Books & Bindings


We work with a wide variety of texts, from memoirs and travelogues to biographies and family histories. We’ve printed tiny journals and little books of family sayings as well as collections of letters and poetry – some written by parents and grandparents and found, unexpectedly, years later.

In fact, anything that means a lot to you and your family, that you want to preserve for future generations to enjoy, we can transform into a beautifully designed and bound edition.

Image

Because each book we receive is unique, we don’t use a set format, but design each one individually.

We try to reflect the period of the text and the personal tastes of the author, that’s why our books come in all shapes and sizes from Victorian pocket books to large coffee table editions. For more about book design, including examples of our work, see Design & Layout.

For further ideas on presenting and writing your texts, see the following: Editorial Advice: Family Histories: Travelogues.


Image

Travelogues are a wonderful
opportunity to show of your photographic skills!

Image

Left: A modern version of a tiny Victorian pocket book.
Centre: This author gave a copy to each of his children and grandchildren - all bound in different coloured cloths.
Right: These memoirs were printed as a gift to the author by his sons. One presentation copy was bound in leather, the rest in bookcloth.

Hardback covers

Our hardbacks are hand stitched and printed on archive paper. They are bound in a variety of coloured leathers, hand marbled papers and beautifully coloured book cloths in a range of traditional and modern styles.

The inside covers are finished with coloured end papers which add a touch of luxury to each edition. The front covers can be plain, or embellished, either with a family emblem or discreet initialling.

To look at some of our bindings go to the Gallery.


Image
Image

Left: A simple family emblem can add a distinguishing touch to the front cover.
Centre: Samples of our coloured leathers.
Right: Detail of coloured leather inlays on a full leather edition.

Paperback covers

LifeLines differs from most other paperback suppliers in that the standard of book design, the level of consultation, and the quality of paper and production is as high as for our hardback editions. It is possible to order a mixture of hardback and paperback editions.


Image


Image

These books are of exceptional quality. Beautiful to look at and handle.

Sarah Tisdall
Image

Gilt editions

We offer a range of Gilt Editions, bound in leather and ornately tooled in gold leaf for those who want a really stunning presentation copy. Have a look at some of them in the Gallery.

Image

Left: Gilt edging.
Centre: Details of gold tooling on calf editions.
Right: Detail of ‘dentelle’ (French lace) pattern in gold leaf on fair calf skin with leather onlays.

To find out how to make a book with LifeLines Press see How it all works.