This set of books was created as a gift for the owner of a ranch property with a river running through it.  One book is for guests of the ranch to record their comments and the other is for them to record the type and number of game successfully hunted on the property.  These books needed to have a Western feel so it was decided that they should have hair-on calfskin inlays on the front and back covers.  In a very subtle detail, the wavy diagonal edges of the hair-on cowhide was cut to mimic the wandering path of several sections of the Kiamichi River running across the property.  Each book has 100 pages of unlined 8.5" tall by 11" wide paper.  The endpapers have a printed parchment pattern.  The overall cover is Italia calfskin.  A metal die was made of the ranch logo and this is stamped on the front covers in dark brown pigment.  Barbed wire designs are blind stamped in the corners along with a small square decoration.  Lastly, each title is stamped in the lower right in gold.  These covers had a lot going on.  But I thought the very decorative result worked well with the western theme. And with the outline of the calfskin in the shape of the river's path, these are definitely gifts that are unique to that property and that property only.  Both books are stored in a custom-made clamshell box covered in dark brown linen and stamped with the ranch logo on the cover and the titles and decoration on the spine in dark brown pigment and gold lettering.

Books like these would cost around $300 each.  The cloth-covered clamshell box would be $150.  Bringing the total for this set to $750.

Click here to return to gallery page.