Photograph by Whitney Ott
A book collection can be for reading—or just for decoration. Eddie Lawrence Edwards of E. Lawrence Ltd., a book purveyor and binder, can whip up a batch of either, but his largest clients are in interior design. He started as an antiques dealer in the 1990s, quickly finding a niche in books. After an apprenticeship under a local bookbinder, Lawrence began making his own parchment book coverings. Now, at his Westside workshop, he leads a team of five craftspeople who rebind secondhand books in a slew of graphic designs. A visual artist, Lawrence digs through archives and collects images of nature, maps, historic ephemera, and fashion—or photographs iconic objects himself, like the Hermès Birkin.
This article originally appeared in our March 2015 issue under the headline “Bound for Design.”
