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The Bind
The Bind charts the rise and fall of Egret Bindings, once the most prestigious firm of bookbinders in London.
In 1910 brothers Guy and Victor Egret take on an ambitious commission: a deluxe, jewelled binding of a collection of poems, A Moonless Land. It proves to be a moment of hubris. The work triggers their ruin, watched by the disapproving spirit of their father, Garrison Egret.
A darkly humorous tale of sibling rivalry and creative one-upmanship, The Bind shows once again that William Goldsmith is an incomparable storyteller and a marvellously inventive artist.
In 1910 brothers Guy and Victor Egret take on an ambitious commission: a deluxe, jewelled binding of a collection of poems, A Moonless Land. It proves to be a moment of hubris. The work triggers their ruin, watched by the disapproving spirit of their father, Garrison Egret.
A darkly humorous tale of sibling rivalry and creative one-upmanship, The Bind shows once again that William Goldsmith is an incomparable storyteller and a marvellously inventive artist.
120 pages, Hardcover
First published July 2, 2015
3 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
February 18, 2017
A Nostalgia for Craft
William Goldsmith’s The Bind is a beautifully bound and packaged graphic novel about a family bookbinding business, Egret Bindings. It’s a carefully crafted book about careful craftsmanship. Also, it’s a tale of a century ago about the rise and fall of this business, narrated in part by the ghost of the original owner, a man who had Standards and is desperate--even having crossed over to the place all great craftsmen must go--to insist on the continuance of said Standards. The story involves the 1910 Egret Bindings publication of a book of poems, A Moonless Land, leatherbound, bejeweled, and goes into a sibling rivalry with some grace and humor.
Goldsmith’s work is of a piece with Katchor’s work on urban architecture, work such as Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer, Seth’s The Great Northern Brotherhood of Canadian Cartoonists or Clyde Fans. Has a little bit of the feel of Edward Gorey’s work, too. And what is it that binds them? Craft, love of craft, nostalgia for a time when it was valued, and a reinvigoration of that kind of commitment. Lovely pencil and watercolor work, browns, tans, sepia. I really, really like it a lot.
William Goldsmith’s The Bind is a beautifully bound and packaged graphic novel about a family bookbinding business, Egret Bindings. It’s a carefully crafted book about careful craftsmanship. Also, it’s a tale of a century ago about the rise and fall of this business, narrated in part by the ghost of the original owner, a man who had Standards and is desperate--even having crossed over to the place all great craftsmen must go--to insist on the continuance of said Standards. The story involves the 1910 Egret Bindings publication of a book of poems, A Moonless Land, leatherbound, bejeweled, and goes into a sibling rivalry with some grace and humor.
Goldsmith’s work is of a piece with Katchor’s work on urban architecture, work such as Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer, Seth’s The Great Northern Brotherhood of Canadian Cartoonists or Clyde Fans. Has a little bit of the feel of Edward Gorey’s work, too. And what is it that binds them? Craft, love of craft, nostalgia for a time when it was valued, and a reinvigoration of that kind of commitment. Lovely pencil and watercolor work, browns, tans, sepia. I really, really like it a lot.
March 24, 2019
"The Bind" is a story you read and next day you forget. It was ok, it offers an entertaining read for an hour and that's it. I won't be suprised to see it made into a movie though, it has this social/generic feeling that makes for an adaptation. The art is a bit aery and it flows nicely.
October 15, 2018
The book covers the challenges and craft of bookbinding through a family’s bookbinding business from over a century or so ago.
My top three thoughts on ‘The Bind�:
1. This is a very short and simple story. The illustrations are beautiful and in sepia colors that aptly highlight nostalgia of a bygone era.
2. The story doesn't leave room for any depth. Everything is shown in it at a superficial level. There's no time wasted on conflict resolutions or emotions. I would have wanted to see more on feelings towards loss and on the relationships within the family, especially sibling rivalry.
3. I really enjoyed the frames where the ghost of the father (who can’t seem to let go of his business even after his death) is lurking around in the building, silently judging his sons and cringing at the new way things are being done.
My top three thoughts on ‘The Bind�:
1. This is a very short and simple story. The illustrations are beautiful and in sepia colors that aptly highlight nostalgia of a bygone era.
2. The story doesn't leave room for any depth. Everything is shown in it at a superficial level. There's no time wasted on conflict resolutions or emotions. I would have wanted to see more on feelings towards loss and on the relationships within the family, especially sibling rivalry.
3. I really enjoyed the frames where the ghost of the father (who can’t seem to let go of his business even after his death) is lurking around in the building, silently judging his sons and cringing at the new way things are being done.
November 1, 2015
This is a hilarious, fun, wee tale, beautifully drawn and full of character.
March 21, 2025
I don't think I've ever posted a 1 star goodreads review. I guess if I disliked it that much I wouldn't have finished and I don't record DNFs. If it wasn't so short, I would have just returned it to the library and not finished it. An easy gripe would be the art style but that can be forgiven with a good story. This is far from a good story. These idiot brothers work their poor employees to the bone all hours of the night for 18 months to make not one, but two counterfeit book copies. Of course someone is going to mess up and leave a lit match and burn the place down. Am I supposed to feel bad for them or feel triumphant that the older brother destroys what value remains from the hard work and reopens a new shop? I'm supposed to believe that blackmailing your employees for 18 months of excess labor is worth getting back at your younger brother? The older brother was supposed to be the good businessman. What the heck did I just read and why did I even waste my time writing this review? Please avoid this. Graphic novels can be so much more than this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2020
The focus on a bookbinding company and some of the details of the bookbinding process were interesting. However, the story was a bit shallow, for all the twists, and the painted art was sort of charming, but a bit drab with all the browns and greys. All in all felt like not enough substance for the size of the book. Nice fold-out, though.
April 12, 2018
3 - 3.5ish ¯\_(�)_/¯
A really beautiful book that's just lacking in some substance. It was so short and such a fast read that it was hard to get a feel for the characters and their relationships on more than just a superficial level.
A really beautiful book that's just lacking in some substance. It was so short and such a fast read that it was hard to get a feel for the characters and their relationships on more than just a superficial level.
February 14, 2025
The art is as light as the story. It's simple, but there is some eloquence and beauty. The story of sibling rivalry is a tale as old as time, but there is some insight into the book-binding process that makes it more unique.
April 16, 2025
A graphic novel about the fall of a book binding business in the early 20th century. An ode to craft and highly skilled artisans. But also a story of sibling rivalry. I thought the loose watercolor brush strokes and the sepia tones were very beautiful.
November 8, 2017
3.5 stars
The artwork was the best part
The artwork was the best part
May 12, 2019
A three star story with an extra star simply for the exquisite presentation of the book itself.
May 25, 2019
Beautifully illustrated, super light and quick story, you kinda gotta know the basics of binding a book because it’s not entirely explained, but I LOVED it.
September 6, 2019
I'd read this again just for the gorgeous end papers... And maybe *just* for the end papers... The story was kinda eh.
January 1, 2023
Triple-crossings among bookbinders. The style seemed unusual for a graphic no le but I enjoyed the nostalgia of it.
March 24, 2017
5+ stars for beautiful and accurate illustrations of traditional fine bookbinding, but I'm not sure how well it translates for anyone who doesn't have hands-on experience with, say, blind and gold tooling.
October 25, 2019
Hmm... Not very keen on the art and it reminds me of a minor 'Seth' type story. Its good to while away a hour and looking into a bookbinder has some interest... But overall there are far better examples of the 'artistic' comic out there.
November 3, 2019
This is a really beautifully illustrated book that details events surrounding Egret Bindings, a bookbinder firm in London. Really loved the illustrations depicting what goes into book binding.
September 12, 2022
A splendid, ethereal watercolor historical fiction story, where the form echoes the story: ghosts, the physicality and decay of objects, the values of different generations, the hard work and dedication to craft and the way these ideas strengthen and divide families.
April 14, 2022
ORIGINAL: An interesting tale of greed, ambition, and family.
RE-READ: Whenever I check out a book, read it with a vague sense of familiarity, and then find out I'd read it before, that automatically drops the rating for me. If I truly enjoyed it, it would have made a mark on me, yes? Still an interesting tale of ambition and greed, but thinner than it should be.
RE-READ: Whenever I check out a book, read it with a vague sense of familiarity, and then find out I'd read it before, that automatically drops the rating for me. If I truly enjoyed it, it would have made a mark on me, yes? Still an interesting tale of ambition and greed, but thinner than it should be.
January 23, 2017
I was surprised by how interested in this story I became by about page 2. It was also really beautifully... painted? illustrated? I'm not quite sure what you'd call it. The lettering was also very cool and a little bit different.
January 7, 2017
I loved this! A charming, quirky tale with great characters and beautiful illustrations.
January 26, 2017
Great story and illustrations and I learned a few things about bookbinding!
February 1, 2017
Beautifully illustrated.
November 9, 2015
A story of craftsmen that is itself a painstakingly crafted thing.
March 26, 2018
Great art, but the story was just ok.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
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