EST
1917
Selling leather since 1917 — with bookbinding as part of the trade.
Genuine Levant. Sokoto™ Goatskin. SF Calf. CG, RRG, SHG. Sourced from the right places, vetted by Steve Siegel, and shipped only if it meets the standard.
Rijksmuseum. Harvard Library. Smithsonian. National collections worldwide.
Institution
Rijksmuseum
Institution
Harvard Library
Institution
Smithsonian
Notable Provenance
Saddlery for Reagan & G.H.W. Bush
A century of craft
Rooted in history
Levant, NTND, Sokoto™ and our other leathers are not simply different finishes. They begin with the right raw skins, the right tannages, and methods developed to reproduce leather authentically and accurately.
Some of these leathers go back many hundreds of years. We reproduce the characteristics that made them useful then — not a modern finish that merely looks old.
True aniline. No pigment. No boarding or glazing. No surface manipulation. No shortcuts. No substitutions.
The Siegel standard
Tanned and finished for binding. Strong where structure demands it. Flexible where the spine must move.
Certified metal-free. 100% vegetable-tanned. Free of harmful residues. Tested, not assumed.
The skin, grain, tannage and working characteristics all matter. Genuine Levant comes from the tradition of the old Ottoman Empire, while our other leathers are reproduced from historically correct methods and raw materials.
Why trust Steve’s eye
Steve Siegel has spent decades seeking out the tanneries and workshops that still work the old way — and personally evaluating every skin against the standards he has refined over a lifetime in the trade.
Ask Steve a question about leather. You get an answer backed by a lifetime in the trade.
Leather trade since 1917
Personal relationships at source
Supplier to Rijksmuseum & Smithsonian
Expert in historical leather & tanning
Direct sourcing — Nigeria, the Levant & beyond
Expert witness
Steve Siegel is available as an expert witness on leather, leather quality, sourcing, tanning and historical accuracy.
His work is grounded in decades of handling leather, evaluating skins at source, understanding tannages and producing leather to historically accurate standards. That same knowledge is what guides every leather Siegel sells.
In their words
Customer testimonials are part of the proof behind the leather. They show how the materials perform in actual binding and conservation work.
“I’m a beginner — found Siegel through a Reddit recommendation. They were out of the leather I ordered, contacted me directly, and offered a substitute at no extra cost.”
First-time customer · rebinding family Shakespeare volumes
“I’ve purchased Siegel’s leather for over 40 years. The goatskin has only improved — and Levante tools easier than almost anything else I’ve worked with.”
40-year customer · Levant goatskin
“I switched after discovering what chrome tanning was doing to my bindings over time. Siegel’s vegetable-tanned stock has held up exactly as promised.”
Returning customer · conservation rebinding
The collection
Conservation · Fine binding
Supple, historically accurate. Ideal for gold tooling and tree calf work.
Fine binding · Edition
Genuine Levant goatskin with a grain made so it can be easily crushed. Deep, saturated colour. Tools cleanly.
The Levant tradition associated with Sangorski & Sutcliffe.
Conservation · Edition
The goatskin Cockerell preferred. Tight grain, resilience, documented provenance.
Archival · Museum
Chemistry and structure tuned for institutional work. No compromises.
Photography by Wes Baker
Also available
Latest leather knowledge
Standards
How the classical definition diverged from the modern EU standard — and why that gap matters when you’re paying for “full grain.”
Technical
A plain-language walkthrough of the lab data behind our most-cited archival goatskin.
History
The century-long chain of custody connecting today’s hides to the binderies that first prized them.
Tell Steve what you’re binding. Edition, restoration, or your first book. He’ll tell you exactly which leather belongs on your bench.
Typically answered within one business day by Steve personally.
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