Peter Bellerby, Globemaker

I’m fascinated by people who make things with their hands. Probably because I’m as bad at creating things with my hands as anyone ever, so successful hand-crafters seem like gods to me.

Enter the godlike Peter Bellerby — a Londoner who really, really wanted to give his father a globe for his 80th birthday, but just couldn’t find one he liked:

After a two year search for a globe for my father’s 80th birthday present I was faced with a choice of a modern political globe (albeit frequently available with a generous dose of sepia colouring), very fragile expensive antique models, which you can’t really use on a daily basis or trying to make my own.

Yes, they’re a bit spendy. I’m not quite sure what that “₤” represents — a European hashtag, perhaps? — but I’m pretty sure the 4-to-5 digits after it translate to “Out of my price range.” Still, even though I can’t afford one, I’m really, really glad someone’s making then them.

No wonder Peter and his fellow hand-crafting conspirators call themselves artisan globemakers. They’re making pieces of art.

Attribution(s): “Old globe” by Petar Milošević is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.