During the late 19th and early 20th century, fine book binding enjoyed a golden age of creativity and lavish decoration. These handmade, individual and highly personal objects were made not only to protect the texts they contained, but also to be admired and appreciated as portable decorative masterpieces in their own right. Some binders strove to execute traditional designs at the highest levels of technical proficiency and artistic elegance, while others chose to break away and explore new emerging styles influenced by the Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements. This show of approximately 20 rarely seen examples from the Walters’ rare book collection will explore techniques and materials that were employed to showcase the book binder’s craft, sometimes resulting in truly fantastical creations.