Grimm Book Bindery

Specialties

We are a happy group of bookbinders! We do new bindings in cloth, leather or even your special supplied materials! We do rebinding, repair or restorations of your old bindings. We help those trying to self publish their own books — we call this «edition binding» meaning you’re doing 25 or more books at a time. Though you can do just one book or 2000 books!

Most of our bindings are hardcover, though we’ve done many custom items like using wood, plexiglass & metals.

We also use our binding skills to manufacture and sell specialty items like «Grimm Book Safes» which are lock boxes with book covers on them, so from the shelf, it looks like a book but inside is all the stuff you want to keep from others.

We’ve been in business since 1854. That is NOT a typo! Almost 160 years! This is a family business that has been passed down through the generations, so the current owners have been living bookbinding since they were little kids sweeping up the shop at the end of the day

History

Established in 1854.

Gottlieb Grimm was originally from Bottingen (in Württemberg), Germany. He was born in 1831 and learned the craft of bookbinding from his father, Gelasius Grimm. He immigrated to America in 1849– settled in Madison, WI in 1850 and began his life as a Bookbinder. It is reported that Gottlieb bound the 1^st book ever in Madison. In 1855 with a partner, he found the «Madison New Book Bindery». The bindery exchanged hands a few times, with Gottlieb remaining as the supervisor & he bought it back in 1874, renaming it «Grimm Book Bindery». It has been in the family ever since. Now run by brother & sister team Bill Grimm & Judy (Grimm) Stair.

Employees of Grimm Book Bindery are like a close knit family. With an average of over 18 years employment with the company. We find bookbinding a wonderful career as each book we work on either has a history or will make one. We take joy in bringing them back to life or our part in a new one. We lovingly call ourselves «Madison’s 1^st Book Spa»!