L'Atlantide (Queen of Atlantis) by Pierre Benoit, Unique Binding by Scott Kellar

Binding Details:  L’Atlantide (Queen of Atlantis) is a unique fine binding designed and executed by Scott Kellar in 2003. The binding is a laced into boards style binding covered in full red Harmatan goatskin with a single black leather onlay, gold tooling, and embossing. There are handsewn gold silk endbands and black Nepalese endpapers with burnished black edges. The book is housed in a custom made cloth covered clamshell box with a leather label containing the title and authors name in gilt.

The binding was selected for inclusion in the Seventh Biennale Mondiale de la Reliure d’Art (Biennial of Art Bookbinding) exhibition held in the Basque region of France in 2003. A total of 483 participants from 15 countries were invited to participate with only 8 from the United States invited.

A copy of the catalogue for the Biennale Mondiale de la Reliure d’Art will accompany the book along with Scott Kellar’s signed artist statement for “L’Atlantide”.

The book measures 11” x 7.75” x 2”

Book Details:For the Seventh Biennale Mondiale de la Reliure d’Art (Biennial of Art Bookbinding) exhibition in 2003, the committee selected L’Atlantide (Queen of Atlantis) by Pierre Benoit. Each binder was given the loose pages of the book which was printed in letterpress and given one year to prepare their binding for the competition. The letterpress edition was done by Jean-Francois Manier, Haute-Loire, France in 2002 from the original 1919 French publication.

L’Atlantide (Queen of Atlantis) was the second novel by Pierre Benoit and is widely considered his most famous work. A precursor to magical realism, the book is filled with adventure, exotic settings, lethal femme fatales, and hopeless romantic loves. Benoit enjoyed enormous popularity during his lifetime and published over 40 novels. He was elected to the Academie Francaise in 1931.

Artist Statement: This book involves an eternal queen who, through her powers of attraction, ‘collects’ those adventurers that dare to draw near to her secret desert sanctuary. I took the design from an actual spider’s web!

About the Artist: A master of traditional fine bookbinding, Scott Kellar has been working intimately with books for over 40 years. Introduced to bookbinding as a hobby in 1972, his commitment to the craft was immediate. While pursuing a career in book conservation, Scott’s love of books expanded into the realm of design binding, where the art of the binder becomes integral to the book, adding yet another layer of imagery and interpretation to the work of the author. As a result, his artistic works have been featured in book art exhibition venues local, national and international. Awards won include the ‘Coup De Coeur’ award at the Biennale Mondiale de la Reliure D’Art, The Society of Bookbinders Award for Forwarding and the Fine Binding J. Hewit & Sons Ltd. Award. His studio in located in Chicago where he also teaches to share both his skills and vision.

Condition Report: The binding and clamshell box are in FINE condition.

Photographs of the binding, the clamshell box, and the catalogue mentioned in the listing appear in the photo section of the listing.