DISPLAYING A KEOUGH TOME
“ The stand is a beautiful piece of work, extremely well designed and finely crafted.
As far as I’m concerned it is a must to exhibit and protect the tomes. ”
Robert Muscroft, British Columbia
Responding to requests from collectors, Pat and Rosemarie Keough designed an elegant piece of furniture expressly to display their hand-bound tomes ANTARCTICA and LABYRINTH SUBLIME.
PLEASE NOTE: As of Spring 2023, all custom bookstands have been acquired by collectors. In total, 132 bookstands were individually hand-crafted by Canadian artisans to the Keoughs specifications. Information shared on this website regarding the bookstand is for historical record.
A Keough tome displayed on its stand has a presence akin to sculpture or paintings, and each day a new pair of images can be enjoyed. A whole year may be needed to appreciate the full book.
“ The impetus for the bookstand came from collectors who asked us to recommend a lectern or bookstand on which to display ANTARCTICA. After much research we determined that the utilitarian foam wedges were the best commercial option, albeit unaesthetic. Other bookstands we found could not support the weight and size of ANTARCTICA. The few robust stands we came across failed to incorporate conservation measures necessary to support the binding should the book be on display for months or years. We ended up designing the ideal stand ourselves with input from rare book curators such as Alan Jutzi of the Huntington Library, California. The development stage involved two years of design and building and testing prototypes. We are very proud of the final bookstand, among the collectors of which are Yale University and Wellesley College. ”
Pat and Rosemarie Keough