this post is part of a series of posts on books related to the book arts that i've read (to the extent that some of these are "readable"). books with f represent items i'm particularly taken with.

the works of Richard Wolfe

Richard Wolfe was my first introduction to books on books – and indeed, fine printing in its broadest sense. i found a 50% off copy of The Art of Marbling in a local bookstore, putting it at the edge of my book buying budget. based on prices online, i felt i was unlikely to find a copy so similarly priced, so i picked it up (somewhat to the chagrin of the bookseller, seeing that it was sold on commission) and started to seek out the rest of Wolfe's books, hoping for that same spark. frankly, they don't all deliver, but as representations of historical marbling techniques they serve as an excellent resource for understanding how we got to where we are today.

the works of Nedim Sönmez

i am not sure if i actually like the books by Nedim Sönmez as books, even though i have a number of them, as you'll see below. they are often novel in their presentation (a folio of loose sheets, miniature books, etc.) and certainly contain a large variety of papers and designs, which is a large plus in their favor. however, there is a certain repetitiveness to them and the non-visual part is often lacking (especially compared to Richard Wolfe's work). do not let me discourage you, though, from owning one if it suits your fancy or comes your way – there is obviously a beauty in ebru (Turkish style marbling) that takes years to master and Nedim is nothing if not a master – but do not expect a lot of information in them.

b Turkisch Papir: a Short History of Marbling in the Orient and Germany, Jäckle-Sönmez, 1995.

a beautifully done miniature that also has a good list of early european works (mostly album amoricum) if that floats your boat. this edition is also noteable for a very pleasing calligraphic piece using marbling for the "ink" of the calligraphy.

b f Sönmez on Stamps I: Marbled Flowers & Sönmez on Stamps II: Marbled Landscapes, 2017.

these are just too cool. fantastic representations of what non-pattern ebru marbling can do. the landscapes are particularly evocative and inspiring.

b f A Collection of Historical Decorated Papers, 2024.

the presentation is lacking and again, the text could use an editor and some refinement, but the samples are very cool. the book itself is actually two miniature books, so the samples are small, but it's worthwhile for the variety. especially since almost all of the samples are antiques and contains non-marbled decorated paper as well.

the works of others

b f The Magic of Marbling, Karli Frigge, 2020.

this is the first book of Karli Frigge's that i've owned and now i want to own all of hers. the book has large samples and a large number of techniques for water color marbling that i have not seen elsewhere – indeed, many of her so-called "dear mistakes" could be taken as intentionally made patterns. a novel tidbits from the book:

she does bouquet patterns, not with a fix comb, but with a pair of combs that she shifts laterally as she draws the pair through the size. bonkers.
her "granulated" patterns come from letting the paint go bad. or as she describes it, waiting for a fly to land in the paint and die (and get moldy).
her witch's egg pattern (tigers eye in a tigers eye) are very cool and i had not seen them before.

and one recipe, that may otherwise be hard to come by, is for potash paste:

First prepare the basis: boil 0.30 pint [sic] of water and then turn the heat low. Stir in 3.5 oz of alum until it has all dissolved. then add, slowly and in small amounts, 3.5 oz of sodium carbonate. The solution will become opaque and thick. Be careful: carbon dioxide gas will escape and a lot of foam will develop. When the foam has stopped forming, slowly add 0.90 fl oz of water and while you stir, let it all simmer gently for 5 minutes. That is the basis.
Keep stirring and while it all still simmers, add 3.5 oz of potash, bit by bit, until you have a homogeneous solution. Pour it into a dark pot and keep it in a cool dark place. It will have a shelf life of a couple of months. Add a quantity the size of a pea to the basic recipe for marble paint given above [ed. in the introduction to the book].

last updated: 2026-06-06 10:51:52