About Epica

Delighting customers with the finest handcrafted Italian leather journals and photo albums is what Epica is all about. We believe that people are inspired by elegance, and so we work diligently to ensure that every facet of our business practices and product styles include elegance as a primary factor.

Founded as an online presence exclusively in 2001, Epica has cultivated a global following, with many customers returning year after year to add new volumes to their library of journals and albums. All Epica products are handcrafted to the highest quality standards by artisans in Italy, mostly around Florence - synonymous with fine leather craftsmanship. We spend a month each year in Italy, developing more meaningful relationships with our artisans and exploring relationships with others who can help us bring more unique and high quality products that appeal to anyone who appreciates Italian artistry and leather-bound craftsmanship. Our primary team of artisans are led by master bookbinder - Andrea, who was bestowed a degree in Ancient Bookbinding from the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage (Ministero dei Beni Culturali).

Andrea developed and honed his skills for 15 years restoring ancient volumes and manuscripts dating back as far as the Middle Ages for various institutions, including the National Libraries of Florence and Italy. In 2004, he began leading a small team of bookbinders for Epica. And though the Classico collection has been with us since we began, Andrea has incorporated even more quality improvements to this iconic Epica collection. He has also contributed to many custom requests from our customers, some of which have since become stocked items and available to all. The Gigante collection of the World’s Largest and Thickest handbound journals and leather photo albums are great examples, and there are many others. Innovation, combined with a deep respect for the traditions of bookbinding allow us to stay true to our roots and still present exciting new products for returning customers. Our passion for delighting customers extends to the smallest details that make a purchase from Epica truly special. Carefully curated surprise gifts and exquisite packaging commonly evoke praise from first-time and even repeat customers as evidenced in our testimonials. Funny thing, we thought it boastful to promote customer reviews and only recently began publishing them. We were surprised to find that this practice has encouraged new readers to purchase journals and albums for themselves or as gifts. We never get tired of reading about how such a gift thrilled a recipient, and it’s a double thrill for us to know that the gift giver and receiver were both delighted.

Besides providing outstanding design and craftsmanship, Epica also offers the widest selection of personalization features and custom options found anywhere. We are on familiar and even friendly terms with our competitors, and even they ask us how we can offer so many options. For example, it’s common to offer a single font-style with “blind” debossing/branding. We offer 3 font styles and 8 different embossing colors, in addition to blind debossing. And, where others offer 1 or 2 locations for your inscription, we provide suggestions for 5. Do you have a longer message that you would like memorialized in your journal or album? A Custom Title Page might suit your message better. Your personally written message is then typeset & framed to your preference and securely adhered inside the front cover. A terrific option for a dedication or poem! Of course, we can also brand your cover with your own logo, a suitable option for corporate gifts or clubs. We always love the engagement and feedback from customers and casual browsers alike. You can follow some of Epica’s latest stories, releases and tips at our blog section: https://epica.com/blogs/epica-news.