Charlotte Wainwright: old books, beautifully rebound
Bookbinder Charlotte Wainwright takes worn-out old books apart and rebuilds them with hand-marbled endpapers, sewn endbands and gold-foiled spines.
What it is
This is the TikTok of Charlotte Wainwright, a bookbinder and paper marbler who runs Wainwright Bookbinding. Her studio takes old, often falling-apart books and gives them a complete new binding: endpapers she marbles herself, hand-sewn endbands, gold foiling on the spine. Her website mentions a Sherlock Holmes rebind she made for comedian Josh Widdicombe that was posted across BBC channels.
Why we picked it
There's something deeply satisfying about watching a book headed for the bin become an heirloom. Over summer 2026 she ran a multi-part series with embroidery artist Lou Madhu, rebinding a Victorian book on the butterflies and moths of the UK. You see the whole thing — pulling the book apart, matching marbling colours to embroidery threads, marbling the page edges while, as she admits, holding her breath the entire time. Shorter clips cover gold-foiled book edges done with a tiny iron and before-and-after transformations of books that were "destined for decay."
The studio also sells its own notebooks, and that comes up now and then. But the craft is the heart of the feed.
Where to start
- The multi-part butterflies and moths rebind with Lou Madhu.
- The edge marbling video — the most hypnotic of the lot.
- The September transformation of a decaying book.
- The gold-foiled book edges clip.
Who it's for
Book lovers with a favourite volume slowly falling apart on the shelf. Anyone who unwinds with calm, process-heavy videos. And would-be binders who want to see what the real craft looks like.
Quick answers
Who is behind it? Charlotte Wainwright, bookbinder and paper marbler at Wainwright Bookbinding.
Is it restoration or rebinding? Mostly full rebinds of old books, keeping the original pages.
How often does she post? A few times a month; the latest post at the time of checking was from 10 September 2026.
