Rune Works Rare Book Cases Are An Offshoot of The Forgotten Fiction

As my love for writing and reading books extends to many other forms of art, including woodworking, being a gear-head, and the collecting of rare books, this RW Cases seemed a natural pursuit.

Here you see my first completed prototype that I made for my first edition of The Long Walk By Stephen King’s alias Richard Bachman.

I wanted to do two things differently:

I wanted to use UV protective archival plexi-glass to show the book cover without taking the book out or even opening the case, and I wanted the book protected, not just from bumps and bruises, but to be completely archival-safe.

One thing to keep in mind is not just the book encased in the acid-free padding and all that, but also the other books on your bookcase that will be around this case.

By properly sealing the entire case, built of a low-acidity wood, in the right types of clear-coat, what some call shellac, though there are resins, epoxies, and polyurethanes that can fit that “clear coat / shellac” description, you ensure the safety of all the books around this from the acidic book aging and deteriorating fumes.

My first RW case for The Long Walk leaves a lot to be desired in terms of little adjustments I would do differently, though I will always love having it on my shelf, as it is my first and my own Rune Works Case.

My next one for I Am Legend By Richard Matheson is inspired by the great case-makers of yore, Dolso (often using maple – a great selection, as one of the lowest acidity ratings for wood), Paul Michael Kane (whose custom intricate and gorgeous paper case designs, often with marbling, are incredible), many of the rare Stephen King Limited Editions’ cases from fine press publishers out there, and specifically Paul Suntup’s lettered design of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 for the UV glass idea and his idea to put a real stake on the lettered edition of I am Legend that I yearn to own (and all of Paul’s creations are an inspiration).

Paperbacks are some of the coolest covers and were the true first editions of some great works of literature and they rarely get their due, except from book slipcases, which hide their unique and often wild cover art.

That is why my first few selections for my own collection will be of historic paperbacks, like The Long Walk, I Am Legend By Richard Matheson, Neuromancer by William Gibson and The Lord Of The Rings (which would not have grown popular in the US without the aid of the bootleg, or copyright skirting ACE first editions of Tolkien’s great work, and then some great hardcovers, like The Gunslinger, my signed Revival and Carrie to name three of Stephen King’s first edition hardbacks in need of casing.

This particular case for The Long Walk I would make again, if someone wanted one, but would suggest a less wide design (originally I planned on two books being in there), possibly two vintage hinges and more prominent side and top engravings to match the engraved signature that is so cool.

I am open to ideas too, as the creative process is one to be ever-evolving!

I would also offer up a suggestion as to alter this design to feature a less glossy tone, like the one I did for IAL, on the wood too, though I do kind of like the flowing rain effect I built into it to show the rain and hail storm hitting The Walk.

All of that said, it is a love of mine, as the design can and will work with near limitless possibilities in terms of customizations.

Though I will consider making these cases for others, if there is interest I will limit each design to maximum of 19, in a Roman Numeral limited edition, engraved in the base of the case.

Each one I make will always be hand crafted, hand painted, utterly unique.

They are truly a one-of-a-kind collectible due to the hand-crafted building, including the customization of the wood used – each piece’s grain will be different and selected for its beauty – and more design nuances will be brought in as each one is made.

For instance, this piece I tried a glossy finish with ripples in places down the sides to show The Walk in the rain/hail. But in so doing I lost a bit of the wood feel I love so much.

These wooden cases are archival-safe, using methods studied from the Library of Congress and other sources I have studied and compiled over the years.

Here is a great read: “Love your books? Keep them safe with good shelving.”

Ideally you would not want a book near wood, which naturally breaks down over time and those gases affect the book’s materials. That said though, sealing the wood itself, to prevent such off-gasing, and this does need a 30 day cure period for the sealant to fully cure before it is safe to house the book is what I am bringing to the book case community. I am designing my own library bookshelves to be made with the same process, as right now I have wood and all of the sides and parts of the shelves that touch the books are covered in mylar for temporary protection.

That is a facsimile signature of Richard Matheson and a microscope engraved in the bottom front of the wood.

To provide the most protection for the book in each aspect of the Rune Works cases we only use materials that will not degrade the book, from the use of low acidity woods, like the poplar shown here with The Long Walk case, to the use of specific clear-coating with protective epoxy to eliminate book aging and paper degradation via off-gassing found in traditional wood stain polyurethane clear coats, to the acid-free padding, satin, rust-resistant hardware, and then the use of 100% UV Protective Plexiglass and is Non-glare (museum-grade) on the front of the case to display the book and its cover art in a setting that is nearly as creative and artistic as the book design itself.

When you see a piece of Poplar this sexy, you not only buy her and stick her out the top of the convertible because she is nearly as long as the car, but you show her off too. Zoom in on that grain, baby!

Wooden book cases, for example, are not used in most libraries, including The Library of Congress and the Vatican’s archival safe library, because of the breakdown of the wood with off-gassing damaging and aging the paper and other book materials over time – the closest we can get to a powder-coated steel book case is a sealed wood surface and proper temperature and humidity conditions.

Detailed engravings and personalizations can be added to the side, or spine, of the Rune Works Case too – just as Mr. Bachman’s signature (may he rest in peace) was added to the front of the case above – to save shelf space if one wants to put it in between other books the narrow way, versus book cover side out.

Many more pictures and stories and cases are coming to this page, so be sure to sign up for the emailer if you want updates when something new pops up.

Best,

R.J. Huneke

P.S. Dedication:

The Rune Works Rare Book Cases R.W. Shop are dedicated to John “Da Wolf” Gersic for his great friendship and his invaluable insight and training, as well as helping me to secure some exceptional tools, including my former behemoth of a work bench and the colossal Patchogue-Electric Motors drill press after she closed down (and he helped me lug them across the island and down some stairs).

And last, but not least, The Rune Works Shop and Cases are also dedicated to the memory of Opa, whose wisdom and thirst for knowledge knew no bounds, even at 95 years, and who he gifted me with some of the finest quality tools you could hope to work with – oh man, his table saw from the 40’s or 50’s, is a thing of beauty and invaluable to me now – and I hope I make him proud, wherever he is now, as I learn and hone my craft, as he had.

P.P.S. My History:

I have worked on cars since I was a teenager and was a motor mechanic to put myself through school and achieve an honors degree in English at SBU. I have been a published author for 15+ years and continue to write non-fiction and fiction daily.

Back to my handiwork though! I worked at Patchogue Electric Motors for five years doing all kinds of custom fabrication on many types of motors, including some ancient devices that were irreplaceable – some of these we did for The Brookhaven National Lab – and so they needed machining and custom work to make the parts or pieces that could not be gotten for some decades. Here is one such irreplaceable motor that I filmed shorting out and exploding a bit (that is me laughing) while in the shop – under controlled circumstances and with help, of course: CATASTROPHIC Electric Motor Failure – A Winding Shorted FIRE.

This is the drill press that was acquired in 1954 or 1955 for Patchogue-Electric’s founder shortly after the shop opened and was generously given to me when the shop was closed by its owner (it is about six feet tall, weighs a ton and is now integral in my work).

I was very fortunate to learn some woodworking skills from my wife’s grandfather, Opa, who was a skilled wood worker and even worked on some of NASA’s rocket parts at Republic – he was an Air Force Veteran who was in the Battle of the Pacific (and his father was an extremely skilled metalworker) and did woodwork for all kinds of things, including one of his passions model railroads, before he passed at the age of 95.

He gifted me his many tools, some of which are close to 100 years old as they came from his father, and his table-saw is likely from the 40’s or 50’s and is invaluable to the craft as I partake in it.

I continue to learn and work at the craft as I have for many years, and though the archival rare book case side is relatively new to me, my months of practice will soon be years of work as I build up my own book collection’s cases.

Cheers!

~RJH