Blue Rhine

In a river’s sinuous progress, we can see glints of the evolution of civilization. This journal, with its rippling, golden embellishment suggestive of water’s movement, comes from a book originally published in Basel, Switzerland, where the Swiss, German and French borders meet. Basel is famous not just as a cultural centre, including its many theatres and museums, but also for its location on the banks of the River Rhine.

Like the Rhine, this cover has a long and winding history that intersects with that of Europe. Originally bound in red calfskin, it was published in 1729 by Johann Rudolph and Emanuel Thurneysen, a renowned bookbinding duo collectively known as the “Thurneysen fratres” (Thurneysen brothers). The book itself is named Tossani’s Bible after Paul Tossanus, a Huguenot minister whose controversial 1617 translation of Luther’s Bible was held within.

The colour and pattern of our Blue Rhine design are suggestive of the relentless movement of water over rock, reminding us of the cultural evolution that the river has brought through its own long and winding European history.