Retro-Back the Bindery

THE ILIAD and THE ODYSSEY are available

UPDATE: You can also retro-back the Bindery at NDM Express. This is particularly useful if your credit card isn’t being accepted at the Arkhaven store.

Much, much longer ago than seems possible now, as the result of a tremendous problem getting our finished books shipped from the U.S. bindery upon which Castalia Library has historically relied, the production team and the subscribers collectively decided that we would take on the monumental task of building our own bindery in Switzerland.

Throughout many travails, some of which were comically absurd and others that border on the criminally stupid, we have finally gotten to the point that we are ready to begin producing the books that were sold in order to fund the creation of the bindery.

Since many more people have now heard of Castalia Library, and we have had many new people start buying Library, History, and Libraria books in the last four years, we are making it possible to retroactively back the bindery by purchasing one or more of the four books that were used to fund the purchase of the equipment, the renting of the buildings, and the hiring of the bookbinders. This period of retro-backing will only last for two weeks, as both books are now ready to go to the printers and so we need to determine how many copies we need to order.

As you can see below, each chapter features appropriate chapter-heading art.

THE ILIAD is available in two editions, Library and Libraria. The Library edition will be bound in deluxe pigskin leather and the Libraria in elite Italian goatskin.

• THE ILIAD Library edition

• THE ILIAD Libraria edition

Please note the books are intentionally expensive in order to permit us to buy the very expensive machinery required in order to let us increase the rate at which we produce, bind, and ship the books out to everyone. One more piece of equipment will allow us to increase our current rate by a factor of 10 or more.

THE ODYSSEY is also available in two editions, Library and Libraria. The Library edition will be bound in deluxe pigskin leather and the Libraria in elite Italian goatskin.

• THE ODYSSEY Library edition

• THE ODYSSEY Libraria edition

As evidence things are moving along and we are beginning to address the backlog, here is a picture of two books arriving at the warehouse yesterday.

And here is a picture of the CAMBRIDGE HISTORY OF BYZANTIUM being prepped for binding at the Bindery. The finished book blocks are in the boxes, and the finished cases are stacked in front of them.

And this is what they look like when finished.

We’re unlikely to ever use this particular Spanish leather again, because it is too expensive and difficult to work with, but it is truly beautiful and exquisite to the touch.

So as you can see, what we have already accomplished together has turned from a small collective dream into a reality of considerable proportions. And yet, we’ve barely scratched the surface of what we’re capable of doing together, as this example of the third comic to be bound at the bindery should serve to demonstrate. Within weeks, we should also have examples of the very first first editions to be rebound at the bindery.

We very much appreciate the support of all the original backers of the bindery, and we hope that those of you who were not able to take part the first time will join them in retro-backing our endeavor.