Process

About the process of making the books

The handmade paper I used the most is Lokta. The LOKTA paper popularly known as rice paper; is handmade traditionally from time immemorial in Nepal from the bark of Daphne Papyracea called LOKTA. These plants are found in the forest of Nepal between the altitudes of 6500ft to 9500ft. Nepali has 110,000 metric ton of green lokta raw material available. The total production capacity till now is apx 15,000 mt. Nepalese farmers allow sufficient time for the plants to grow and develop.Lokta production does not affect the fragile forest ecology of Nepal.

History of the Coptic stitch

In the second or third century AD, the Copts, early Christians living in Egypt, developed the Coptic binding. They folded a few sheets of papyrus together into sections. Then, adapting their technique of interlacing threads in carpet making and weaving, they used a chain stitch to bind the sections between wooden covers. Once parchment became available, it quickly replaced papyrus for the pages. This binding technique was used throughout the Islamic world and Eastern Christendom (Europe), and is still used in Ethiopia today. By the fall of Rome, in 476 AD, parchment had largely replaced papyrus except in Egypt.