thanks to the two gyrlz

please click on over to two gyrlz quarterly, where the wonderful tiffany lee brown — writer, editor, performance artist, musician, and lover of all things Rattus rattus — has posted my plea for hedgehog-help!

(aloysius never thought he'd be mentioned in a blog, let alone two. he is blushing beneath his quills as we speak.)

questions & answers

in response to various questions sent my way, i thought it would be helpful to tell you about the techniques i use to make these books, as well as various and sundry other bits of information.

how do you bind the books?
essentially, i take the pages out of an existing book and then rebuild the insides. first, i cut batches of paper to size. i then fold each of these in half to compose a sheaf of pages, known as a "signature." i then sew each signature together using waxed linen thread. after the thread is tied and cut, the signatures are pressed together and glued into book cloth. once that is dry (usually overnight), the book-cloth–bound pages are inserted into the hardcover boards and glued to the boards and spine. the entire thing then sits overnight until fully dry.

finishing includes affixing pages cut from the book to the front and back endpages and cleaning up the exterior by removing what marks and imperfections can be removed (sometimes many, sometimes none).

it is a long process, but satisfying. it produces a durable, unique journal or sketchbook that you can put on a bookshelf without anyone knowing it's filled with your words or drawings or newspaper clippings or photographs or what-have-you.

what kind of paper do you use?
for most of these books, i use a 24-lb text-weight paper in natural color. some have white copy-weight paper in them. if you want to request a particular kind of paper, i can probably accommodate your request, though it depends on things like the size of the book and how easily i can get my hands on the desired kind of paper.

where do you find your books?
sometimes thrift stores, sometimes yard sales, sometimes piles of free stuff; sometimes people give them to me! if you have old books with cool covers that you have no particular use for, let me know.

can you bind this old book i have?
yes! most probably. i'm happy to turn one of your old books into a blank book.

ok, those were all the questions i could think of for now. if you have others you'd like to ask, let me know. happy to do my best to answer them.

books #3

and yet more books ... !

Penguins on Parade, 9 x 6.75 x 0.25

$15
SOLD

The First Book of Automobiles, 8.75 x 7.25 x 0.25
$15

All About Whales, 9.25 x 7 x 0.75

$22
SOLD

The 1980s: Countdown to Armageddon, 9.25 x 6.25 x 0.75
$18

All About Famous Scientific Expeditions, 9.25 x 7 x 0.75
$22

Sinbad the Gorilla, 9.25 x 6.5 x 0.25
$15
SOLD

Best in Children's Books, 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5
$15

Color Harmony in Dress, 7.25 x 4.75 x 0.5
$15

The B.O.W.S., 8 x 5.25 x 0.5
$18

All About the Arctic and Antarctic, 9.25 x 7 x 0.75
$22
SOLD

Golf Is a Four-Letter Word, 8 x 5.5 x 0.5
$15
SOLD

The Real Book about Spies, 8 x 5.25 x 0.75
$15
SOLD

books #2

here is another round of available covers for your perusal. please note, most of these have not yet been made into books, so i don't know the page counts yet.

also, i try to use 24-lb text-weight paper, usually a natural color. if your chosen book has a different kind of paper in it, i'll let you know.

many thanks for all the interest and support!

All About Archaeology, 9.25 x 7 x 0.75

$22
SOLD

College Spelling Studies, 78 pp, 10 x 7 x 0.25

$18
SOLD

The First Book of Stones, 8.5 x 7 x 0.25

$15

How and Why: Travel, 10 x 7 x 0.75
$20
SOLD

The Underachiever's Manifesto, 6.25 x 4.25 x 0.25
$12
SOLD

Elements of General Phonetics, 8.75 x 5.5 x 0.75
$18

The Organic Front, 7.5 x 5 x 0.5
$15
SOLD


The First Book of Boats, 8.75 x 7.25 x 0.25
$15
SOLD

Star Bright, 9.25 x 7 x 0.5
$18
SOLD

books #1

here are some of the books i have available right now. if you're interested in one, let me know. i'll update as they are sold. more to come soon... thanks!

The Golden Picture Atlas of North America, 94 pp, 10.25 x 7.25 x 0.75*

$20
SOLD

The Inept Seducer, 78 pp, 8.75 x 5.75 x 0.5

$18
SOLD

Round-the-World Cook Book, 94 pp, 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5

$18
SOLD

The First Book of Snakes, 78 pp, 8.75 x 7.25 x 0.5
$15

SOLD

High and Low, 62 pp, 7.5 x 4.5 x 0.25

(with special cut-out cover!)
$15

Listening to the Great Teacher, 62 pp, 6.25 x 4.25 x 0.25
$10
SOLD

Ann H. Judson of Burma: Memoirs of Mighty Men and Women,
78 pp, 7.5 x 5.25 x 0.25
$15
SOLD

Riddler, 78 pp, 8.25 x 6 x 0.25
$15
SOLD

Philosophy of History, 94 pp, 8 x 5.5 x 0.75
$18
SOLD

Pablo: Boy of Mexico, 46 pp, 10.75 x 8.25 x 0.25
SOLD

The True Book of Tools for Building, 46 pp, 8.5 x 7.25 x 0.25
$15
SOLD

The Uncommon Commoner, 126 pp, 8.5 x 5.75 x 0.75
SOLD

Wide Awake, 46 pp, 7 x 4.75 x 0.25
$15
SOLD

*dimensions are listed as approximate height, width, depth in inches

buy a book, help a hedgehog

if you've found this blog, you're most likely a friend or a friend of a friend. thanks for considering helping me fund aloysius's pending surgery by purchasing one of my books. we are both very grateful. below you'll find the original e-mail i sent out to announce the atelerix books hedgehog benefit. i'll be posting images of available books here so that you can see if one might work for you.

thanks!
-allison & aloysius

********


hello friends!

as some of you may know, my hedgehog, aloysius (see photo above taken by my friend, photographer serena davidson), has cancer again. he's had several surgeries in the past few years to remove malignant tumors from his nose. now, unfortunately, there are new tumors on his head and on his leg that need to be removed so that he can, i hope, live comfortably for a good while longer. i got aloysius when he was a little hoglet, and he's accompanied me through countless moves and jobs over the past six years. he's not the most sociable creature, but as those of you who've met him know, he's adorable and charming in his own grumpy fashion. in the background of the photo you can see the purple ribbons on the wall from when he won Best in Show at the 2001 Hedgehogs Northwest Show in Tacoma, Washington (yes, really): he's a special little hedgehog.

i'm telling you all this because, for the next few months, i'll be putting any and all profits from my handbound books (which i sell under the name "atelerix books," after the latin name for "hedgehog": atelerix albiventris) toward funding aloysius's surgery. the tumor removal will cost over six hundred dollars, which is rather steep, though entirely worth it when considering that it could mean he'll get to live for another year, or even more. i'm hoping funds from selling atelerix books will help offset some of the cost.

soon, i will have an Internet shop set up at etsy.com (check it out if you've never been there, it's a wealth of handmade fun), but it hasn't happened yet, so, for now, if you or anyone you know is interested in purchasing one of my books, please contact me directly at atelerixbooks at yahoo dot com.

oh! but the books, you ask? what are these books i'm pushing on you? well, i find old hardcovers with interesting covers and rebind them into blank journals. the result is an entirely unique, sturdy and durable "stealth" journal or sketchbook. i say "stealth" because no one needs ever know it's a journal. i use blank paper to fill them; sorry, no lined paper. i'm also happy to do custom orders. pricing ranges from $15-$30 depending on the size of the book.

(the books below have already been sold; they're offered as examples only)


in the past i've sold them at Reading Frenzy and Q is for Choir here in Portland, Oregon; they always sell out. i've made custom orders for customers in Portland (of course) and sent books to people in St. Louis, England, and Japan. which is not to brag but to say: the atelerix books are good books! you will like them. if you live in Portland, you can even come over and dig through my boxes of old hardcovers in search of the perfect one for you (or your mom, or your brother — you get the idea). if you don't live in Portland, shipping is extra.

thanks for reading this. please forward it on to anyone and everyone you think might be interested. you can e-mail us at atelerixbooks at yahoo dot com. aloysius says thank you, too.

in the meantime:
please buy a book! or two! help the hedgie!