Pagan Wicca Altar Book Grimoire Book-of-Shadows
Hand-embossed cover of Buffalo Hide
with Tree of Life design
· Hand-finished cover of buffalo hide 13x10 inches (33x25cm)
· rear cover hand-tooled
· fastening by tie-strap of goatskin thong
edge of cover laced with matching thong
· 100 pages/200 usable sides heavyweight unlined ivory cartridge paper
· paper suitable for drawing/sketching/writing
· paper also suitable for writing with fountain pen
· FAST freepost within UK
· handmade from 100% renewable and natural materials
I designed this book for people who are looking for a truly 'special' book of shadows, altar book, or grimoire. It is bound in vintage buffalo hide and the cover is hand-embossed with a striking 'TREEofLIFE' design.
The book contains 100 leaves (200 usable sides) of heavyweight cartridge paper. The pages are suitable for writing on with Biro, gel, pencil - and also with fountain pen, so you could also use the book as a guest book, life book, memorial book etc.
The edges of the cover are laced with goatskin thong, and there is a traditional tie-strap of matching thong for fastening. The cover is stained with a natural 'mahogany brown' dye and has been given an 'antique' finish.
Size: 13 inches x 10 inches (actual page size)
Weight: 1500 grams (approximately 3 lbs)
Fastening: is a durable leather tie-strap that doubles as a bookmark. There is a protective inner flap of leather to prevent crushing of the edges of pages.
I love working with leather, but for ethical reasons I only use vintage leather for my books- ie leather from working animals that have come to the end of their lives.
My Ethical Production Policy
It is my policy to produce books from natural and renewable materials that will have a minimum impact on the environment.
I use exclusively water-buffalo hides and cow hides from mature animals that have come to the end of their working life. No animals are bred and slaughtered solely for the purpose of producing leather for my books. All prepared leather 'blanks' are sourced from Hindu village communities in India and Nepal and are imported to UK by my own company DESTINY HANDICRAFTS Pvt Ltd; I do not purchase or import from any other wholesaler. I am personally responsible for all aspects of design, embossing and finishing. Metal book furniture is - regrettably - imported from China, as all other sources have dried up. But I can make up book clasps/locks/trims etc in silver for custom orders.
To tan leather I use a natural tannin wash as an alternative to the highly toxic chromium salts commonly used in tanning. This natural tannin dye occasionally leaves a small residue on the surface of the leather, and some dye may appear on your hands on first handling of a new book. This is entirely harmless, and will cease altogether on further handling when the dye stabilizes. I hope you will agree with me that this is a small price to pay for a method of production that avoids poisoning our environment.
My handmade paper is sourced directly from the Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, Taj Handmade Paper of Jaipur, and the cooperative of paper producers in Luang Prabang, Laos. It is produced without the use of bleaches and other toxic chemicals commonly associated with paper production.
It is my aim to produce books that meet the needs and wishes of the artists, art students, travelers and writers and poets who commonly purchase my books. For that reason I am always interested to hear your comments, and any suggestions you have for improvements or for new products. Of the 200 designs in my 'library' of embossing plates over half were made in response to requests from individual customers - but if you do have a special request, please remember that embossing is a low-tech mechanical process and that etching a plate requires time.
You are very welcome to choose and collect items from my workshop in Sussex rather than receiving purchases through the post - so that you can see exactly what you will get before you make a selection.