{"id":8402,"date":"2014-08-17T01:00:59","date_gmt":"2014-08-17T05:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/?p=8402"},"modified":"2025-09-15T16:03:49","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T20:03:49","slug":"bookbinder-of-the-month-mark-cockram-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/2014\/08\/17\/bookbinder-of-the-month-mark-cockram-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Bookbinder of the Month: Mark Cockram"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"BrushUpYourShakespeare-MarkCockram\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Brush Up Your Shakespeare<\/em><\/a> is a limited edition accordion from the Piccolo Press in New York. The text is a combination of music and words to the song Brush Up Your Shakespeare<\/em> from the musical Kiss Me Kate<\/em> (which is inspired by The Taming of the Shrew<\/em>) and includes charming illustrations by Seymour Chwast.<\/p>\n

Mark Cockram<\/a> bound a chemise in full leather fair goat with a stylized image of a pair of pouty lips. The dye was applied carefully with a brush. The doublures double as a pocket which hold the first and last pages of the text. The doublures are hand-printed using soft plate off-set and colored with a layer of worked cold gold.<\/p>\n

\"BrushUpYourShakespeare4-MarkCockram\"<\/a> \"BrushUpYourShakespeare3-MarkCockram\"<\/a>\"BrushUpYourShakespeare5-MarkCockram\"<\/a><\/p>\n

You mention that you weigh down the lid of the clamshell box for your miniature books. How do you go about doing this?
\n<\/strong>For Brush Up Your Shakespeare<\/em> I made a two tray drop back box. The box is the last thing to be made and the first thing to be seen. It protects, it informs and I like to think of the opening of the box like the parting of theatre curtains. The box sets the scene, it can hint at the contents, tantalising us, making us want to see inside. The opening and closing, the fit of the book can tell us, from the very outset the skill of the maker.<\/p>\n

I have made a number of miniature books and bindings. One of the common issues is the opening and closing of the box. The way the air is expelled as the lid closes and the slight tug of the vacuum on opening. This is not only down to the accuracy of the box, but also the weight of the materials involved, the bigger the box the heavier the overall weight of the materials. The smaller the box the more difficult it is to keep the lid closed, it has a habit of just popping open that fraction of a mil. One way to counter this is to use magnets. I do not like to use magnets for the simple reason that magnets attract metal particles (it is in the nature of magnets to do this). These metal particles can, in turn begin to rust leading to all manner of issues.<\/p>\n

I prefer to use lead to gently weight the upper lid. After varnishing in a metal lacquer I place the small piece of lead in a recess created in the upper tray (this is done in the construction) the recess is covered on one side by the outer case of the box and the inner lining of the upper tray. Simple and very effective.<\/p>\n

\"BrushUpYourShakespeare2-MarkCockram\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brush Up Your Shakespeare is a limited edition accordion from the Piccolo Press in New York. The text is a combination of music and words to the song Brush Up Your Shakespeare from the musical Kiss Me Kate (which is inspired by The Taming of the Shrew) and includes charming illustrations by Seymour Chwast. Mark […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[12,68,13],"tags":[1867,1540,1542,1148,1364,1541,1544,1543],"class_list":["post-8402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-binder-of-the-month","category-bookbinding","category-feature-book-of-the-week","tag-bookbinding","tag-brush-up-your-shakespeare","tag-kiss-me-kate","tag-leather-binding","tag-mark-cockram","tag-piccolo-press","tag-seymour-chwast","tag-the-taming-of-the-shrew"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2Btis-2bw","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8343,"url":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/2014\/08\/03\/bookbinder-of-the-month-mark-cockram\/","url_meta":{"origin":8402,"position":0},"title":"Bookbinder of the Month: Mark Cockram","author":"Erin Fletcher","date":"August 3, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"In 2009, Mark Cockram bound a two volume set of The Lives of Gallant Ladies.\u00a0Bound in full leather with hand dyed elements, layers of gold leaf and tooled shapes creating brilliant texture and depth. Just like many of Mark's bindings, you can read about the progression of the design on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "binder of the month"","block_context":{"text":"binder of the month","link":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/category\/binder-of-the-month\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/TheLivesOfGallantLadies_progress3-MarkCockram.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/TheLivesOfGallantLadies_progress3-MarkCockram.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/TheLivesOfGallantLadies_progress3-MarkCockram.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/TheLivesOfGallantLadies_progress3-MarkCockram.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8415,"url":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/2014\/08\/24\/bookbinder-of-the-month-mark-cockram-4\/","url_meta":{"origin":8402,"position":1},"title":"Bookbinder of the Month: Mark Cockram","author":"Erin Fletcher","date":"August 24, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Die Nibelungen\u00a0arrived in Mark Cockram's studio bound together with staples. After removing the pesky binding material, Mark transformed this book into an intriguing sculptural object. What\u2019s the inspiration behind this sculpted binding? The additional panel almost appears to swing between each cover, although I believe it is attached to the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "binder of the month"","block_context":{"text":"binder of the month","link":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/category\/binder-of-the-month\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/DieNibelungen3-MarkCockram.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/DieNibelungen3-MarkCockram.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/DieNibelungen3-MarkCockram.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/DieNibelungen3-MarkCockram.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7566,"url":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/2014\/02\/02\/bookbinder-of-the-month-haein-song\/","url_meta":{"origin":8402,"position":2},"title":"Bookbinder of the Month: Haein Song","author":"Erin Fletcher","date":"February 2, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The design on this full leather binding from Haein Song really transforms the material to mimic a textured painted canvas. Haein bound this copy of Whistler by\u00a0Haldane Macfall in 2009. Sprinkled on top of the hand colored natural goatskin are flecks of gold leaf. The title is also tooled in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "binder of the month"","block_context":{"text":"binder of the month","link":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/category\/binder-of-the-month\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Whistler2-HaeinSong.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Whistler2-HaeinSong.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Whistler2-HaeinSong.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Whistler2-HaeinSong.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8373,"url":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/2014\/08\/10\/bookbinder-of-the-month-mark-cockram-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":8402,"position":3},"title":"Bookbinder of the Month: Mark Cockram","author":"Erin Fletcher","date":"August 10, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Bound in 2010, this is just one binding of Lysistrata that Mark Cockram has bound. Grabbing illustrations from the text for both the cover design, doublures and endpapers; Mark transforms them into a visual experience rarely seen on a book. The cover mimics that of a fresco painting. The book\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "binder of the month"","block_context":{"text":"binder of the month","link":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/category\/binder-of-the-month\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Lysistrata6-MarkCockram.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Lysistrata6-MarkCockram.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Lysistrata6-MarkCockram.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Lysistrata6-MarkCockram.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9000,"url":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/2014\/12\/31\/best-of-2014\/","url_meta":{"origin":8402,"position":4},"title":"Best of 2014","author":"Erin Fletcher","date":"December 31, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"As the year 2014 comes to a close,\u00a0I want to send out another thank you to the nine bookbinders and book artists who took time away from their busy schedules to participate in my interviews. Another thank you goes to those who read and subscribe to my blog and I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "best of"","block_context":{"text":"best of","link":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/category\/best-of\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/bestof2014d.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/bestof2014d.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/bestof2014d.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/bestof2014d.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7519,"url":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/2014\/02\/01\/february-bookbinder-of-the-month-haein-song\/","url_meta":{"origin":8402,"position":5},"title":"February \/\/ Bookbinder of the Month: Haein Song","author":"Erin Fletcher","date":"February 1, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"This beautiful binding of The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays by Albert Camus was crafted in 2013 by Haein Song. Bound as a Bradel binding, the spine is covered in a natural goatskin with dark blue vellum covers. The sprinkled dashes on the covers are hand tooled in gold.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "binder of the month"","block_context":{"text":"binder of the month","link":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/category\/binder-of-the-month\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/HaeinSong.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/HaeinSong.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/HaeinSong.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/HaeinSong.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8402"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8402\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8410,"href":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8402\/revisions\/8410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}