Page 9 - 366242 LP246366 BB Magazine 36pp A4 (August 2022)

HEAD AND TAIL BOOKS AT MID-C-MOD
Jim Brown’s popular mid-C-mod
on Linlithgow High Street is often described as an “Aladdin’s Cave” - stacked high with 50s and 60s memorabilia, ranging from Tupperware to Babycham glasses, from rock ‘n’ roll memories to a huge array of lamps from the period.
Now Jim has added a totally different range - handcrafted books made by his partner Martin MacKinnon, who has long been fascinated by bookbinding, but only really began to master the art during the restrictions imposed by the pandemic lockdown.
Martin is back working four days a week as a digital services manager, but has become more and more involved in bookbinding, which he described as “a great stress reliever” after work, and a craft to which he was committing an increasing amount of time.
Martin explained that his abiding interest in books, and particularly the huge skill involved in the more intricate bookbinding, began at an early age.
“My first job after leaving school was in an academic library which had a special collection of older books of historic interest. I was completely awestruck by the beautiful bindings many of these books had - some dating back to the 16 century - and the intricate patterns and designs displayed on their covers.”
Martin said that he had been somewhat overwhelmed by the amount of information and described techniques, and had, after some research, located a bookbinder in the Borders who taught bookbinding in the traditional manner.
“Mark Ramsden is a master of all things bookbinding, and he teaches both traditional bookbinding and conservation.. He is now my tutor, mentor and guide, and I meet with him on a regular basis to advance my skills and knowledge.”
Martin said that he made a range of different books, from notebooks, photo albums and project books, right through to art books. Covers included leather, paper, and fabric made into “book cloth”. He had even downloaded royalty-free book texts, and printed and handbound them - the latest being “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens.
Martin added that his books
were only available at mid-C-mod. He didn’t as yet have an online presence, although he was hoping to change that shortly. But he could be contacted, including
for commissions, at headandtailbooks@gmail.com
Martin said that the library also had a bindery, where books were made, repaired and restored. He had been fascinated by the techniques employed by the binder, and this had planted the seed for what was to germinate into an obsession
for the craft of bookbinding many years later.
He had begun in recent years to read books by acknowledged experts in the field, and lockdown had afforded him a lot more time to learn much more about the craft, focusing on it to the exclusion of everything else.
“From a mental health perspective it was the perfect antidote to everything that was going on in the world - I got completely lost in it when I was making books. I made many books, and that was when Head and Tail Books was born. I have a lot to thank lockdown for!”
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