Hoa

"Hoa" is the Vietnamese flower for “bloom” or “blossom"This is a very special book. You can see from the photos here that there are 2 types of leather riveted together in the making of this book. One is the leather that the paper is stitched to, and the other wraps around the spine and hides the stitching. I found the piece that is attached to the spine in an "antique alley” in Saigon last summer while visiting SE Asia with my mother. I love to travel, and I try to find antique hardware on every trip. This time I hit the jackpot! I found 3 gems that day (which are shown in their original dusty form in the last image here). The gentleman that sold these to me spoke no English, but is a well respected antique dealer in Saigon. He was able to tell me only that this particular piece was over 100 years old. In addition to the priceless piece on the spine of the book, it is embellished with an antique icebox hinge from the late 1800’s. I have altered it to use as a closure mechanism, and have secured it with an antique padlock which comes with a working key. There are 200 pages of archival bamboo paper inside that is perfect for any kind of pen or pencil, and is also perfect for memorabilia. It is meant to be an heirloom. And it is my most treasured book that I have in my collection at the moment.