(Book)Binding our Family History

I took a bookbinding course this semester as part of my Library Science degree. At the end, we could create and bind our own book! Of course, I designed a book to showcase our family tree! I wanted to create a book that would include my family tree, and my husband’s family tree, joined in the middle by us.

I made a side-by-side accordion book. The cover opens from the center, and is tied together with a ribbon (representing the tying of our two families together). The green cover, and the silver leaf are also suggestive of a living tree. I found a metal plate that said “Ancestors” and attached that to the front as the title.

Open up the book to reveal the two family trees side by side!

The book opens to reveal our family trees side by side, joined in the center with us. A reader can either “read” page by page through each generation, or can fold out each tree entirely to see it all together. I included photographs and names of each ancestor if they were available, and I left room for them to be added later if I didn’t have it. The generations are not strictly laid out, but you can see who is linked together by following the threads. In the center, my husband and I are together, and join the two sides of the family tree.

This was a fun project for me to explore, and I’m now interested in making another book! This book just includes names and photos, so perhaps my next book project can incorporate a little more information about each family member!