Les Contes de Ma Mère l'Oye by Charles Perrault, Unique Binding by Scott Kellar

Binding Details:  Les Contes de ma mère l'Oye is a unique fine binding designed and executed by Scott Kellar in 2007. The binding is a laced-on boards style binding covered in full green Harmatan goatskin with leather onlays as well as gold and blind tooling. There are handsewn red silk endbands and Ann Muir marbled paper endsheets. The edges are colored green.  Laid into the book is the tooling tissue Scott Kellar used for the binding. The book is housed in a custom made cloth covered clamshell box with a leather label containing the title and authors name in gilt.

The binding was selected for inclusion in the Ninth Biennale Mondiale de la Reliure d’Art (Biennial of Art Bookbinding) competition and exhibition in 2006. Of the 819 participants from 29 countries, Scott Kellar’s binding was selected as one of the three winners of the ‘Coup de Couer’ Award’.

A copy of the catalogue for the Biennale Mondiale de la Reliure d’Art will accompany the book along with Scott Kellar’s signed artist statement for “Les Contes de ma mère l'Oye”.

The book measures 11” x 7.75” x 1”

Book Details:  For the Ninth Biennale Mondiale de la Reliure d’Art (Biennial of Art Bookbinding) competition and exhibition in 2006, the committee selected Les Contes de Ma Mère l'Oye (Tales of Mother Goose) by Charles Perrault. Each binder was given the loose pages of the book which was printed in letterpress and given one year to prepare their binding for the competition. Scott Kellar’s copy was number 774 of 1000. The language used in the book is French as used in the original 1697 publication.

Although much lesser known than his literary heirs the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen, the seventeenth-century French writer Charles Perrault not only solidified the fairy tale as a literary genre, but wrote nearly all of the genre's most signature stories, his tales entering the culture in ways that far transcend his own personal artistic reach. "Cinderella," "Sleeping Beauty," Little Red Riding Hood," "Bluebeard," "Puss in Boots," "Tom Thumb," and the larger designation of Mother Goose stories all permeate virtually every level of modern art and entertainment, from rock songs to popular films to the most sophisticated stories and novels by such literary fabulists as Angela Carter and Margaret Atwood.

Artist Statement: These ‘Mother Goose’ tales as recounted by Charles Perrault are charming yet often sinister as well. This simple design references those things which lurk in the tall, tall grass…

About the Artist: A master of traditional fine bookbinding, Scott Kellar has been working intimately with books for over 40 years. Introduced to bookbinding as a hobby in 1972, his commitment to the craft was immediate. While pursuing a career in book conservation, Scott’s love of books expanded into the realm of design binding, where the art of the binder becomes integral to the book, adding yet another layer of imagery and interpretation to the work of the author. As a result, his artistic works have been featured in book art exhibition venues local, national and international. Awards won include the ‘Coup De Coeur’ award at the Biennale Mondiale de la Reliure D’Art, The Society of Bookbinders Award for Forwarding and the Fine Binding J. Hewit & Sons Ltd. Award. His studio in located in Chicago where he also teaches to share both his skills and vision.

Condition Report: The binding and clamshell box are in FINE condition.

Photographs of the binding, the clamshell box, and the catalogue mentioned in the listing appear in the photo section of the listing.