Designer Bookbinders and the Society of Bookbinders, Weekend Workshops

Welcome to the eighth series of joint workshops offered by Designer Bookbinders and the Society of Bookbinders. The programme has been organised by George Davidson.

These workshops offer structured, intensive learning from established teachers and are designed to stress the 'hands on' approach where students complete a structure or technique following demonstrations from the teacher. The size of each workshop is limited to allow students to benefit from individual attention. We hope you will be tempted - but please remember that the workshops tend to fill up very quickly, so sign up early to avoid disappointment.

Each workshop takes place on a Saturday and Sunday from 10.00 to 17.00 with suitable breaks.

The fee for each workshop is £125 plus a charge for materials provided by the tutor and payable 'on the day'.

Edge Decoration with Dominic Riley
15th-16th October 2011
Ulverston, Cumbria

Every surface of the book is a canvas for decoration, and this includes the edges of the pages. This workshop will cover several methods of edge decoration which have been used throughout the ages in both traditional and creative binding styles, from the very simple to the advanced. We will start with a few traditional 'trade' methods - the solid colour wash, often used on prayer books and cheaper bindings; the 'newspaper sprinkle', a very fast and easy method for large bound collections; the wash and sprinkle, used historically on inexpensive leather and vellum bindings; and the sprinkled and burnished edge, common on 'ordinary' leather bindings in the eighteenth century. Next we do the very handsome graphite edge, common to German and Scandinavian millimetre binding, which gives a beautiful dark and shiny finish. We will end up with the contemporary and very artistic 'painted edge', seen nowadays on many Design Bindings, which allows for complex layering of colouring and shapes which enhance the overall design of the binding. This workshop is suitable for binders of all levels. Dominic will provide a set of books, rounded and backed, to decorate, with covers made up for casing in at home. In this case, the materials fee will be £30.

Dominic studied at the London College of Printing and has worked in London, New York and San Francisco, where he founded the bindery at the Center for the Book. He has his bindery with Michael Burke in Cumbria, teaches in the USA and across the UK, and is an accredited lecturer with NADFAS. In 2007 he won both first prizes and the Mansfield medal in the Designer Bookbinders competition and was elected a Fellow of DB in 2008. In 2009 he travelled to Brazil to teach for the bookbinding group ABER. He is Vice Chairman of SoB.

Variations on Forwarding with Mark Cockram
19th-20th November 2011
Allen Street, London W8

During the 2-day workshop, it is expected that the student will make 3 multi-sectional case-bound books and one break-away book (a book partially made to show the various steps in construction). This workshop is intended to develop the student's ability in the use of basic materials such as book-cloth and machine-made papers. It will give students the opportunity to explore the advantages and disadvantages of differing sewing techniques, adhesives and covering techniques in the production of 4 multi sectional, flat back case bound books. The aims are: to develop craft skills related to book-cloth and paper work; to enhance professional skills, awareness and responsibility; and to stimulate creativity in design and awareness of choice of suitable styles of covering. Each student will be supplied with a comprehensive kit with all the materials to make 4 books, including hand decorated papers. The workshop is designed for the beginner/improver. It is anticipated that the kit will cost £20.

Mark is a contemporary bookbinder, book artist and box maker based in London. He studied bookbinding at Guildford College of Technology, Studio Livre' (Tokyo) and London College of Printing - BA Book Arts and Crafts (Hons). Mark opened his first studio in Lincoln in 1992 and Studio Five, London, in 2003. He teaches in Studio Five and in the UK, Europe, India and Japan. He has been elected Fellow of Designer Bookbinders, Brother of the Art Workers Guild, The Tokyo Bookbinding Club and part of the Bookbinders Collective. Mark exhibits internationally on a regular basis with his work represented in public and private collections worldwide.

Leather Decorating Techniques with Nicky Oliver
21st-22nd January 2012
Allen Street, London W8

Dyeing your own leather can be an extremely creative process and it can enable the binder to produce beautiful and unique covers for their design bindings. This workshop will be a mixture of some short demonstrations and hands on experimenting. We will be using a selection of different dyes and exploring each of their uses and limitations. The aim will be to develop a different approach to how you illustrate your design pieces. Natural leathers and "mini blank canvases" will be prepared and provided. We will concentrate mainly on the dyes and their different applications but we will also take our work further by applying cold blind tooling, reverse transfer printing and back-pared leather onlays. Materials (leather, dyes etc.) will be provided at a cost of £25.

Nicky discovered bookbinding whilst studying for her Graphic Design and Illustration degree in Bath in 1996. After working over ten years in commercial binderies in London, she has established her own business Black Fox Bindery, specialising in commissioned and design bindings, box- and label-making. She became a Licentiate of Designer Bookbinders in 2010 and has won several awards in the last three Designer Bookbinders National Competitions culminating with winning 'the Silver triple' with first prize for set book, open choice book and the Edgar Mansfield Medal for best book.

Paste Paper Patterns with Victoria Hall
18th-19th February 2012
Linton, near Cambridge

Paste Papers have been used to decorate book covers since the 17th century and remain suitable and popular for use in contemporary bindings. This course will equip participants with the ability confidently to produce their own custom-designed paste papers requiring only modest materials and a zest for creativity. Victoria will bring a selection of different pastes, a variety of colouring agents and an assortment of different papers to work on, not to mention a plethora of tools with which to mark and pattern the papers. The first day will be very hands-on, as students make a sequence of A4 papers covering all the basic building-blocks of paste paper pattern making - mixing paste, applying colour, texturing, combing, blocking and tooling. More complex patterns and 'double' images may be created on the second day, with plenty of resource material available for inspiration. The workshop will conclude with an examination of paste papers old and new from Victoria's collection. By the end of the course you will be able to recognise and better understand paste papers whenever they appear in bindings old or new, and have a portfolio of original papers for your own work. There will be a cover charge for materials of £20.

Victoria makes a wide variety of hand decorated papers in her Norfolk studio and added paste papers to her range of marbled papers in the mid 1990s. She has a particular interest in historic styles, many of which she is able to recreate in facsimile, and has studied historic paper collections in libraries of Europe and the USA. Her contemporary paste paper designs have been commissioned by notable Fine Presses including Incline Press. Rampant Lions, Libanus Press, & Simon King. She has recently completed marbling the papers for the Highgrove Florilegium.

A Drop-back Box with leather spine with Stephen Conway
17th-18th March 2012
Conway Bindery, Halifax

Boxmaking is an essential skill in the bookbinders repertoire, for housing rare and valuable books as well as suites of prints, drawings or ephemera. The rounded spine quarter-leather box is made to the highest standards, requiring accuracy in measuring, cutting and covering. In this workshop, Stephen will guide participants through the steps involved in making a traditional quarter-leather drop-back box with felt linings and a rounded spine. Taking a step at a time, we will proceed to construct and cover two trays and a case, which will have a rounded wooden spine, raised bands and some decoration, including a blocked label. This workshop is suitable for participants with some experience, including leather paring. Stephen will provide the materials at cost of £25.

Stephen was apprenticed at Edward Mortimer Ltd of Halifax and opened his own bookbinding business in 1985. The business is currently situated in Halifax, West Yorkshire. He won the Silver Medal in the Designer Bookbinders Competition 1998 and was elected a Fellow of DB in 2000. His work is held in many collections worldwide including The British Library and The Lily Library, Indiana U.S.A. He is currently serving a two-year term as President of Designer Bookbinders.

Further information and booking forms can be downloaded from the DB and SoB web sites:
www.DesignerBookbinders.org.uk
www.societyofbookbinders.com

The City Lit, London

Bookbinding: Fine binding - Forwarding and Covering
20th September 2011 - 27th March 2012
Tutor: Kathy Abbott
Days and Times: Tuesdays 10.00-16.30
Costs: Full fee - £795, Senior fee - £506, Concession - £356

This is an intermediate/advanced course in the techniques necessary to make a full leather binding. Practice board lamination, leather-jointed endpapers, guarding, edge gilding, lacing-on boards, tool sharpening, paring, covering, inlays/onlays and putting down doublures.

Further information is available from the City Lit web site here

Bookbinding Workshops with Dominic Riley and Michael Burke in Cumbria

Welcome to our Autumn/Winter offering for 2011. There's of variety of workshops here, from basic structures to more advanced techniques. We hope there will be plenty here for you to enjoy. Please remember, the workshops do tend to fill up quickly, so let us know as soon as you can if you'd like to book a place. We look forward to seeing you at the bench!

Workshops are from 10.00-17.00 at our bindery near Ulverston. Please note that space is limited to ten people. The workshop fee includes lunch.

One-Day Wednesday Workshops

The Ideal Sketchbook
7th September 2011
Materials £10.00
This structure is modeled on the nineteenth century sketchbooks used by Wordsworth and Ruskin as they wandered across the Lake District to draw and write. It opens beautifully, is very durable, and can be made at home with no equipment and a few simple tools. The pages are made from good cartridge paper which is folded and slit to give a beautiful deckled edge. The book is sewn with linen thread on strong tapes, and has a cloth hinge for strength. It is rounded, for easy opening, but not backed, eliminating the need for a press. The case is made from thick boards covered in strong natural canvas that can withstand all the hard knocks associated with going 'out into the field'.

Book Arts 1: The Star Book and the Pop-Out Book
28th September 2011
Materials £5.00
The Star Book is a charming structure made from two (or more) accordion folds, held together in a simple cover, and brought together to make a star shape. It is relatively simple to make, and is very good for narrative scenes. You can include pop-up elements, cut-out windows and anything else that can be contained within the folds. It has a wrap-around paper cover, and an ingenious flap which holds the book together at the fore-edge (when it is closed) and the star at the ends (when it is open). The Pop-Out Book is an intriguing structure with a very clever mechanism with two hidden panels mounted on a revolving plastic sleeve and a wrap-around cover. When the bottom panel is pulled out, the top panel comes out of the top of the cover. With its element of surprise, the Pop-Out is ideal for invitations and special announcements.

Book Arts 2: The Blizzard Book and the Magic Wallet
19th October 2011
Materials £5.00
The Blizzard Book is a much-loved structure devised by book artist Hedi Kyle. The inside is made from a single piece of paper, which is folded into an accordion and then refolded to make a series of pockets suitable for holding business cards. The cover is also made from a single piece of paper, which is folded to create a wrap-around enclosure with an ingenious tab and flap which hold it together. The Magic Wallet (also known as the Milkman's Wallet), is a very old structure traditionally used by tradesmen to hold money and bills during payment. Constructed from cloth-covered board and cotton tapes, it very easy to make. It's 'magic' comes from the fact that by placing a note inside and re-opening the wallet the money is cleverly sucked inside.

The Presentation Album
9th November 2011
Materials £15.00
This is an extremely elegant album structure ideal for presenting suites of prints, drawings or photographs. The pages are made from a heavy and luxurious soft white paper, folded at the fore-edge, with an embossed, recessed area in the page for mounting the images. The folded pages are joined together with hinges of coloured paper, with a cloth joint for attaching to the cover. The case has cushioned boards and is covered in a handsome canvas cloth, with a recessed panel on the front for the title label.

The Leather-Entry Slipcase
30th November 2011
Materials £10.00
The leather entry slipcase is a classic luxury enclosure for rare or valuable books, which was popular through the nineteenth century. It is more robust than ordinary slipcases, with double walls which interlock, making very strong joints. The opening of the slipcase is covered with thinly pared goatskin, which gives a feel of elegance and refinement when on the shelf. The leather is then trimmed out and the rest of the box is covered with bookcloth.

All one-day workshops are £45.00

Two-Day and Three-Day Weekend Workshops
(Three-day workshops are from Friday - Sunday)

Pastepapers Old and New
17th-18th September 2011
Materials £15.00
Although used on books as early the 16th century, pastepapers were made popular in the mid-1700s by the Moravian Sisters of Herrnhut in Saxony. A recent study of these papers has sparked renewed interest, and this workshop will introduce you to the methods, materials and patterns used on the original pastepapers. We'll begin by mixing colors using natural earth pigments and making the few simple tools used by the Sisters. Then we'll reproduce each of their original designs using the same colors, patterns, freehand brush strokes and tooling. Day Two will bring us up to date with a wide range of inventive techniques for making modern pastepapers. We'll make combs, stamps, rollers and other mark-making tools used in pastepaper design, and explore a range of techniques used to create many different effects, from simple pulled papers to highly regular striped patterns.

Library Style Binding
8th-9th October 2011
Materials £10.00
The Library Style was developed for the British Museum at the end of the nineteenth century by Douglas Cockerell, as a way of binding books which needed to be extremely robust yet could remain pleasing to use and would open well. The book is sewn on heavy tapes and has a hidden cloth joint, which together form a flange that is glued into laminated split boards for strength. The edges are sprinkled and waxed, and a hollow back added to the spine. The book is covered in heavy-duty buckram, with special 'ibrary-style' corners for added strength. The endpapers are put down and a gold-tooled leather title label added. The Library Style is ideal for heavy books which get a lot of use and need to be extra strong, such a dictionaries, cook books or manuals.

Millimetre Binding
28th-30th October 2011
Materials £20.00
The millimetre binding is a strong, quarter leather binding that is ingenious in construction and fairly straightforward to make. It is a very good way of binding small, slim volumes using a minimal amount of leather. It was developed in Denmark during the Second World War when leather was in short supply. Its name comes from the fact that there is only a millimetre of leather showing on the boards and at the corners, the rest being covered with a decorative pastepaper. The class will cover all the special techniques involved in the making of a millimetre binding: hooked endpapers; sewing on flattened frayed-out cords; a gently rounded spine with a small, sharp joint; attachment of the boards to the waste sheet prior to covering; a simple paper and card hollow; paring and attaching the leather; trimming out the leather; and attaching the paper sides and endpapers.

The Roman Wax Tablet
19th-20th November 2011
Materials £30.00
The Wax Tablet-or pugillare-is the original Roman ipad. It was used for all written material of the time, from tax invoices and shopping lists to poetry. A simply charming book that preceded the codex, it features wooden panels recessed and filled with molten beeswax colored black with pigment. Holes are drilled into the panels which are then held together with strong thread. Users scratched their writing onto the surface with a wooden stylus, which revealed the light wood underneath. After a message was written the wax could be smoothed out for re-use. Michael's structural model is based on original tablets found at the Roman settlement of Vindolanda on Hadrian's Wall, and those on display at the British Museum.

The Deluxe Box
9th-11th December 2011
Materials £20.00
This is the ultimate box structure, and is also a very good introduction to working with leather. The Deluxe Box resembles a traditional clamshell box but hints at the beauty of the book inside with its rounded leather spine, raised bands and gold tooling. This workshop will focus on various techniques: construction of the cloth covered trays; creating a rounded spine from balsa wood; paring and attaching the leather spine; and tooling leather with gold in the stamping press. Some hand tooling will also be included. The Deluxe box can be used to house a fine binding, cherished ephemera or pamphlets. Ideal for boxmakers who are yearning to work with leather and gold.

Two-day workshops are £90, three-day workshops are £135

Further information from Low Wood House, Low Wood, Ulverston, Cumbria, LA12 8LY.
015395 31161 dom.riley@hotmail.com

If you need to stay overnight, we can help with B&B accommodation

San Francisco Center for the Book

Explorations in Leather as Surface: Taught by Timothy Ely
2nd September 2011
09.00-17.30
$185
Workshop Held at the San Francisco Center for the Book There is a discount of $20 for HBC Members, please call SFCB to get discount 415-565-0545.

In the first day of this visiting teacher series workshop, we will explore surface design methods which extend the aesthetic of "leather" without employing it and fabricate a variety of samples that will greatly expand your surface design possibilities. We will use paints, pigments and adherents in our experimentation, and examine ways to use these materials to solve the problems that are inherent in making a book that is both beautiful and durable.

Sketchbooks: Thoughts & Actions: Taught by Timothy Ely
3rd-4th September 2011
09.30-17.30
$ 350.00
Workshop Held at the San Francisco Center for the Book. Hand Bookbinders of California (HBC) members receive a $35 discount on registration for this workshop. Please call 415-565-0545 to register and receive the discount.

Investigate the uses and utility of the artists' sketchbook. A conceptual tool with a long and venerable history, the sketchbook can serve as a planner, recording device, carrier of scrap, journal and muse. In this two-day workshop, we will fabricate a "formal" codex book with rigid covers. Knowledge of this conceptually flexible book form will ultimately allow for a great deal of future spontaneous play. These structures are a fascinating hybrid, combining a sewn text block with Ely's development of the "drum leaf" binding for cover techniques. Materials Fee: $25

These are Hand Bookbinders of California Sponsored Workshops

The American Academy of Bookbinding, Telluride, Colorado

From Content of Concept to Object, a book design class with artists
26th-30th September 2011
with Suzanne Moore and Don Glaister

Intermediate/Advanced Fine Binding
17th-28th October 2011
with Monique Lallier

Forwarding and Covering of Textblocks
31st October-11th November 2011
with Don Etherington

14th-18th November 2011 - Advanced Paper Conservation
with Renate Mesmer

 

Please contact the Academy for more information and to register.

North Bennet Street School, Boston, Massachusetts

Summer Bookbinding Workshops

Spend time in Boston and learn a new skill in one of our Summer workshops for beginners to advanced students. A full class list and online registration is available in the "workshops" section at www.nbss.edu.

Three Month Calligraphy and Illumination Intensive
12th September - 9th December 2011
08.30-14.30, with studio time until 16.30
Maryanne Grebenstein, Instructor
Course Cost: $6500

It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that we once again offer our comprehensive course in calligraphy, manuscript illumination, and bookbinding at North Bennet Street School. Taught by master calligrapher Maryanne Grebenstein of The Abbey Studio, this course will cover in-depth calligraphy, layout and design, manuscript gilding, and the use of computers and calligraphy. The final project is creating a hand-lettered illuminated manuscript and binding it by hand.

The class begins with a thorough introduction to calligraphy, covering six lettering styles (five broad edged pen, one pointed pen), then moves on to layout and design - how to effectively use multiple styles of lettering on one piece, how to determine letter size, and how to utilize color. After that, work on letter drafting, drawing and painting letters for headings, logo design, and large lettering. Then work on manuscript gilding, utilizing gold leaf, gesso, and vellum. After gilding, class moves on to computers and calligraphy, learning how to convert hand lettered artwork into electronic media for utilization in computer graphics. Finally, create your illuminated manuscript, putting all of your skills together by designing and creating a hand-lettered manuscript and binding it into a book.

This class is designed for those with no prior experience as calligraphers or manuscript gilders; however, there will also be plenty to learn for those with more experience.

The tuition includes a materials fee for some supplies; students will be expected to provide most hand tools and materials. If you don't own any calligraphy or bookbinding supplies, expect to spend approximately $800-$1100 on tools and materials for this course, including supplies for your illuminated manuscript.

Online registration is available at www.nbss.edu or call the school at (+1) 617 227 0155.

Bookbinding Workshops in Wiltshire and Berkshire

The Complete Book
Location: Maidenhead
18th - 20th October 2011
Cost: £265
In this three day workshop participants will be given a theme and then create a book from their interpretation of that topic. All parts of the book will be made and designed within the workshop including any decorated papers along side the text images. A suitable structure for the book must be thought out that compliments the materials and shows the book to its advantage. The first day will be spent preparing cover materials and working on the contents. Day two will be spent completing the text and deciding on the structure. The third day is spent on the binding. The course is suitable only for those with bookbinding skills and knowledge of structures. There is a limit of 4 spaces for this course. There will be free time to work in the evenings.

Further information is available from www.bookbindingworkshops.com

Bookbinding in Gloucestershire

All ability workshops and courses in new or repair binding, working with limited numbers to ensure individual attention.

Chipping Campden 10.00 - 16.00. A permanent venue with a good collection of equipment and flat access.
October 2011 - 26th, 27th
November 2011 - 24th 25th
March/April 2012

Nailsworth Workshops 09.30 - 15.30. A Nice room with flat access and a reasonable sized nipping press on site.
Eater Holidays 2012

Workshop Costs and Course Fees
1 Day £37.50
2 Days £70.00
3 Days £105.00

John Pursey from Hewits will be visiting us during the courses and workshops

For further details and to enrol please contact Anne Weare 01285 760328

The School for Formal Bookbinding, Plains, Pennsylvania

The purpose of the School for Formal Bookbinding is to provide high quality instruction in hand bookbinding. Emphasis is placed on the understanding that a successful hand-bound book is the result of interrelated decisions about structure, technique and material at every stage of the binding process.

The school is located in Northeast Pennsylvania between Wilkes-Barre and Scranton and is equidistant from New York City and Philadelphia.

For its fifth year in existence the school will offer the progressive series of one week classes (Bookbinding 1 through 6) twice, and the two leather binding classes a third time; three weekend workshops; a three day enclosure class which will produce a portfolio and a clamshell box; and a new class to introduce binders to two less known but interesting binding structures.

In the case of classes scheduled in sequential weeks students who sign up for both classes can do so at a reduced tuition and housing rate. Anyone with specific interests or ideas for classes not listed is encouraged to contact us.

Schedule for 2011

12th - 16th September 2011 - Introduction to Leather Binding (Bookbinding 4)

19th - 23rd September 2011 - Full Leather Binding (Bookbinding 5)

1st - 2nd October 2011 - Introduction to Titling and Tooling

17th - 21st October 2011 - Cloth Binding Conservation (Bookbinding 3)

24th - 28th October 2011 - Leather Binding Conservation (Bookbinding 6)

Class size - All classes have a maximum of five participants.

Tuition - Tuition is $210 for two-day classes; $550 for five-day classes; $880 for ten-day classes. Any material fees are listed with each class. A deposit is requested to hold a place in a workshop: $50 for a weekend, $100 for longer classes. Deposits should be received, at the latest, two weeks before the class runs. We will also need to know whether housing is needed. Fees are payable by check, Mastercard, Visa, or Discover.

Further details are available from the School's web site: www.donrashfinebookbinder.com

Binding in Powys at The Farthing Press & Bindery with Alan Fitch

There are available a variety of courses, which run through out the year, offering the opportunity to learn in an idyllic location and relaxed atmosphere. With only a maximum of people three on any one course, tuition is on a very personal level, with each student having there own work station and all tools and materials supplied.

The courses run from Monday - Friday (9 - 5). Over the period of the course you will be guided through all the aspects of bookbinding, relevant to each course. There are at present four courses available:

Basic Course - This course has been designed for the beginner and covers all the basics of binding a book.

Refresher/Repair Course - This course is designed for the student who :
- Has completed the Basic Course but would like to spend more time developing their basic skills before moving on to finer things.
- Has had some experience in the past of binding a case bound, round and backed book but would like to refresh their skills.
- Would like to develop their skills in repairing old cloth cased books.

Full Leather Course - This course is for the person who wants to develop their bookbinding skills and progress to binding in leather.

2 Day Bookmaking Course - This course has been designed to allow you to spend two days making a variety of types and styles of book, none of which require any specialist equipment or tools.

Accommodation is available

For further detail please telephone +44 (0)1938 590733

The School for Bookbinding Arts, Winchester, VA

The school is committed to providing quality training in the craft of hand bookbinding. Its ongoing series of two-day workshops is designed to teach techniques that are immediately useful to the student as well as to create a solid foundation of skills for further bookbinding study. The curriculum includes both basic and advanced courses that are geared toward the needs of book dealers, collectors and anyone interested in learning the art of hand bookbinding. Each workshop features demonstrations of the techniques being taught coupled with ample supervised practice time for the student. A complete package of printed notes accompanies each of the workshops to aid the student in assimilating the body of information being presented.

Workshops are taught in the studios of Cat Tail Run Hand Bookbinding near Winchester, Virginia. Cat Tail Run Hand Bookbinding is a fully operational hand bookbinding and book restoration facility established in 1991 by Jill Deiss. Instructors for THE SCHOOL FOR BOOKBINDING ARTS include Jill Deiss, Dee Evetts, Susan McCabe and Bill Deiss.

Foundation Level Course

Beginning Cloth Binding Restoration: This course teaches a wide variety of skills that are immediately useful for the repair of cloth bindings and also serves as a foundation for later courses. Techniques taught include: repairing damaged corners, endcaps and joints on cloth bindings; toning of discolorations; and minor paper repair techniques. Limited to 9 students. $235

Beginning Leather Binding Restoration: Students will learn various treatments for leather bindings including repairs for damaged corners, endaps, and joints. Also included are techniques for polishing and improving the condition of leather surfaces. $235

Advanced Cloth Binding Restoration: Learn the professional technique for restoring a cloth binding using original boards and spine. Requires Beginning Cloth Binding Restoration for participation. Limited to 7 students. $235

Advanced Leather Binding Restoration: The leather reback is the companion repair to the cloth reback but for leather bindings. All portions of the original binding are retained in this professional restoration. Techniques for thinning and paring leather will be featured in this workshop. Requires Beginning Leather Binding Restoration for participation. Limited to 7 students. $235

New Cloth Bindings: Two styles of new bindings will be taught to enable students to put covers on books that have lost their original bindings. Introduction to book titling will be featured as well as methods for endsheet attachment. Limited to 9 students. $235

Clamshell Box Construction: Students will learn the craft of creating custom-fit clamshell boxes. Limited to 9 students. $235

Paper Marbling [Beginning & Advanced]: Students will learn many traditional marbled patterns as well as how to set up their own marbling studios. Inquire for course fee.

Further information from:
540-662-2683
www.CatTailRun.com
email: info@cattailrun.com

Learn to bind in Surrey

For those wishing to learn bookbinding, The Otter Bindery offers classes, for all levels from beginners upwards.  For further details please check the website www.otterbookbinding.com or telephone 01932 845976.  The classes diary can be found here

Subjects covered include paper repair, book restoration, gold finishing, box making and fine binding, contemporary styles, traditional styles and wooden bookbinding.

Otter Bindery workshops are available to tutor groups, schools, art centres, businesses and institutions.

Bookbinding and Restoration Workshops with Douglas Mitchell

For over nine years, Douglas Mitchell has been holding various workshops covering all aspects of Paper Conservation and Book Restoration at 'Beginners', 'Intermediate' and 'Advanced' Levels. They are held three times a year at a beautiful location in the Lake District and are residential. For details contact Doug Mitchell on booksurgeon@gmail.com or the colleges website, Higham Hall.

He also holds one day workshops in Suffolk, London and Northamptonshire.

Douglas is an apprenticed Bookbinder, working at The British Museum and Foreign Office binderies and currently working as a Paper Conservator and Book Restorer at The British Library with over 35 years experience.

CBL Ascona, Switzerland

The Association centro del bel libro in Ascona is the parent institution of an internationally known and recognised technical school with the specialised areas of Bookbinding and Design and Book and Paper Conservation. The Association exists for the continued development and ever higher qualification of its instructors in both areas. Competitions and exhibitions help inform the public about their activities and expand public awareness of the book. The Association makes it possible for experts in related fields and for interested laypeople to acquire knowledge and skills pertaining to the book through special courses of instruction. The Association is a not for profit organisation. Its departments assure the smooth functioning of the school and an especially well organised office assists course participants with their stay in Ascona. The Directorate, among other duties, is charged with attracting new supporting members for the Association to en sure the continued work and development of the School. Should you be in agreement with the stated goals of the Association - we would be pleased to welcome you as a new member!

Department of Bookbinding and Design - The study areas of Bookbinding and Design offer discerning bookbinders the opportunity of technical and creative challenges. Course participants have the opportunity to further their qualifications through learning internationally recognised methods and techniques, are able to hone their skills and increase their knowledge, evaluate themselves and be inspired by colleagues. They will exchange ideas and find paths in creativity and through self reflection; paths which open up by being away from job demands and daily stress, away from routine, and the pressures of time and expectations of productivity. The annually changing course offerings are continually enhanced by timely developments to expand students' depth of understanding. They include classic hand bookbinding techniques, such as the French full leather binding, the Bradel technique, as well as hand gilding. Another area of program concentration is the contemporary design of bookbindings, in which design, technique and material complement each other and fulfil the functional and qualitative aspects of a book.

Department Book and Paper Conservation - The study of book and paper conservation at the centro del bel libro ascona assures further education specifically for book and paper restorers and delivers timely, inclusive and internationally recognised competencies in theory and practical applications. Scientific bases of restoration, restoration ethics, as well as documentation and decision making are encouraged and fostered in order to increase the knowledge of course participants in these areas. The opportunity to engage in dialogue in related disciplines, support and evaluation of innovation, and most of all development of practical skills to assure correct restoration and conservation measures - all are addressed in this context. The exchange of ideas among experts, and the addition of highly specialised guest lecturers provide the best conditions for exploring all relevant subjects in depth. Highly qualified teachers, a pleasant study and work environment, course participants from countries world wide, and the much renowned southern joie de vivre facilitate learning, ignite the desire to learn and communicate, and reward the student with improved self confidence. Building on these facts, it becomes an easy task to develop conventions for the protection of our cultural heritage, the book - a task which the centro del bel libro ascona has set itself and which it fulfils.

Further information regarding courses programs can be found on the school's web site at: www.cbl-ascona.ch