WHERE TO FIND IT; Special Covers for Special Books

By TERRY TRUCCOMARCH 12, 1992 This is a digitized version of an article from The Times's print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems. Please send reports of such problems to . A FEW years back, Elspeth Coleman read the complete works of Martin Cruz Smith with mercenary intent. The author had ordered custom book boxes for his manuscripts of "Gorky Park" and "Polar Star" from Weitz, Weitz & Coleman, bookbinders in Manhattan. Ms. Coleman, a partner in the firm, adorned the boxes with the appropriate images -- a fishnet and a red star, in leather.You can tell a lot about a book by its cover when it is custom-crafted by a bookbinder. Weitz, Weitz & Coleman, in business since 1909, makes all sorts of leather book coverings. Some are traditional, like a gilded elephant on a Kipling volume or pale rose leather, adorned with a camellia, for a copy of "Camille." A few are downright playful. Herbert Weitz, a partner in the company, made a baseball-card box in navy and white pinstripes for a Yankee fan, then rubbed a little sand on it, "like a uniform after a game," he said.A good bookbinder should be adaptable, with a feel for the craft's history, according to Mr. Weitz. "Much of what we do is straight out of the 15th century," he said, standing by a cabinet holding 2,000 gold embossing tools. The company gilds pages and hand-sews headbands, the fabric strips at a book's spine. Other aspects of the craft are more modern, like using acid-free endpapers.The company, which also sells rare books, can create covers for old volumes, restore crumbling tomes and design wedding and photo albums. Its specialty is leather covers enhanced with drawings. For a rare edition of "Aesop's Fables" that was illustrated by Arthur Rackham, Ms. Coleman adapted Rackham's rendering of the spider and the fly, fashioning a gilded web and black leather insects.AdvertisementThe price for a basic leather binding is computed by adding the book's length and width and multiplying by 16: $208 for a 5-by-8-inch book, for example. Adornments are extra. Mr. Weitz also offers bookbinding classes: $250 for seven sessions. Unusual FabricsAdvertisementBarbara Mauriello learned bookbinding 15 years ago, when she wanted to bind a collection of her small paintings. She liked the craft so much she quit teaching art, apprenticed with a bookbinder and now has her own studio in Hoboken, N.J.Her specialty is cloth-bound books in offbeat fabrics, like Hermes scarves and pieces of vintage quilts. She also makes covers from unusual paper and, occasionally, leather, though "it's not what I love," she said.Much of Ms. Mauriello's work is restoring rare books, a painstaking process that can entail replacing missing paper near the spine with thin Japanese tissue. For extremely fragile books that cannot survive rebinding, she fashions book boxes. Prices start at $40 an hour, materials additional. Respecting TraditionWhen Daniel Kelm decided, 14 years ago, to quit teaching chemistry at the University of Minnesota and learn bookbinding, he moved, without hesitation, to Massachusetts. "There's a long tradition of book art here," he said. Mr. Kelm's studio, the Wide Awake Garage in Easthampton, creates both traditional books (in leather) and artist's books (in paper, cloth or metal).His leather books are elaborate, with some aspect of the text interpreted, often three-dimensionally, on the cover. The detailed process entails using wax and plaster molds to create a paper cast. "It's tradition with a twist," Mr. Kelm said.His artist's books also often have a three-dimensional aspect, opening into tetrahedrons, cubes and other shapes. Books range from $500 to $5,000. Do It YourselfThe Center for Book Arts in Manhattan offers classes, including weekend seminars, on bookbinding, both traditional and contemporary. The center also has exhibitions and keeps slides of works by bookbinders who accepting commissions. Weekend seminars start at $150. HERE'S WHEREAdvertisementWEITZ, WEITZ & COLEMAN, 1377 Lexington Avenue, at 91st Street, Manhattan 10128; (212) 831-2213. Hours: 9 A.M. to 7 P.M. Monday through Thursday, until 5 P.M. on Friday, noon to 5 P.M. on Saturday.BARBARA MAURIELLO, (201) 420-6613. By appointment.WIDE AWAKE GARAGE, P.O. Box 449 Easthampton, Mass. 01027; (413) 527-8044. By appointment.CENTER FOR BOOK ARTS, 626 Broadway, between Bleecker and Houston Streets, Manhattan 10012; (212) 460-9768. Hours: 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. Monday through Friday, noon to 4 P.M. on Saturday.A version of this article appears in print on March 12, 1992, on Page C00002 of the National edition with the headline: . Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe