Courses at The City Lit, London

Gold Tooling on Paper
16th November - 7th December 2012
Tuesday, 10.30 - 16.30
with Tracey Rowledge
Learn the techniques and processes to tool with gold leaf on paper, using various hand tools. This is an opportunity to begin to develop skills in this area and to see the creative possibilities of further practice demonstrated. This course is suitable for all levels.

City Lit, keeley street, Covent Garden, London WC2B 4BA
Tel: 0207 831 7831
Email: infoline@citylit.ac.uk

American Academy of Bookbinding, Telluride, Colorado

Fundamentals / Intermediate Fine Binding
29th October - 6th November 2012
Instructor: Don Glaister
Cost: $1500
This class is both an entry-level class for the Fine Binding and Book Conservation programs, as well as an intermediate class for continuing fine binding students. In this class, students will learn and develop an understanding of traditional bookbinding techniques, beginning with a laced-on, leather covered board structure. The class will introduce and further acquaint students with techniques needed in future fine binding and specialty courses at the Academy. Beginning students will become familiar with hand sewing using a sewing frame, rounding and backing, edge decoration, weaving headbands, as well as leather paring and applying leather to their books. The focus of the class will be on learning and revisiting sound bookbinding techniques with special emphasis on working with leather. All students will complete at least one full-leather book in the course. Students will also be introduced to elements of leather onlay, blind tooling, leather embossing and other fundamental decorative techniques. More experienced students will be guided in their further exploration of decorative elements.

No fine binding experience is needed for beginning students. Those new to AAB who wish to take the class as an intermediate student must first send samples of their work for evaluation.

This course will be taught as an intensive: Four ten-hour days, one day for individual work or recreation, four ten-hour days.

For more information or to register, please visit the school's web site at www.ahhaa.org

Bookbinding Workshops In the Lake District Autumn/Winter 2012
with Dominic Riley and Michael Burke

There are a variety of workshops available, from basic structures to more advanced techniques. The workshops do tend to fill up quickly, so let them know as soon as you can if you'd like to book a place. They look forward to seeing you at the bench! Workshops are from 10-5 at their bindery near Ulverston. Please note: space is limited to ten people. The workshop fee includes lunch.

One-Day Wednesday Workshops

The Leather-Entry Slipcase
26th September 2012
Materials £10
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.

The Ideal Sketchbook
24th October 2012
Materials £15
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'.

The Ideal Album
7th November 2012
Materials £15
A perfect accompaniment to the Sketchbook, this album is ingeniously designed and easy to make. The pages are made from folded card, hinged together with guards. The guards allow for the thickness of the photographs, and also do away with the need for sewing. Special preparation of the pages - involving accurate measuring, scoring and gluing - ensures that the finished album opens well and is very neat and square. The album is rounded, but not backed, and the cover is made from board covered with handsome English buckram. The album is very cleverly cased-in and requires only the lightest of weights to dry. And, best of all, like the sketchbook, it can be made with the simplest of hand tools and no specialist equipment.

Traditional Case Binding
28th November 2012
Materials £15
This classic structure for cloth bindings is more complex than the flat-back, and introduces several new techniques common to this more refined binding style. The book is sewn on tapes, endpapers added, and then trimmed in the guillotine. It is rounded and backed with a hammer in the press, to give its characteristic shape, with a shoulder where the boards sit. The edges are then sprinkled, and headbands and spine linings attached. The cloth case is then made around the book, ensuring that the flexible spine fits the book perfectly. The book is then cased in, and a leather title label added.

All One-day workshops are £50

Two, Three, and Four-Day Weekend Workshops

The Classic Leather Binding
13th-16th October 2012
Materials £40
This is the classic Eighteenth-century English leather binding. The sections are sewn on raised cords, with edges sprinkled and polished and two-colour headbands sewn on. After lacing on the boards, the book is covered in a smooth calfskin, and particular attention will be given to careful and accurate paring using the English knife and spoke shave, ensuring a neat fit over the binding. The binding is decorated in the Cambridge Panel style, which first involves sprinkling with leather dye using an ingenious template to create the classic paneled effect. Then, using a few tools and working with a traditional formula, the covers will be enhanced by handsome blind tooling. The endpapers will then be put down, and the binding polished and waxed.

Longstitch and Linkstitch Binding
27th-28th October 2012
Materials £30
Limp bindings, held together with decorative exposed stitches, have been made throughout Europe since the 15th century and were used for both printed and blank books. In this workshop we will make a series of bindings that reproduce some of the classic historical styles and then go on to experiment with materials and techniques to create contemporary interpretations of the structure. We will choose colours and textures of materials to combine with structural elements such as closures, flaps and hidden pockets. The book covers will be made from beautiful handmade paper and calfskin vellum, further enhanced with decorative elements and ornamented with bone clasps and buttons.

St. Cuthbert's Gospel of St. John
15th-18th November 2012
Materials £40
St. Cuthbert's Gospel of St. John (also known as the Stonyhurst Gospel) dates from the end of the 7th century. It was found in remarkably good condition in the year 1104 inside the coffin of St. Cuthbert, bishop of Lindisfarne, who now rests at Durham Cathedral. It is a small binding, very beautiful and exquisitely made, and is of tremendous importance to bookbinders not only as an example of early English binding, with its intriguing construction, but also for its decoration, which draws on both Islamic, Celtic, and Anglo-Saxon influences. It is now on display in the permanent exhibition of treasures at the British Library. The book is sewn by link stitch with thread laced into wooden boards. It has a primary endband with a secondary endband sewn through the spine leather. A Celtic knotwork pattern is laid out on the boards with thin cord, and is attached using an ingenious technique of weaving and pegging. The book is covered in terra cotta goatskin molded over the cords, which picks out the design in relief on the upper board. It is then embellished with a little blind tooling, and part of the tooled area is picked out with yellow pigment, closely emulating the original decoration.

Leather Decorating Techniques
8th-9th December 2012
Materials £30
From simple onlays to the more adventurous feathering, sanding and impressing, each of these techniques give different tactile and visual results to the finished surface of leather. Working on prepared panels, we will prepare the board for decoration, learning how to design, cut out and apply the leather accurately. Techniques covered include: simple raised onlays; back-pared onlays which produce a smooth surface; feathered onlays for a more painterly effect; inlays, useful for larger areas; decorative sanded onlays (a way of 'painting with leather'); impressed leather techniques, which allow patterns to be embossed in the leather; 'Tudor Style', or overlapping leather onlays; and, crucially, how to incorporate all of them together in a covering design.

Two-day workshops - £100; three-day workshops - £150, four day workshops - £200
If you need to stay overnight, we can help with B&B accommodation

For further information please send Dominic and Michael an email

BINDING Re-DEFINED, Marden, Wiltshire

A group of professional binders has made a side step from convention and put a modern stamp on books for the 21st century. They have either developed new ideas or rekindled and updated bindings from the past: their ideas and techniques are now brought together in this series of workshops at BINDING re:DEFINED.

Travel Journal
3rd October 2012
with Lori Sauer
Cost £75.00
A one day workshop offering the opportunity for those with little or no bookbinding experience to make a robust and useful book. These leather bound books, which can be used as journals, diaries or sketchbooks, have visible sewing and improve with age. They can be made in many different sizes and decorated with secondary sewing or beads. We will also explore the many types of fastenings available.

The Pompidou
11th-12th October 2012
with Lori Sauer
Cost £140
This is the new kid on the block. The basis is a text-block with vellum extensions sewn to the outside sections. The extensions are cut into straps that alternately interweave and fold back on themselves to form a hollow. They slip into slits in the opposite covers that are attached separately. The boards articulate smoothly and the vellum spine that double as a hollow is an attractive and functional feature of the binding. Basic bookbinding knowledge required.

Vellum Notebook
3rd-4th November 2012
with Benjamin Elbel
Cost £140 plus materials
Vellum is often considered the most superior bookbinding material in terms of durability. Its stiffness can be a problem, especially in the joints, where repeated strain can cause it to break. This problem is successfully solved in this structure by the use of a sewn hinge set away from the endpaper folds, resulting in an opening action that neither causes stress to the text nor to the cover. As a bonus the stitches serve as a decorative feature and the core of the three layered boards extend to form loops to hold a pen, resulting in a very attractive and useful notebook. The workshop offers a great introduction to working with vellum. Bookbinding experience is required.

A Removable Case
8th-9th November 2012
with Lori Sauer
Cost: £140
Developed by Lori Sauer as a non-intrusive binding for a Tomorrow's Past exhibition, this structure has uses that reach beyond those needed purely for antiquarian texts. It incorporates a stub in the spine, and a specially constructed case. The case is attached to the text block with vellum straps that slot together. It's a simple principle that can suit a range of text blocks. The spine can be flat or rounded, the text opens flat, there is easy access to the text if pages need removal and the case can be changed or repaired away from the text block. Binding experience required.

All of the classes are being held in the village of Marden, Wiltshire.
For full details and to book, please visit the website at www.bookbindingworkshops.com

Don Rash - Classes at School for Formal Bookbinding, Plains, Pennsylvania

Here are the class listings for the School's upcoming 2012 classes.

September 2012
29th-30th - A Contemporary Leather Spined Box

October 2012
8th-12th - Edition Binding

For more information about individual classes or tuition and housing fees, please visit www.donrashfinebookbinder.com/sfbmain.html

Full Tilt Bookbinding Classes, in NYC

Notebook with an Elastic Band
13th October, 14.00-17.00
Cost $75
Bind a classic hardcover notebook. It opens flat for writing or drawing and stays closed with an elastic band. This stitched, multi-section book is covered with durable linen. Optionally, add a ribbon bookmark and/or a storage pocket. Bring a $15 material fee with you to class

Papyrus Pocket Scroll
20th October, 14.00-17.00
Cost $75
Papyrus is a unique writing material made from the papyrus reed; the scroll is the perfect reading and writing structure for it. Adhere sheets of papyrus to form a scroll, add an attached wrapper and a roller - and perhaps a line of text - and then roll it up to store in your pocket! Several historical models will be available. Bring a $15 material fee with you to class.

Drum binding with a Storage Case
27th October, 10.00-16.00
Cost $150
The drum binding is best for medium/heavy weight papers and is noted for full page spreads without visible sewing. It opens completely flat. Useful as a notebook; for printed books, the pages have the look of prints on both sides but are actually printed on only one. The cloth-covered case, with a hidden magnetic closure, protects the book and offers a special presentation. Bring a $20 material fee with you to class.

Further information and booking is available at bookbindingclasses.blogspot.co.uk

Workshops at Panther Peak Bindery, Tucson, Arizona

The Panther Peak Bindery offer courses for beginners and advanced binders, and everyone in between. The owner, Mark Andersson was the bookbinding instructor at the North Bennet Street School for nine years, teaching all major aspects of bookbinding and conservation. The courses at Panther Peak Bindery draw upon that experience as well as his many years as a private binder and conservator.

Cloth Binding Too
Monday - Friday
22nd-26th October 2012
Time: 08.30-16.30
Cost:$525

Leather/Vellum Classes

Limp Vellum
Monday - Friday
24th-28th September 2012
Time: 08.30-16.30
Cost: $550

For more information please visit www.pantherpeakbindery.com/

Bookbinding Workshops in Gloucestershire 2012

Workshops in repair and new bookbinding suitable for beginners & those with some experience. Teaching on a one to one basis with limited numbers enabling individual tuition on projects of your choice.

October - Monday 22nd, Tuesday 23rd and& Wednesday 24th

All workshops are to be held at Acorn School Nailsworth between 09.30 - 15.30

1 day £37.50, 2 days £70.00, 3 days £105.00 per workshop

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

Book Conservation Weekend Workshops in Northampton 2012

Karen Vidler established Book Conservation Services (previously Karen Vidler Book Conservation) in 2006. She is a book conservator with over 15 years experience in the conservation and restoration of books. She is also a qualified bookbinder as well as specialist in the conservation and care of leather bindings.

Karen has several years experience in delivering conservation and restoration training and is pleased to offer the workshops below. Each workshop is intended for students of bookbinding or conservation courses as well as qualified book conservators, paper conservators or archives conservators. All workshops take place at the Northampton studio and run from 10-5 pm each day to allow participants' time for travel. Karen and her staff are happy to help participants find accommodation during the workshops and lunch is provided.

Please contact Karen for further information on the workshops at karen@bookconservationservices.co.uk

Workshop 121: Conservation of Leather Bindings
Description: This four-day workshop is designed to give an overview of the specific conservation needs and techniques for the conservation of leather bookbindings. Teaching is delivered using lectures, demonstrations and practical work to be completed by the participants under the supervision of our Senior Book and Paper Conservator, Karen Vidler.

Course will include:
- Manufacture and deterioration of leather
- Documentation and examination
- Ethics and treatment options
- Treating degraded bookbinding leather
- Board reattachment techniques
- Leather dyeing and paring for repairs

Dates - Over two weekends by mutual agreement. Course will be repeated throughout the year depending on numbers
Max - 4 participants
Cost - £300 p.p. includes materials (15% discount for students, proof required)
Location - Northampton, NN1, UK

Workshop 122: Individual Book Conservation Training
Description: This four-day workshop focuses on individual book conservation projects presented by the participants. They will be given individual instruction in treatment and repair options and demonstrations in performing the conservation work to be completed under the supervision of the Senior Book and Paper Conservator, Karen Vidler. Karen will discuss each project with the participant before the commencement of the workshop.

Course will cover information and techniques that arise from the individual projects.

Dates - Over two weekends by mutual agreement. Course will be repeated throughout the year depending on numbers
Max - 4 participants
Cost - £300 p.p. includes basic materials (15% discount for students, proof required)
Location - Northampton, NN1, UK

Further information about Book Conservation services can be found at the website www.bookconservationservices.co.uk

Workshops & Short Courses at the Black Fox Bindery in North London

Nicky Oliver offers a range of courses and workshops at Black Fox Bindery from beginners' bookbinding and box-making to advanced book design classes such as leather dyeing techniques and onlay work. Nicky can also tailor classes to your requirements. All materials and equipment are provided.

Please contact her on nicky@blackfoxbindery.com or 07929 549 140 for details and bookings.

Handmade Art Workshops, London

Handmade Art Workshops design and deliver unique analogue art projects that encourage hands on creativity. We are artists, designers & craftswomen combining our experience and skills to teach drawing, printing and bookbinding to a range of ages and in a variety of community settings.

'Get a Sketchbook' is suitable for anyone over the age of eleven. It aims to engage its participants with the importance of sketchbooks in the creative process by enabling them to work with two professional artists and a bookbinder to make and use their own personalised hand-made, hardbound sketchbooks. These sessions can be booked individually or as a three session package.

Stages of the 'Get a Sketchbook' workshop:

Workshop 1
Relief printing a cover using an etching press for your own sketchbook with artist Rachel Thomson
running time 2 hours
numbers max 20
price £250 includes materials & refreshments

Workshop 2
Making and binding your own sketchbook with professional book binder Nicky Oliver
running time 2 hours
numbers max 20
price £250 includes materials & refreshments

Workshop 3
Introduction to use of sketchbooks, speed drawing and information gathering involving use of different media with artist Agnes Mitchell
running time 2 hours
numbers max 20
price £250 includes materials & refreshments

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 three people on any one course, tuition is on a very personal level, with each student having their 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, endcaps, 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.

Other residential courses during the year are held at Reaseheath College Cheshire and Knuston Hall Northamptonshire. He also holds one day workshops in Suffolk, (Judith Viesner studios), London (SOB London region) and at Knuston Hall Northamptonshire.

Doug is a City and Guilds, Apprenticed Bookbinder, working at The British Museum and Foreign Office binderies and currently working as a Book and Paper Conservator and Gold Leaf Finisher at The British Library with 40 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 ensure 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

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