The Diary Shop produces hand-crafted journals, sketchbooks, and diaries. My products are designed by artists for the use of artists. My leather-bound books are made for artists on the move - they have rugged leather bindings and individually stitched signatures of handmade paper that will open and lie flat, and which will not yellow with age. I also offer a range of fine handmade papers and cartridge papers suitable for a wide variety of media. For enthusiasts of old-fashioned film photography I also make photo-albums. I specialize in individual commissions and unique pieces that match your exact requirements.

My name is Paul-Francis Law and my profession is interior design. I work mainly in stone - everything from sculpture to marble bathtubs! You can see my design business website on http://www.stoneofdestinydesign.co.uk

Making books has been my principal hobby for several years. I began to make my own sketchbooks and journals because I could not find the sort of book - and the quality of paper - that I wanted. Everywhere you find the same drab designs, the same dull factory-made paper, and the same poorly proportioned pages. I wonder if artists are aware how much they have lost under the pressure of standardization? A generation ago you could buy sketchbooks and journals of character - well-proportioned books, with beautiful bindings and interesting paper. You can still get good paper - but for handmade paper you must usually pay an exorbitant price! It doesn’t have to be that way: I aim to sell top quality paper at prices that art students can afford.

Two years ago I turned my hobby into a business - because I discovered that there were other people who, like me, want good books and good paper, and who want to be able to buy those things at a reasonable price. I now run a small workshop with a production capacity of about 3,000 books a year. It is a small business, and it is going to remain small, as I don't have time to produce more.

However, I do always try to find time for one-off orders and special commissions. This is something I do simply for the sake of doing it - and because I believe that everyone has a right to a really 'unique' book. I charge the same rates for a custom order as for one of my regular books - but you do have to be patient, as I am sometimes very pressed for time.

I make books with all kinds of bindings, but I specialize in leather. I love working with leather, but I have ethical reservations about the use of leather. If you check my 'ethical production policy' statement you will see that I exclusively use 'vintage' leather from working animals. This means that no animals have been bred and slaughtered solely for the production of my books. I also avoid the use of chemical pollutants that are commonly employed in the tanning and dyeing of leather. In recent years I have researched alternative pre-industrial methods of dyeing and tanning, and I am gradually switching over exclusively to these environment-friendly production methods.

An important influence on me in recent years has been the flourishing Wicca movement. The Wicca practice of the book of shadows and the grimoire have revived the art of journal-keeping and journal making. For Wicca customers I am eagerly developing a range of journals with hand-embossed Pagan designs – and each book is hand-crafted with love and devotion, just as it requires to be.

It is my policy to produce books from natural and renewable materials that will have a minimum impact on the environment.

I use exclusively water-buffalo hides, cow hides, and goatskins from mature animals that have come to the end of their working life. No animals are bred and slaughtered solely for the purpose of producing leather for my books.

To tan leather I use a natural tannin wash as an alternative to the highly toxic chromium salts commonly used in tanning. This natural tannin dye occasionally leaves a small residue on the surface of the leather, and some dye may appear on your hands on first handling of a new book. This is entirely harmless, and will cease altogether on further handling when the dye stabilizes. I hope you will agree with me that this is a small price to pay for a method of production that avoids poisoning our environment.

My handmade paper is produced without the use of bleaches and other toxic chemicals commonly associated with paper production.

It is my aim to produce books that meet the needs and wishes of the artists, art students, travelers and writers and poets who commonly purchase my books. For that reason I am always interested to hear your comments, and any suggestions you have for improvements or for new products.