"Leafing through the preliminary pages of this new catalogue documenting the career of Monique Lallier, we are greeted with several photographs of the artist at work... which serves to introduce our subject and sets the tone for the rest of the catalogue -- a tone that is intimate and collegial, as if we were seated there beside Lallier and might just ask what it is she has been up to."
- Kevin M. O'Sullivan, Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America

"Well produced and beautifully illustrated. The sheer variety in design and technique make this collection stand out. There is no such thing as a 'typical Lallier binding'... Hers are all different and in their variety a constant source of interest."
- Mirjam M. Foot, The Library

"It would be entirely understandable were the focus of this book more or less exclusively directed towards Lallier's creative work, a substantial legacy of undoubted excellence in its imagination, craft and technique, but this Retrospective avoids doing so by emphasising her dedication to teaching, both past and ongoing... a testament to the varied and enduring contribution that Lallier has made to the design and technique of bookbinding."
- Alan Isaac, Society of Bookbinders National Newsletter

"For each book displayed, often with multiple photographs, Monique tells us about the binding. ... These brief little stories will draw you in and make you feel as if you are there with her as she talks."
- John Neal, Bound & Lettered, Spring 2019

Catalogue for an exhibition at the Guilford College Art Gallery in Greensboro, NC from October 29, 2018 to January 6, 2019, covering 46 years of fine bindings created by Monique Lallier. The exhibition draws from private lenders and institutional collections. With appreciations by Theresa Hammond, Ara Serjoie, Peter Geraty, and Karen Hanmer, and an essay by Lallier herself.

Monique Lallier is known for her creative and thoughtful approaches to the subjects of her binding projects. Her use of unusual materials such as eggshells, pewter, colorful wires, agates, lizard and snake skin -- even her own hair -- and innovative techniques including cutouts, reveals, pop-ups, and moveable parts make her bindings both distinctive and dynamic. Her binding of My Antonia by Willa Cather won a Best Binding award in an international exhibition at the Chicago Public Library in 2006. Her 2016 binding of Pantagruel was awarded a Silver Prize at the International Competition of Designer Bookbinders.

Lallier supplies entertaining descriptions of the bindings from the maker's perspective, telling brief stories of projects and processes. Each binding is illustrated with expert color photographs, often from several angles and in various states of openness and closure. The variety of design, material, and technique make for a surprise on every page and an extraordinary collective impression.

Monique Lallier has served as director of the American Academy of Bookbinding and president of the Association des Relieurs du Quebec. In 2010 the Guild of Book Workers (New York) presented her with the Laura Young award for service as Chair of the Standards of Excellence annual conference from 1988 to 2000. She is married to the British binder and conservator Don Etherington.