Description
Freight is $14.95 per order within the Continental USA and $63.95 per order outside the Continental USA.
Receive a $10 discount per item when purchasing 3 or more items. Items may be assorted across our complete offering of bookbinding leathers.
Smooth Historical Goat
Our Smooth Historical Goat is a premium vegetable-tanned goatskin that captures the character of traditional leather making while meeting the demands of modern fine bookbinding.
Exquisitely crafted by Siegel, this leather is produced from carefully selected goatskins and finished without grain manipulation or embossing. The result is a naturally smooth, calf-like grain that reflects the principles described in the Report of the Society of Arts’ Committee on Bookbinding.
The name “Historical” reflects the time-honored approach used in its production. There is no plating or artificial grain manipulation used to alter the natural surface of the leather. This requires exceptionally good raw stock, as the natural grain remains visible rather than being concealed beneath opaque finishes.
We use no opaque finishes to mask imperfections. The natural grain of Smooth Historical Goat is allowed to remain visible, demanding careful selection of the raw skins from the beginning.
Carefully Refined for Performance
Smooth Historical Goat is produced using the same established recipe and the same chemicals from our Italian chemical house. The mechanical operations used during production have been carefully modified to make the leather more resistant to scratching while retaining its excellent tooling properties.
These mechanical operations include processes such as drying, toggling, and other stages of leather production that influence the final character and performance of the finished skin.
For this type of leather, we purchase the skins “in the hair,” giving us greater control over the de-hairing, tanning, and finishing processes that influence the leather’s final characteristics.
The result is a goatskin with a remarkably smooth, calf-like surface that has become highly popular among bookbinders.
Natural Grain and Color
Our fine-grained skins undergo a careful selection process and are drum-dyed, then finished with an aniline-type dye without pigment to create consistent color while preserving the natural character of the grain.
No opaque finish is used to conceal defects. With its 100% vegetable tannage, the natural grain remains visible and requires excellent grain selection throughout production.
The leather’s smooth surface, natural character, and excellent tooling properties make Smooth Historical Goat particularly well suited for fine bookbinding.
Grade, Size, and Cutting
Smooth Historical Goat is priced per skin.
Grade #1 skins have no defects within 1½ inches of an edge.
Grade #2 skins may contain defects that prevent the entire hide from being cut as one large rectangular panel. Depending on the location of the defect, they may be particularly suitable for projects such as spines, quarter bindings, labels, and other smaller leather components.
Each skin accommodates minimum pattern sizes of approximately 11″ × 17″ or larger.
Available Sizes
- 30–39 sq dm = 3.22–4.20 sq ft
- 40–49 sq dm = 4.31–5.27 sq ft
- 50–59 sq dm = 5.38–6.35 sq ft
- 60–69 sq dm = 6.46–7.43 sq ft
Thickness and Preparation
The substance ranges from 0.60–0.75 mm.
For your convenience, the skins are already pared to approximately 0.60–0.75 mm, providing a cost-saving benefit by reducing or eliminating the need for additional paring.
Custom colors are available upon request with a minimum order, and we also welcome edition orders.
As with all our products, Smooth Historical Goat comes with an unconditional satisfaction guarantee.
Approximate Price
#1 Grade
- 4–6.75 sq ft: $14 per sq ft + freight
- 7–7.75 sq ft: Additional $2 per sq ft
#2 Grade
- 4–6.75 sq ft: $11 per sq ft + freight
- 7–7.75 sq ft: Additional $2 per sq ft
Traditional Character. Naturally Smooth. Made for Fine Bookbinding.
Smooth Historical Goat combines carefully selected vegetable-tanned goatskin, a naturally smooth calf-like grain, excellent tooling properties, and improved resistance to scratching. With no plating, embossing, or opaque finishes used to conceal the natural surface, it offers bookbinders a distinctive leather developed for fine and demanding binding work.
Experience the natural character and refined performance of Smooth Historical Goat Premium Bookbinding Leather.
