Anne of Green Gables

As I mentioned in June last year, I was fortunate to have two of my books accepted into the Kindred Spirits Exhibit, a juried bookbinding exhibit organized by CBBAG. The exhibit is in recognition of the life and work of L. M. Montgomery, to mark 150 years since her birth. The exhibit is travelling to various galleries in Canada and is currently at Western Univerisity. The project website has the full exhibition schedule.

One of my books for this exhibit is a full leather rebinding of Anne of Green Gables. This is a 1952 edition that belonged to my mother. She gave it to me a few years ago and suggested that I repair it, since it had some damage to the covers and part of the spine material was missing. So, when this exhibit was announced, I deicded it was time to do something with it. I also made a custom box for it. The marbled paper is my own and it is used as the book's endpapers and inside the box.


The second book is more of an artists' book, called "Summer." I used just a few lines from Anne of Green Gables as the content for this book.

Anne had the golden summer of her life, as far as freedom and frolic went. She walked, rowed, berried, and dreamed to her heart's content and when September came she was bright-eyed and alert, with a heart full of ambition and zest once more.

Each of the pages is hand-decorated with watercolour washes and ink drawings and I printed the text with some antique brass type. The book and box are covered with yellow bookcloth and have some of my own marbled paper inside. The book is a hardcover, 2-hole stab binding.


You can find more pictures of the books and order the catalog on the Kindred Spirits website.

Kindred Spirits Exhibit

The Kindred Spirits book exhibition kicks off this week in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. As it says on their website, "Kindred Spirits is a touring book arts exhibition that responds to the work and life of Lucy Maud Montgomery. The pieces were created by members of the Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists Guild (CBBAG) as an acknowledgement of the enduring legacy of Lucy Maud Montgomery at the 150th anniversary of her birth."

Details about the exhibit locations, the jurors, and the exhibiting artists can be found on the Kindred Spirits website as well. I'm excited to have had two books accepted into this exhibit. One is a full leather rebound copy of a 1956 edition of Anne of Green Gables that my mother received on her tenth birthday. The second book is an artist's book that I made featuring a quote about Anne. Both have custom clamshell boxes. There are a couple of photos on the Kindred Spirits website now, but I will post more photos here when I get a chance.

Of course, the best way to see my books, and all the other amazing work, is to visit the exhibition in-person. I will be in Charlottetown for the opening reception on Friday and for the "make and take" pamplet binding workshop on Saturday! The Charlottetown exhibit will run from June 19 to August 23, 2024. After that, the exhibit will travel to different locations across the country right into 2026. Check the website for locations that have been confirmed and more locations may be added. I hope everyone gets a chance to see the exhibit. Happy Birthday, Maud!