Main content
Carol Joyce papers and Academy Books and Bindery records
Notifications
Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6206
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Carol Joyce is a bookbinder, conservator, designer, and artist, specializing in book and paper restoration, limited edition books, conservation enclosures, and the rebinding of damaged books. She owned and operated Academy Books and Bindery, in Stockton, New Jersey, from 1983 to 2008.
Carol Joyce was born October 23, 1946, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, to parents James Hilton Joyce and Barbara Church Joyce. She attended Douglas College, graduating in 1968 with a B.A. in Art History. She also attended Brown University, graduating with an M.A. in Art History in either 1970 or 1971.
According to Joyce, "I always knew I was meant to bind and restore books." Her interest in taking care of books grew while working as a research assistant to art dealer, Germain Seligman. The books she frequently consulted were old and in poor condition, and she found the prospect of caring for them "tantalizing." When Joyce had the opportunity to move to Italy in 1974, she volunteered for the conservation laboratory at the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze.
In 1976, Carol Joyce returned to the United States and worked for Carolyn Horton & Associates, a bindery and conservation studio in New York City. At the same time, she attended workshops on book restoration and binding by Bernard Middleton and attending lessons in gold tooling with Gerard Charriere.
About three years later, Carol Joyce returned to Italy to work at Plain Wrapper Press, run by Gabriel Rummonds in Verona. According to Joyce, while at Plain Wrapper Press, "the experience of working on the limited edition, Will and Testament, by Anthony Burgess, with illustrations by Joe Tilson, set the course of my lifelong book work, especially limited editions." Around the same time, she also set up a small studio of her own in an apartment in New York City, where she worked when not doing projects for Plain Wrapper Press.
In 1983, Carol Joyce married Robert Mahon, with whom she would collaborate on a number of future projects. Later that same year, Carol Joyce and Robert Mahon purchased a property in Stockton, New Jersey, where Joyce founded Academy Books and Bindery. For the next twenty-five years, she would run her business here, primarily working on her own, but also bringing in assistants when necessary.
Joyce's work at Academy Books and Bindery ranged from being the primary binder for limited editions, to performing finishing work for others, and conducting a range of restoration work. Over the years she had a mix of long time clients, such as The Limited Editions Club, and steady work on a variety of smaller projects. She did restoration work for artists Stephen Antonakas, Miriam Beerman, John Cage, Jane Hammond, and Sol Lewitt, among other local artists and clientele. Carol Joyce and Robert Mahon also collaborated on the following publishing projects: W.D.Snodgrass, These Trees Stand; Robert Mahon and John Cage, A Portrait Series; a broadside with a poem, The Journey, by James Wright; Robert Mahon, Between the Lions; and Robert Bringhurst, The Lyell Island Variations."
Carol Joyce also took classes in ceramics and collaborated on a variety of artistic projects with her husband, Robert Mahon.
In 2008, Carol Joyce retired and closed Academy Books and Bindery.
This collection documents the career of Carol Joyce, a bookbinder and restorer, and her work at Academy Books and Bindery, which she founded in 1983 and ran until 2008. Some earlier material covers her education and training, with examples of her work from that period. The collection also contains materials related to her exploration of other art forms, particularly ceramics, as well as artistic collaborations with her husband Robert Mahon and others.
This collection contains correspondence, business records, photographs, 35mm slides, ceramic objects, bound and unbound books, notebooks, audiovisual recordings, artists books, pamphlets, booklets, computer source media, bookbinding materials and other ephemera.
Series I: Business files
This series contains records of Carol Joyce's work, particularly of her business, Academy Books and Bindery. It contains correspondence with clients, account books, photographs of projects, sketches, mockups, material samples, and bookbinding ephemera. Arranged alphabetically.
Series II: Carol Joyce personal papers
This series contains a wide variety of materials that document Carol Joyce's life and career. The period before Academy Books and Bindery is represented with course materials, notebooks, photographic slides, and other project materials. Other material overlaps her time running Academy Books and Bindery, such as ceramic and artist book projects, exhibit documents, post cards, and biographical information. Arranged alphabetically.
Series III: Work by Carol Joyce
This series contains books that are examples of Carol Joyce's bookbinding and restoration work, either in producing special editions or rebinding existing texts. Some books are unfinished projects, but most are completed works. Additional details can be found in Carol Joyce and Robert Mahon's notes, Box 10, folder 15. Arranged alphabetically.
Series IV: Works by others
This series contains limited edition books produced by a variety of small presses. Additional details can be found in Carol Joyce and Robert Mahon's notes, Box 10, folder 15. Arranged alphabetically.
Series I: Business files
Series II: Carol Joyce personal papers
Series III: Work by Carol Joyce
Series IV: Works by others
Carol Joyce and Robert Mahon. Purchased.
Subject
- Publisher
- University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts
- Finding Aid Author
- Kenneth Cleary
- Finding Aid Date
- 2023 December 6
- Access Restrictions
-
The bulk of this collection is open for research use, but some exceptions are noted below.
Use of the original audio and video media in boxes 1 and 2 is restricted. If the original does not already have a copy, it may be sent to an outside vendor for copying. Patrons are financially responsible for the cost. The turnaround time from the time of request to delivery of digital items will depend on the nature of the material and is subject to review for condition. Please contact the Kislak Center (kislak@upenn.edu) for cost estimates and ordering. Researchers should be aware of specifics of copyright law and act accordingly.
Use of the computer source media in Box 2 and Box 9 is restricted. The computer files originally stored on the optical media have been processed and are available for research use (see items described as "Digital Content Reading Room Access Only" along the right-hand side in the Collection Inventory. These computer files are reading-room access only on a dedicated computer in the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library.
- Use Restrictions
-
Copyright restrictions may exist. For most library holdings, the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania do not hold copyright. It is the responsibility of the requester to seek permission from the holder of the copyright to reproduce material from the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts.