DIY Red Book of Westmarch (Lord of the Rings)

The Red Book of Westmarch is a red-leather bound book prop from the Lord of the Rings movies. It is written by the Hobbits Bilbo and Frodo Baggins and (with supplemental information later added by Samwise Gamgee). The 300+ pages and numerous drawings retell in first-person the hobbit’s adventures throughout the books/movies as told from the perspectives of Bilbo, Frodo and Samwise.

Only around 6 pages of the original movie prop were shown in the films, but fans have extended this to over 300 pages of nerd glory by rewriting the Hobbit into the first person voice of Bilbo and condensing the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy as retold by Frodo and Sam. In addition, several appendices were written and many sketches as well as Tolkien's original maps were added throughout the story.

Let's create it!

Supplies

1. A computer and printer (preferably a laser printer to avoid the risk of ink washing out while weathering, though an inkjet will also do if you're careful)
2. Printer paper. This can be standard 90-120 gsm white paper, as well as some heavier cardstock for the end pages and cover.
3. A sheet of (real or faux) dark red or burgundy leather for the cover. I got mine off Aliexpress.
4. PVA glue
5. Mull or some cotton or linen fabric to reinforce the spine of the text block
6. A clamp and a book press or alternatively some heavy books/objects
7. Optional: 3D printer to create an embossing stamp

Step 1: Printing the Pages

A printable PDF with a version of the book contents can be purchased on Etsy. Or if you have a lot of time and patience, you could transcribe/draw the entire contents in your own hand (like this creator) based on flip throughs such as this one (in English) or this one (in French).

The pages can be printed in duplex on standard A4 or US Letter size paper.

Step 2: Weathering the Pages

To give the pages an aged look, they can be dipped into a tray of coffee or tea. It's best to try this out with some scrap paper first to determine which method produces your preferred look. The pages can easily tear while wet, so be careful when handling them. After drying, the pages can be flattened by placing them between two sheets and ironing them with low heat (to prevent the ink from transferring).

The following video by Lindsay Adreon illustrates the process:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUsFHs1Gwzk

Step 3: Binding the Book

To bind the single pages into a text block, I opted for a double fan adhesive binding. This is a very easy and durable method of binding. It basically glues one page to the next without the need for any sewing. Fabric surrounds the adhesive for additional strength and provides lay-flat flexibility without page loss. The process is clearly explained in the following videos by PeskyCat Papercraft:

Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO6NGw8oNCQ

Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHFV3aAMBjw

Or you can find the instructions in text format here.

Make sure to add end pages (in a heavier/stronger cardstock than the interior paper) which will allow gluing the text block to the cover.

Step 4: Making the Cover

There are several options for adding the cover design elements to the leather:

• If you have a 3D printer, you can create a 3D stamp with the cover design to emboss the leather as illustrated in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KWlbNvQWgE
• Alternatively, Youtube user Sea Lemon shows how you can manually trace the design on the leather in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4fSIIRfLrc&t=7m40s (as of 7m40s mark).
• Or instead of a leather cover, you could opt to simply print the cover on a color printer (a high resolution cover template can be found here) and glue it to a light cardboard
• Finally, it's also possible commission a leather cover by a leather craftsman (e.g. on Etsy here) though this does not come cheap.

If you opt to create your own leather cover, it can be reinforced with a very light (easily bendable) cardboard. Cut out 2 cardboard sections which are just slightly larger than the page size and one spine section which is the size of the text block spine width. Use PVA glue to glue them in position on the leather, leaving a few mm room between the sections so the cover can be easily folded closed, as well as enough leather around the edges to fold over and glue inwards over the cardboard. Weigh down the cover while the glue is drying. The process is illustrated and explained in more detail in this instructable (wich adds a leather cover to an existing paperback, but the process is the same for our text block).

Two leather closing straps can be added as shown in Sea Lemon's video above.

Step 5: Finalizing the Book

Now it's just a matter of gluing the end pages to the cover and pressing the book until completely dry. In the meantime you can think about how and where to display you amazing new prop :).