Like setting the finest table for your Muse...
HYPATIA BOOK ARTS is a small bindery on Martha’s Vineyard that specializes in creating unique and beautiful books by hand, using centuries-old techniques and exquisite earth-friendly materials from around the world that reflect generations of old-world, fine-artisan craftsmanship.
The Collections of Hypatia Book Arts are sensual - to the eyes, to the touch, even to the ears with the sound of the handmade paper sheets and writing instruments or brush strokes across the page. You don’t have to go far before a book in these Collections calls out to you – one whose colors and textures and details you simply fall in love with, and which inspires you!
Hundreds of books from these Collections have accompanied writers, musicians, photographers, poets, artists, travelers, newlyweds, new parents, memory-keepers, and simply anyone with something to say or save in a beautifully crafted handmade book. Hypatia collectors very often get back to me to share the myriad of wondrous ways a Hypatia book has accompanied their life story, and this makes my heart sing!
Sometimes I hear, “These books are too beautiful to write in!” My reply: Just the contrary! I purposely work with these materials because their rustic beauty is perfectly imperfect, just like each of us! And so they invite and inspire as if whispering words of encouragement: Just show up to the page exactly as you are! Just show up… and the Muse will too!
May you find your Muse in the Hypatia collections, in the softness of the leather, the crinkle of the paper, the strokes across the page, and know that, just like each book, your story is one of unique beauty.
Meet Cynthia
Founder and creator at
Hypatia Book Arts,
Martha's Vineyard MA
It is my hope that the ‘some-of-a-kind’ books I fashion find their way into your hands to inspire you and to be a vehicle for your voice, beauty and love in the world. May you find your Muse that draws you to the light of creativity that you must reach for, beyond yourself, with the knowledge that the beauty you seek and find is not separate but the heart of you.
What's Behind the Name
"Hypatia"
Pronounced hi-PAY-sha
Think ancient Alexandria, the metropolis of Egypt, at its peak and the indisputable capital of the world – commercially, intellectually, spiritually, artistically.
Visitors from all parts of the world, led into this harbor by the Pharos Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, were required to surrender all books and scrolls in their possession, which were added to the greatest library of the ancient world.
Our Papers
Beauty and sustainability,
side by side
I source my papers from inspiring, traditional non-tree paper-making operations that are both socially responsible and environmentally sustainable.
Much of my design is directly inspired by the
breathtaking, authentic beauty that ‘happens’ in the process of raw fibers becoming a sheet of handmade paper, each one unique. Some of my favorite handmade papers are crafted from 100% cotton rag, linen, flax, hemp, banana, mulberry, and kozo.
Materials
and Techniques
Honoring tradition, inspiring innovation hand-in-hand
I relish in working with extraordinary papers; luscious hand-dyed silks and linens; and book-binding techniques, some of which date back to ancient Egypt, binding papyrus into the first true codices. And I acknowledge the long lineages of paper makers and bookbinders – both of past and present – who have shared their passions and art, and my own Muse who arouses and shapes my inspiration.
