Hello!
Welcome to Investigating the Book! I'm so glad you're here and exploring what has really become my life's work (at least up to now!). I am a graduate student at Georgetown University working towards my Masters in English, of which this project is a part. As an apprenticed bookbinder and conservator at BCR Bookbinding in Falls Church, Virginia, it seems pretty clear that books are my life and one of my greatest loves.
My passion began with a collection of old books that grew as I learned that what I liked most was the book's material presence and physicality. My own desire to fix the broken ones I could afford eventually turned into a hobby and developed into a budding career of fixing and building books to be stronger so the world can appreciate them as objects, texts, and evidence of our past for longer. The books included in this project are all from my own collection, some of which I have repaired specifically for this project.
Though this is the final project for my Masters degree, the site is in no way finished. I plan to continue working, to grow the site with more books to explore and more things to discover, as there is always more.
When not reorganizing my bookshelves, I might be found reading a mystery novel or watching a British procedural with a cup of Lady Grey I'll most likely forget to drink.
Enjoy! Feel free to contact me with any questions or suggestions, and don't forget to follow the Insta and Facebook for bi-weekly posts of interesting book finds!
Emma Kiely
