time. and TO be handed down from gen
erations past 10 generations to come.
The books have been sent to New York
for the purpose OF giving an exhibi-
tion there.
Another rarely beautiful and rather