Making It: Emgie Libris

What started as a one-credit bookbinding class in college for Marilyn Glinka has quickly turned into a bookmaking career. Glinka, who attended Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, now runs Emgie Libris out of Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Emgie, phonetic for her initials, and Libris, the Latin word for book, first took form back in 2007. But after going full steam ahead a year ago, the results and response have been astounding.

For Glinka, it all comes down to one simple concept: She creates books you can be proud to own. Books made by hand. One-by-one. Cut, stitched, glued and trimmed using locally sourced materials. And once you pick one up and hold it in your hands, you can see the difference.

With three different sizes – The Passport (travels with you), The Designer (perfect for notes) and The Artist (full sketchbook) – Emgie Libris provides the variety you need. They even give you the option of lined or unlined in each size. So why pick one up as opposed to your trusty Moleskine? The details. There’s book cloth on the inside cover, the first page is embossed with the company logo and each book is signed and dated by hand.