Eleanore Ramsey

San Francisco, California
Eleanore Ramsey of San Francisco first began bookbinding in 1970. Her most influential studies began five years later with Barbara Fallon Hiller, and the two also shared a studio for twelve years. Ramsey continues to work as a design binder and teach semi-private lessons in her studio.

Winner: Award for Excellence in Fine Binding

Example Binding: 
Virginia Woolf. 
Street Haunting
.
Printed by the Grabhorn Press, signed by the author, unopened.
San Francisco: Westgate Press, 1930.

Full grey Chagrin (French morocco) goatskin with tooled mosaics in six colors of grey leather forming an exotic bouquet of flowers extending across front, spine and back of book. Consistent with the contents of the story the bouquet includes pencils of yellow morocco, brick colored leather erasers, and silver metallic leather ferrels. Vase composed of marbled paper in colors of white, black, and grey. Doublures are yellow suede surrounded by narrow strips of marbled paper, flyleaves are also of marbled paper. Title tooled in palladium on front cover.

Design Description: 
Full red French Cape morocco (smaller grain) with design inspired by French cathedral windows. Front and back covers tooled in blind and gold with black mosaics. Doublures of black and grey engraved decorated papers chosen to compliment frontispiece. Flyleaves of black suede. Title tooled in gold in Latin, although model is in English. Design to reflect the spirit of tall cathedral windows, encouraging an upward vision as suggested by pinnacles and vertical lines, to aspire towards high ideals, and to follow the inspirational path suggested by the author.

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Eleanore Ramsey example binding

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Eleanore Ramsey design proposal

Eleanore Ramsey