We rebuild books so they can be read again.
Arrabessque is a two-person bindery in Kalasatama. We bind small editions for artists and publishers, repair family books, and build enclosures for archives that need something better than a cardboard box.
Kaisla, 120 copies
Sewn boards binding in flax linen for a poetry press in Turku. Long-stitch spine, unglued, opens completely flat.
1897 family bible
Board reattachment and leather consolidation. Original spine lifted, backed with Japanese tissue, laid back down.
Drop-spine boxes, set of 40
Clamshells for a photographic archive. Buffered board, cotton tape hinges, labelled to the archive’s own scheme.
How a job usually goes
You bring the book in, or post it insured. We look at it together, agree on how far to go, and write down a price. Nothing irreversible happens without a second conversation. Most repairs take three to six weeks; editions depend on the sewing.
We do not bleach, we do not trim edges to make them tidy, and we will talk you out of a rebind if the original binding can be saved.