Our Craft Story
A BENCH AT OUR WORKSHOP
This is our craft story, bound in Britain.
Frank Smythson was a silversmith. A smith by name and a smith by trade, Frank crafted beautiful articles of silver and gold, jewels, and lockets; intricate, sentimental things, to gift and be treasured. Endlessly perfecting his craft, his penchant for creating pieces that transform the simplicity of materials into things of wonder piqued his curiosity.
From the glistening metallic hues of polished gilt-edging to the effortless utility of clasps and neatly lined pockets, Frank’s admiration for the hand-made travelled into a new world of books, correspondence, and beyond.
This is our craft story, bound in Britain
Dive into the blue of our covers and you’ll find the careful markings of at least 15 hands, passed through a chain of skilled artisans to connect every link.
From the obsessively precise stitching to the foiling of our logo on the reverse, our method of bookbinding remains relatively unchanged from Frank Smythson’s first Panama diary over 100 years ago.
Forming a rhythm of irresistible synchronicity, each piece begins to take shape to the sounds of a process with intention; the rustle of paper, the spinning of thread spools, and the closing of a finished book before beginning afresh.
Often, it’s the quietest, most subtle details that create the biggest impact. Our grosgrain page markers are added to every book, for an extra touch of decadence and utility, intricately placed by hand.
Each detail as delightful as the next, it’s the marriage of texture, rich colour, and an enduring attention to our craft that makes a Smythson book alluring.
Of course, the finishing touch is the most defining, something the book is incomplete without.
Collecting snippets and fragments of the storied lives of the recipient is where a Smythson books comes into its own. Whether carefully considered or haphazardly sprawled across the Featherweight Blue pages of an exquisitely crafted Smythson book are the inner workings of its owner, far more revealing than the story our craftsmanship tells.