If anyone out there wants a medieval codex made to order that you can write in and remove/add pages as you will, Brahms Bookworks is the best I've seen. I have no affliation with him , I only bought one of his books. They are pricy, but as it's a literal work of art, I don't mind.

I found them through a friend who told me they made the grimoire prop for the Canadian TV series, Blood Ties, last year. I saved for months to buy one of these, and when it arrived (after a three-month wait, as the artist is that backlogged), I was struck dumb by how beautiful his codex is. You can put in pages and take them out - any 8.5 x 11 paper you want, though the book comes with drilled parchment.

They will design to order, so you needn't be locked in to their designs. The ironwork and pewterwork is superb as well. I only wish I could create my own.

http://brahmsbookworks.com/

Wow, those are amazing.

Thanks for sharing that. I can only dream.

Wow!

Oh Jaysus -- I think I just drooled on my desk.

My god - if ever I can afford to splurge - and I really mean splurge - on something to write in, that's gonna be it.

R.

Wow.

I can't imagine having anything
of enough import to write in
those with.

Most Awesomely!

Wow! And with removable paper you can actually write in it without fear.

These look really cool... but I don't see how you can add/remove pages. Doesn't 'codex' binding mean they are sewed together?

I take the fact that the paper is "drilled" to mean that the paper is held in by rods. I think it bears some similarity to a binder, but it is also quite different as the rods will disappear once in place and tightened. Perhaps the rods are held in place by the metal clasps on the spine. This is merely speculation as to how these things could be made to have removable paper. Stitching isn't required for something to be called a codex. Admittedly, that observation comes not from expertise but rather from a look at the dictionary, which has several definitions.

Atlas is right. I've included photos of my own book, so you can see what's involved. The metal used is iron, and the binder is flat. The rods are straight, not curved. You can add and remove pages because the rod is removable. The clasps do not move. They are nailed or screwed into the wood backing - I'm not sure how they're attached and I don't want to take the binding apart to find out. Only the rod can be inserted and removed.

I've included a photo of the interior with the pages spread, so you can see the rods. The book weighs over 15 pounds, and you can see how the rods are set into the wood spine in the last photo: the rods are above, between, and below the ironwork on the spine.

Thanks for the photos, this really makes it clear how it's made. The rods look like they are bolts - do they screw into the supports or is there a nut that it screws into?

The nut screws into the rod.

I think they're long 'binding posts' which are used in book making - a lot of scrapbooks are made this way (- the ones you buy in craft shops which have removeable pages). The rod (which can be a variety of lengths depending on thickness of book) has a wider 'head' at the bottom which is part of the rod and then the screw winds into the rod. You can also get extension posts which make binding posts longer at a later date if required. Holes are drilled into the paper (or punched) and then the binding posts inserted. The lower part of the rod is wider so the paper doesn't slip through and the screw is also wider than the rod so the paper is trapped. The screw can be taked out to add/ remove/ change paper and is then screwed back in again. It looks as if these biding posts also have a metal supports across the spine with jutting sections with holes which the binding post is also threaded through (probably to support the additional weight of this book.) Not sure I explained this very well but I know what I mean!!

If it is possible, you are guilty of explaining too well. Some of the details you gave were so trivial that even a base fool should now have a complete understanding of this type of binding.