At the ABAA New York International Antiquarian Book Fair (NYIABF), opening next week, the stand of rare books dealer Lux Mentis is expected to draw the crowds with a very special tome. Housed inside an ebonised birdcage on top of a glass plinth, itself inside a custom-made vintage trunk, is a prototype of a one-off fine binding of a signed, first-edition of Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote. Handworked in goatskin, platinum and studded with diamonds, the book is valued at $1.5 million; a magnificent piece showcasing spectacular craftsmanship created to mark the centenary of the writer’s birth.
“I have loved this story for decades, and I wanted to create a really special custom binding of a first edition copy,” says Paul Suntup of US bookbinders Dragon Rebound, which specializes in rebinding first editions and rare books, and masterminded the project. “At the heart of the project is the desire to honor the work, and at the same time, to put the spotlight on the craft of contemporary fine bookbinding.”
The project includes a portfolio of images by photographer David Attie, originally intended to be published in Harper’s Bazaar to illustrate the novella in 1958. But the story was judged unsuitable for Bazaar’s readers, and was eventually published in Esquire with one of Attie’s montages. This limited edition includes the full set for the first time.
Suntup approached award-winning master bookbinder Kate Holland, who worked with a team of British craftspeople on the project. “The United Kingdom is home to some of the greatest artisans in fine bookbinding and the book arts,” he says. “I have always felt that there is something magical about an object made by hand. T.J. Cobden-Sanderson, a prominent figure in the British Arts and Crafts movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, wrote about the ‘maintenance of a great historic tradition’, and the ‘intelligent work of the hand’. This production embodies the spirit of this ideal.”
Each element of the project was executed by expert craftspeople, to bring to life a concept designed by Holland, who carried out the binding itself, in black goatskin with platinum tooling. She worked with London jeweler Bentley and Skinner to incorporate over 1,000 white diamonds into the design, in a stylized platinum map of New York, with a sustainably sourced blue sapphire to mark the location of Tiffany & Co.
“When Kate came to us with the original design, we decided to make the grid off the book and then she would make the covers to fit the grid to ensure perfect accuracy. The straight lines of the New York streets lent themselves nicely to pavé settings, but it was important that they could be fixed securely to the book,” says Ilias Kapsalis Skoufos of Bentley & Skinner, known for their collaborations with artists, including the production of Damien Hirst’s 2005 diamond-encrusted skull, For the Love of God.
The book sits on a custom plinth by glass artist Jade Pinnell, inside a birdcage by Dominic Parish, referencing the birdcage in the story, which symbolizes the reluctance to be confined or restricted of the lead character Holly Golightly — famously played in Blake Edwards’ 1961 Breakfast at Tiffany’s film by Audrey Hepburn. The whole, including the prints by Attie, are housed in a custom trunk also by Parish, a British cabinetmaker and craftsman who has produced work for royal families and private collections. The trunk references Golightly’s peripatetic lifestyle.
“More than anything, given the ambitious scope of this project, I also wanted to do something that might inspire people to go after their dreams, no matter how big they may seem,” finishes Suntup. And in spearheading the project, he has not only brought to life a beautiful collector’s edition, but also a prominent display of the exquisite craft of the artisans involved.
The NYIABF will be held at Park Avenue Armory, New York City, April 4-7.