Black Oak Bindery

Black Oak Bindery Black Oak Bindery specializes in fine bindings of scifi & fantasy novels.

The Iliad - Homer.Everyman's Library. My submission for Rocky Mountain Bound, a members exhibition for the Rocky Mountai...
09/04/2026

The Iliad - Homer.
Everyman's Library.

My submission for Rocky Mountain Bound, a members exhibition for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Guild of Bookworkers. The Guild Of Book Workers

Hey Denver! There's a bookbinding exhibition on display at the University of Denver's Anderson Academic Commons from Sept. 1st to Nov. 30th. There will be an open case event on October 6th from 5-7 pm where some of the artists will talk about their work.

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The Iliad is full of rage and the search for glory. With this design, I wanted to represent the depth of a decade long war and just how entrenched both sides would have been. Both the "strong-greaved achaeans" and the Trojans saw their shares of victories and losses and they always had the pursuit of glory foremost in their minds. The hand-painted end pages represent the scene where Achilles sacrifices 12 Trojan youths on a funeral pier as revenge for Patroclus.
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Table setup for Worldcon this year! Red Rising - Pierce BrownNeuromancer - William GibsonJournals and Kickstar...
08/29/2026

Table setup for Worldcon this year!



Red Rising - Pierce Brown

Neuromancer - William Gibson

Journals and Kickstarter work

Neuromancer by William Gibson.Textblock was published by the Folio Society, 2025 (The Folio Society) This is a laced in ...
08/25/2026

Neuromancer by William Gibson.

Textblock was published by the Folio Society, 2025 (The Folio Society)

This is a laced in board bindings covered in goat leather from Harmatan and Oakridge Leather. I sanded and painted the leather to make it look like concrete.
The lines are all tooled then hand painted. The title was created by making a 3D print of the text then pressing it into the leather.
The pastedowns were painted be me. The fly leaves are marbled paper by the amazing Maleeka | Shady Grove Gal Book Binding
which I stenciled on top of to give it an additional chaotic and geometric look.

💚 Design statement (with minor spoilers) below 💚
My design for Neuromancer explores addiction, humanity’s desire to become increasingly digital, and the contrasting desire of artificial intelligences to become more human.

The repeated silhouette on the cover represents the cyclical nature of addiction and the gradual loss of being an individual. As the figure recedes into the Matrix, its form begins to disintegrate, suggesting losing oneself within the digital world.

The concrete-like surface is interrupted by vivid color, reflecting the visual contrast central to cyberpunk: decaying urban environments illuminated by the relentless glow of holograms and artificial light. To me, this juxtaposition speaks to humanity’s persistent desire to create and seek beauty, especially within a harsh and deteriorating world.

Inside the binding are representations of Wintermute and Neuromancer, the two artificial intelligences at the center of the novel. The chaotic flyleaves evoke the discordant nature of the Matrix, creating a visual representation of the jump between the physical and digital worlds of Neuromancer.

It's done! With days to spare but Neuromancer is done 😅 I'll have fancy pictures on Tuesday but here's a quick look for ...
08/21/2026

It's done! With days to spare but Neuromancer is done 😅 I'll have fancy pictures on Tuesday but here's a quick look for now! I'll have this binding on display at the Los Angeles Worldcon art show next week!

08/05/2026

1 design, 3 different colors. I think my favorite is the dark blue (the first one). Which one is yours?

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