Seventh Triennial Helen Warren DeGolyer Exhibition and Bookbinding Competition, 2015

Established in 1995, the Helen Warren DeGolyer Triennial Exhibition and Competition for American Bookbinding is hosted every three years by Bridwell Library at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. The competition, exhibition, and accompanying DeGolyer Conference aim to inspire and encourage the craft and art of bookbinding in the United States.

The DeGolyer Competition invites American bookbinders to propose a design for a book held by Bridwell Library Special Collections and to submit a recently completed example of his or her work. The winner of the Helen Warren DeGolyer Award for American Bookbinding receives a commission to realize his or her proposed design. In addition, prizes for Excellence in Fine Binding and Design are awarded. The competition book for 2015 is:

Bernard C. Middleton (1924 - ). The Restoration of Leather Bindings.
Chicago: American Library Association, 1976.

In honor of the twentieth anniversary of the founding of the Helen Warren DeGolyer Triennial Competition for American Bookbinding, the 2015 Award Commission will be Mrs. DeGolyer’s copy of Middleton’s classic manual of bookbinding, signed by the author. The work offers a comprehensive overview of traditional restoration techniques, tools, and materials. The volume is illustrated with numerous black and white photographs by the author and his bindery assistant, Eric Horne, and detailed drawings and diagrams by Aldren A. Watson.

Completed commissions of previous DeGolyer Award winners and all competition entries, including design proposals and sample bindings, are exhibited in The Elizabeth Perkins Prothro Galleries at Bridwell Library. In addition, a PDF containing an image of each proposal and sample binding is available here.

Priscilla Spitler  2015 DeGolyer Award for  American Bookbinding	Jana Pullman Award for Excellence in Fine Binding	Samuel Feinstein Award for Design

Ethan Ensign	Don Etherington	Erin Fletcher
Gabrielle Fox	William Franklin	Wilfredo A. Geigel
M. Sue Gilly	Karen Hanmer	Rose Harms
B. E. Hoffman	Lang Ingalls	Forrest Jackson
Jamie Kamph	Esther Kibby	Nancy Nitzberg
James Reid-Cunningham	Judy Sgantas	James Tapley