Welcome to Rag & Bone Bindery where we make handbound Albums, Baby Books, Binders, Journals and more to preserve memories from your very special occasions and events. At heart, Rag & Bone Bindery is a family affair. What started in 1990 as a shared interest in bookbinding and all things bookish between owners Jason Thompson & Ilira Steinman has grown into a business rooted in fine craftsmanship and enduring beauty. Rag & Bone Bindery Albums and Journals are created one-at-a-time, by hand, in our Rhode Island bookbinding studio where we bring modern textiles and designs together with traditional bookmaking skills and techniques.
Ilira Steinman - Founder, Rag & Bone Bindery
Ilira discovered the art of bookbinding during a year abroad in Italy while studying at the Rhode Island School of Design. Ilira brought back her love for books and bookbinding and taught Jason how to bind books in the summer of 1990. Ilira keeps the bindery running smoothly and manages production and wholesale accounts. Outside of the studio Ilira volunteers for local non-profit organizations and enjoys time with Jason and their two children.
Ilira Steinman, I Am Thankful - Perch
Ilira Steinman - Kidoinfo
Ilira Steinman, Forbes Magazine - Forbes Magazine
Jason Thompson - Founder, Rag & Bone Bindery
Bookbinder and author Jason Thompson has an interest in all types of bookbinding, book arts, paper craft as well as old bindery equipment and historic mill buildings. He maintains a personal collection of antique books about the Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen and hopes one day to visit the arctic. Jason is the author of "Making Journals By Hand" and "Playing With Books" and you can find his articles in the Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, Ampersand magazine, Sketchbook Magazine and more.
Jason Thompson "Playing With Books" {amazon}
Jason Thompson, "Making Journals By Hand" {amazon}
Jason Thompson, "Making Memory Books And Journals By Hand" {amazon}
Jason Thompson - Wall Street Journal
Jason Thompson - Huffington Post
Jason Thompson, Artist Profile - Craft Foxes
Rag & Bone Bindery
Rag & Bone Bindery was founded in the summer of 1990 when Jason Thompson learned to bind small case-bound journals from his then girlfriend (now wife) Ilira Steinman. The very first bindery was a workbench set up in a spare room in Jason's apartment on the East Side of Providence, Rhode Island where he crafted small journals for local college students at Brown University and Harvard. Jason bound as many books as he could during the evenings and on weekends took the train to Boston to set up a table in Harvard Square. The first brick and mortar establishments to sell Rag & Bone Books were local New England gift shops and bookstores. After a year of bookmaking, Jason and Ilira moved to Boston and set up Rag & Bone Bindery in the Distillery Artist Building, a large mill complex housing a spirited group of young artists. It was here that Rag & Bone Bindery began to offer books and Albums to larger stores across the country and hired staff to help bind books during the busy season.
Once Rag & Bone outgrew the Boston studio, Jason & Ilira returned to Rhode Island and moved to ever larger work spaces over the years as the business grew, and eventually purchased a Pawtucket, Rhode Island mill building in 2004. The historic Main Street two-story brick building was originally built in 1900 as a textile mill. Jason & Ilira renovated the first floor as home for Rag & Bone Bindery and the second as a residential loft. The building is a perfect studio for a bindery, centrally located just over the Providence line in Pawtucket and filled with natural light, hardwood floors, and high ceilings.
Today Rag & Bone Bindery creates handbound Albums and Journals for all occasions. Our bookbinders utilize traditional tools and materials to create modern and archival bindings made to last a lifetime. You can find our books in Gift and Stationery stores across the US. We're thankful for the opportunity to keep the art of bookbinding alive and to continue a studio culture which respects the art of the craft while offering affordable, well designed books and Albums. Thank you for your support!
Redeveloped Mill - Art In Ruins
Ready, Set, DIY - Boston.com
Loft Above a Bookbinding Studio - Artkraft
Rag & Bone Bindery In The Press
Rag & Bone Bindery books and Albums have been featured in magazines such as Oprah, Martha Stewart Weddings, Brides Magazine, American Baby, Traditional Home, Real Simple, People Magazine, Bridal Guide, Pregnancy and Newborn, Canadian Living, Daily Candy, Pregnancy Magazine, Parenting, Chatelaine, Style at Home, Verdana, Elle Decor, Child, Good Housekeeping, InStyle and others.
Oprah's Favorite Things - Oprah
Rag & Bone Profile - Seventeen Magazine
Product Profile - The Kitchn
Perfect Mother's Day Gifts - Cool Mom Picks
Rag & Bone Profile - Aeolidia
Rag & Bone Bindery In Movies & Television
Rag & Bone Books have been featured in Movies & TV shows such as "The Wedding Planner" (Our Small Album was the Album Jennifer Lopez' character uses in the film!), Will & Grace, Monk, Grace and Frankie, Star Trek: The Next Generation (really!) and Crossing Jordan. Our books and albums have been featured on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The View and others.
Rag & Bone Bindery is proud to be a member of the Center for Book Arts, the Guild of Bookworkers, and the Book Arts Guild.