The Soleil Bookbindery

Specialties

Book Restoration, Family Bible Repair, Children’s Book Repair, Book Conservation, and Master Bookbinder, Susan Soleil, is an Approved Book Insurance Claim Bookbinder. Archival quality materials for Florentine binding are used at The Soleil Bookbindery.

History

Established in 1976.

The Soleil Bookbindery first opened its doors in 1976 in an old restored 1890’s firehouse in Rochester, NY by Master Bookbinder, Susan Soleil. The bookbindery is celebrating its 40^th year of business, now located in Chapel Hill, NC.

Susan Soleil began as an apprentice to a Florentine Master Bookbinder in Florence, Italy. For three years from 1971 – 1974, Soleil apprenticed, graduated, and became a certified «Florentine Master Bookbinder».

«Living in Florence was absolutely wonderful. I’d bicycle to this fascinating bindery where I was the only apprentice. I learned how to select archival materials specific to the needs of each book brought in for repair or restoration and how to examine a book’s condition by looking for the steps that the original binder used to construct the book in order to return it to it’s original condition.»

Meet the Business Owner

Susan S.

Business Owner

Susan Soleil, M.S., is a trained Florentine Master Bookbinder. She has prepared archival work for Prince Phillip of England, The White House, the Sultan of Brunei, and completed corporate work for XEROX, Kodak, Bausch & Lomb, and other organizations.