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President Ülle Madise holding the open volume of constitutions at the inauguration ceremony

A constitution handed from president to president

Photo: Raigo Pajula (@raigopajula)

On taking office, the President of Estonia swears to steadfastly defend the Constitution and the laws of the Republic of Estonia. This autumn that promise took a new form: we bound the constitution in leather.

At the end of September the Office of the President called us, wishing to start a new tradition: the outgoing head of state hands something symbolic to the next. The choice fell on the constitution – the book a president actually works with.

Black leather-covered volume of constitutions with a silver coat of arms; the divider edges read 1920, 1934, 1938 and 1992

Four constitutions in one volume

The volume brings together the texts of four constitutions of the Republic of Estonia: those of 1920, 1934, 1938 and 1992. Each is a section of its own, separated by black dividers. The year sits on the edge of the divider, so the right place can be found even when the book is closed.

Black leather-covered volume of constitutions standing upright, a silver coat of arms on the front cover Black dividers of the volume, their edges marked 1920, 1934, 1938, 1992 and Muudatused (Amendments)

We checked the older texts against the historical printed editions and made several dozen corrections to the digital versions.

The fifth section holds the amendments to the constitution – on separate sheets, so that new ones can be added over time.

The open volume: a black divider reading Põhiseadus 1920 on the left, the text of the constitution on white paper on the right The volume lying flat with its dividers stepped: 1920, 1934, 1938, 1992 and Muudatused (Amendments)

A book that is also an object

The volume had to fit on a bookshelf, yet be able to stand on its own as a sculptural object. It had to open well and be comfortable to read, while keeping the four constitutions apart and carrying the idea of their continuity.

The open volume staying open: a black divider reading Põhiseadus 1938 on the left, the text of the constitution on the right

We found the solution where we find it for our bags: in modules. They allow amendments to be added while the book remains whole. The amendments section is not an unfinished spot but room left open on purpose for the next era.

The spine is folded like a concertina, so the open book stays open nicely. The same spine gives the volume a form that is at once a book and a sculptural object.

The volume seen from above: a concertina-folded spine with white sheets between black dividers

The base tone is a dignified black. The hard covers are wrapped in leather, with the national coat of arms in silver on the front and the title Eesti Vabariigi põhiseadused, “Constitutions of the Republic of Estonia”, blind-embossed on the back. Hidden inside the classic design is a small blue accent in the edge of the board and in the thread, noticed only on a closer look. The volume has a slipcase for storage, but it is meant for everyday use all the same.

The volume of constitutions half out of its black slipcase, a silver coat of arms on the front cover

A blank page at the end

The last page of the book is blank. Each president writes their name and years in office there by hand. There are no other names in the book, because this object does not belong to a single term. It stays in use, changes with time and passes from president to president.

The makers

The concept and design are by Stella Runnel. The book was bound by Eve Kaaret, head of the Bookbinding Studio at the Estonian Academy of Arts. The contents were designed and typeset by Tõnu Runnel.

On 12 October, at the inauguration ceremony, President Alar Karis handed the book to President Ülle Madise. The next name will be written in the book by a new president; time will add everything else.

President Alar Karis hands the volume of constitutions to President Ülle Madise at the inauguration ceremony

Photo: Police and Border Guard Board