It is almost holiday season. Still, there is some time to choose a gift for your fellow bookbinders, friends, and colleagues. Luckily, there always is something new to learn about bookbinding. Even from the books you already have for a long time. Becoming more experienced you may find further small details and techniques (nevertheless important) in texts you read a long time ago. The list we offer you here may be useful not only for beginners but also for experienced bookbinders. If you have anything to add, we encourage you to share your ideas in the comments section below. Some books are available not only in print editions but also as Kindle ebooks. I prefer to have all my bookbinding books in hard copies because illustrations are not always transferred well to Kindle. Anyway, I’ll give both links when possible. Hand Bookbinding: A Manual of Instruction by Aldren A. Watson (Kindle edition) That’s a thorough essential guide to bookbinding that includes both information on bindings, and tools and equipment you should use. You will find instructions on how to rebind an old book, make a box, etc. The book was first published in 1963, but most of the information remains up-to-date. You will not find some newer materials and book structures here, but it is a good thing for a beginner. Illustrations are black and white. Fortunately, they are drawn (and pretty nice), and not photos. Order at Amazon.com The Craft of Bookbinding by Manly Banister (Kindle edition) Often considered to be a complimentary book to Hand Bookbinding: A Manual of Instruction by Aldren A. Watson (or vice versa). It gives less information on tools. However, there are helpful instructions on making presses and plows. Many pictures give you an idea of what you have to do even while instructions are not always entirely clear. Unfortunately, this style of black and white photographic illustrations is far from modern tutorial standards. In that respect, the book by Aldren A. Watson is much better. Anyway, it is a good start for any beginner. Order at Amazon.com The Complete Book of Bookbinding by Josep Cambras That is one of my first recommendations to all my students. I suppose one of the reasons is that The Complete Book of Bookbinding was one of the first books about bookbinding I have read in English (plenty of books on the subject in Russian before that moment). It has lots of lovely color photographic illustrations, includes all the necessary information about tools and equipment, and offers its readers several projects to fulfill. You may as well use it as textbook walking through and becoming more and more experienced in bookbinding basics. The book is not comprehensive as Hand Bookbinding: A Manual of Instruction and The Craft of Bookbinding, but it gives you everything you need to start bookbinding and adopt all the right habits. Order at Amazon.com Josep Cambras has two other books: Bookbinding Techniques and Projects and Handmade Bookbinding Techniques. I have never read the latter, but many of my students find Bookbinding Techniques and Projects to be a bit misleading and confusing. It is more like a set of projects, not a tutorial or bookbinding instruction book. You definitely shouldn’t start studying bookbinding using them. Non-Adhesive Binding by Keith A. Smith All four of the books Keith A. Smith wrote on non-adhesive binding are worth adding to the current list (that’s the reason I didn’t write the full title of the book above): Non-Adhesive Binding, Vol. 1: Books without Paste or Glue Non-Adhesive Binding, Vol. 2: 1- 2- & 3-Section Sewings Non-Adhesive Binding, Vol. 3: Exposed Spine Sewings Non-Adhesive Binding, Vol. 4: Smith’s Sewing Single Sheets There are many more bookbinding books by Keith A. Smith, and they all are worth buying (if you like his writing style). Anyhow, if you can easily replace his other books with anything listed above and below, it is much harder to find a substitute for his non-adhesive binding tetralogy. Japanese Bookbinding: Instructions From A Master Craftsman by Kojiro Ikegami To continue with non-adhesive binding, I should mention this book by Kojiro Ikegami. It may be an absolute bestseller on Japanese binding. Kojiro Ikegami is a master bookbinder in a third generation. You will find here a brief history of bookbinding in Japan, many details on traditional tools, and a thorough description of Japanese bookbinding methods. A chapter on bookcases and enclosures is included in the end, as well as information on conventional ways of mending books. It is also adapted to western readers — suppliers and tools listed in the book are widely available in Europe and North America. Order at Amazon.com Bookbinding for Book Artists by Keith A. Smith and Fred A. Jordan Another book by Keith A. Smith. I would advise to buy it if you’d like to make the first step from mere bookbinding to book art. It focuses more on detail and quality finishing but may open to you the world book art and artists books. The book is written in co-authorship with Fred A. Jordan, and it benefits a lot from two different bookbinding approaches each of the authors prefers. Order at Amazon.com 500 Handmade Books: Inspiring Interpretations of a Timeless Form by Steve Miller That’s not a tutorial or a textbook. You should avoid buying that book as your first one — you’ll find no instructions here. Instead, there is a collection of 500 bindings you can be inspired with. It may take you a bit further after you’ve mastered some things Keith A. Smith and Fred A. Jordan are teaching in their Bookbinding for Book Artists. Order at Amazon.com How to Make Books: Fold, Cut & Stitch Your Way to a One-of-a-Kind Book by Esther K. Smith (Kindle edition) As the list goes from more basic bookbinding techniques to more elaborate things, I may have placed that book at the very beginning of this post. This is a collection of spectacular and simple tutorials suitable both for adults and kids. However, even an experienced bookbinder may easily find some new ideas here. And that’s the reason I waited to name it until the current moment. That’s a must have if you want to understand how to start making your books creatively different, both in design and structure. Order at Amazon.com You may also order this and other books by Esther K. Smith at her Etsy store. Bookbinding: Its Background and Technique by Edith Diehl (Kindle edition) The last two books are recommended for experienced bookbinders. I would rather say they are a must have if you want to understand and to know how the modern book developed through the ages and what makes a good binding differ from an ordinary one. Diehl had a vast experience in bookbinding and in teaching bookbinding in the US over the first half of the 20th century. Bookbinding: its Background and Technique was first published in 1946 and remains one of the iconic books on the subject. It covers an enormous range of bookbinding topics: paper and print; book formats, signatures, and sewing; binding types and design; minor repair, restoration and more. If you want to become an excellent bookbinder, you have to add this book to your collection. The book was initially published in two volumes, but now you can buy it as two volumes in one paperback edition (that’s precisely what I did). Order at Amazon.com The Thames and Hudson Manual of Book Binding by Arthur Johnson Another foundational writing, this time by Arthur Johnson, a well-known British designer-bookbinder. The book not only instructs you on how to make a durable and functional book, but it also gives you an understanding of the beauty and aesthetic pleasure the book may offer to its users. The book covers a wide range of subjects: from tools, equipment, and material, to all stages and processes of the bookmaking. It may not be an easy reading; you should treat it more like a reference book. But that’s exactly the book that gives you a new idea every time you open it again. Order at Amazon.com Hope that helps to form your shopping and gifts lists =) If you have any thoughts on books listed above or have anything to add, just leave a comment below. We plan to publish more narrowly-specialized lists in the nearest days (conservation and restoration, bookbinding history, etc.) Maybe you’ll find something even more attractive there =) 2017 Update Making Books: A Guide to Creating Handcrafted Books by the London Centre for Book Arts This book has a 50-page introduction that gives an idea of how a bookbinding workshop is ticking, information on tools and materials and other useful data. The rest of the book is split into six chapters, almost all of which have two or more subsections: Pamphlets Concertinas Stab bindings Slim case bindings Exposed spine bindings Multi-section case bindings So, it covers most of the things you want to try as a beginner. For more advanced users it may work only as a reminder of some small tricks and steps. You can find a review of the book among the iBookBinding posts. Order at Amazon.com 2018 Update The Art of the Fold: How to Make Innovative Books and Paper Structures by Hedi Kyle and Ulla Warchol Hedi Kyle is a renowned book artist and educator. In this book, she offers step-by-step tutorials that will allow you to recreate, using folding techniques, her unique designs. Projects include flag books, blizzard books, the fishbone fold, and nesting boxes. Both for beginners and experienced bookbinders this book may become a true source of inspiration! Order at Amazon.com Please Support us on Patreon! The minimum level of contribution is only $1 per month. Pledges received from our patrons cover the editing services for our bookish podcast! Moreover, starting with the pledge level of $3, you will get a digitized vintage book about bookbinding, book history, or book arts each month from us! These pledges help iBookBinding to continue its work and bring more information about bookbinding and book arts to you! Share this page:

Here is a quick, easy, step-by-step guide to everything you need to know. It’s DIY bookbinding for beginners! Learn basic bookbinding at your own pace.

It is almost holiday season. Still, there is some time to choose a gift for your fellow bookbinders, friends, and colleagues. Luckily, there always is something new to learn about bookbinding. Even from the books you already have for a long time. Becoming more experienced you may find further small details and techniques (nevertheless important) in texts you read a long time ago. The list we offer you here may be useful not only for beginners but also for experienced bookbinders. If you have anything to add, we encourage you to share your ideas in the comments section below. Some books are available not only in print editions but also as Kindle ebooks. I prefer to have all my bookbinding books in hard copies because illustrations are not always transferred well to Kindle. Anyway, I’ll give both links when possible. Hand Bookbinding: A Manual of Instruction by Aldren A. Watson (Kindle edition) That’s a thorough essential guide to bookbinding that includes both information on bindings, and tools and equipment you should use. You will find instructions on how to rebind an old book, make a box, etc. The book was first published in 1963, but most of the information remains up-to-date. You will not find some newer materials and book structures here, but it is a good thing for a beginner. Illustrations are black and white. Fortunately, they are drawn (and pretty nice), and not photos. Order at Amazon.com The Craft of Bookbinding by Manly Banister (Kindle edition) Often considered to be a complimentary book to Hand Bookbinding: A Manual of Instruction by Aldren A. Watson (or vice versa). It gives less information on tools. However, there are helpful instructions on making presses and plows. Many pictures give you an idea of what you have to do even while instructions are not always entirely clear. Unfortunately, this style of black and white photographic illustrations is far from modern tutorial standards. In that respect, the book by Aldren A. Watson is much better. Anyway, it is a good start for any beginner. Order at Amazon.com The Complete Book of Bookbinding by Josep Cambras That is one of my first recommendations to all my students. I suppose one of the reasons is that The Complete Book of Bookbinding was one of the first books about bookbinding I have read in English (plenty of books on the subject in Russian before that moment). It has lots of lovely color photographic illustrations, includes all the necessary information about tools and equipment, and offers its readers several projects to fulfill. You may as well use it as textbook walking through and becoming more and more experienced in bookbinding basics. The book is not comprehensive as Hand Bookbinding: A Manual of Instruction and The Craft of Bookbinding, but it gives you everything you need to start bookbinding and adopt all the right habits. Order at Amazon.com Josep Cambras has two other books: Bookbinding Techniques and Projects and Handmade Bookbinding Techniques. I have never read the latter, but many of my students find Bookbinding Techniques and Projects to be a bit misleading and confusing. It is more like a set of projects, not a tutorial or bookbinding instruction book. You definitely shouldn’t start studying bookbinding using them. Non-Adhesive Binding by Keith A. Smith All four of the books Keith A. Smith wrote on non-adhesive binding are worth adding to the current list (that’s the reason I didn’t write the full title of the book above): Non-Adhesive Binding, Vol. 1: Books without Paste or Glue Non-Adhesive Binding, Vol. 2: 1- 2- & 3-Section Sewings Non-Adhesive Binding, Vol. 3: Exposed Spine Sewings Non-Adhesive Binding, Vol. 4: Smith’s Sewing Single Sheets There are many more bookbinding books by Keith A. Smith, and they all are worth buying (if you like his writing style). Anyhow, if you can easily replace his other books with anything listed above and below, it is much harder to find a substitute for his non-adhesive binding tetralogy. Japanese Bookbinding: Instructions From A Master Craftsman by Kojiro Ikegami To continue with non-adhesive binding, I should mention this book by Kojiro Ikegami. It may be an absolute bestseller on Japanese binding. Kojiro Ikegami is a master bookbinder in a third generation. You will find here a brief history of bookbinding in Japan, many details on traditional tools, and a thorough description of Japanese bookbinding methods. A chapter on bookcases and enclosures is included in the end, as well as information on conventional ways of mending books. It is also adapted to western readers — suppliers and tools listed in the book are widely available in Europe and North America. Order at Amazon.com Bookbinding for Book Artists by Keith A. Smith and Fred A. Jordan Another book by Keith A. Smith. I would advise to buy it if you’d like to make the first step from mere bookbinding to book art. It focuses more on detail and quality finishing but may open to you the world book art and artists books. The book is written in co-authorship with Fred A. Jordan, and it benefits a lot from two different bookbinding approaches each of the authors prefers. Order at Amazon.com 500 Handmade Books: Inspiring Interpretations of a Timeless Form by Steve Miller That’s not a tutorial or a textbook. You should avoid buying that book as your first one — you’ll find no instructions here. Instead, there is a collection of 500 bindings you can be inspired with. It may take you a bit further after you’ve mastered some things Keith A. Smith and Fred A. Jordan are teaching in their Bookbinding for Book Artists. Order at Amazon.com How to Make Books: Fold, Cut & Stitch Your Way to a One-of-a-Kind Book by Esther K. Smith (Kindle edition) As the list goes from more basic bookbinding techniques to more elaborate things, I may have placed that book at the very beginning of this post. This is a collection of spectacular and simple tutorials suitable both for adults and kids. However, even an experienced bookbinder may easily find some new ideas here. And that’s the reason I waited to name it until the current moment. That’s a must have if you want to understand how to start making your books creatively different, both in design and structure. Order at Amazon.com You may also order this and other books by Esther K. Smith at her Etsy store. Bookbinding: Its Background and Technique by Edith Diehl (Kindle edition) The last two books are recommended for experienced bookbinders. I would rather say they are a must have if you want to understand and to know how the modern book developed through the ages and what makes a good binding differ from an ordinary one. Diehl had a vast experience in bookbinding and in teaching bookbinding in the US over the first half of the 20th century. Bookbinding: its Background and Technique was first published in 1946 and remains one of the iconic books on the subject. It covers an enormous range of bookbinding topics: paper and print; book formats, signatures, and sewing; binding types and design; minor repair, restoration and more. If you want to become an excellent bookbinder, you have to add this book to your collection. The book was initially published in two volumes, but now you can buy it as two volumes in one paperback edition (that’s precisely what I did). Order at Amazon.com The Thames and Hudson Manual of Book Binding by Arthur Johnson Another foundational writing, this time by Arthur Johnson, a well-known British designer-bookbinder. The book not only instructs you on how to make a durable and functional book, but it also gives you an understanding of the beauty and aesthetic pleasure the book may offer to its users. The book covers a wide range of subjects: from tools, equipment, and material, to all stages and processes of the bookmaking. It may not be an easy reading; you should treat it more like a reference book. But that’s exactly the book that gives you a new idea every time you open it again. Order at Amazon.com Hope that helps to form your shopping and gifts lists =) If you have any thoughts on books listed above or have anything to add, just leave a comment below. We plan to publish more narrowly-specialized lists in the nearest days (conservation and restoration, bookbinding history, etc.) Maybe you’ll find something even more attractive there =) 2017 Update Making Books: A Guide to Creating Handcrafted Books by the London Centre for Book Arts This book has a 50-page introduction that gives an idea of how a bookbinding workshop is ticking, information on tools and materials and other useful data. The rest of the book is split into six chapters, almost all of which have two or more subsections: Pamphlets Concertinas Stab bindings Slim case bindings Exposed spine bindings Multi-section case bindings So, it covers most of the things you want to try as a beginner. For more advanced users it may work only as a reminder of some small tricks and steps. You can find a review of the book among the iBookBinding posts. Order at Amazon.com 2018 Update The Art of the Fold: How to Make Innovative Books and Paper Structures by Hedi Kyle and Ulla Warchol Hedi Kyle is a renowned book artist and educator. In this book, she offers step-by-step tutorials that will allow you to recreate, using folding techniques, her unique designs. Projects include flag books, blizzard books, the fishbone fold, and nesting boxes. Both for beginners and experienced bookbinders this book may become a true source of inspiration! Order at Amazon.com Please Support us on Patreon! The minimum level of contribution is only $1 per month. Pledges received from our patrons cover the editing services for our bookish podcast! Moreover, starting with the pledge level of $3, you will get a digitized vintage book about bookbinding, book history, or book arts each month from us! These pledges help iBookBinding to continue its work and bring more information about bookbinding and book arts to you! Share this page:

Inspired by the text & texture of Shetland create seven stitched bindings & slipcase. An island bookbinding adventure. Creative travel for booklovers. Craft

A blog with a love of vintage, Victorian, shabby, French, country decorating and detail along with altered arts, fine art, crafts and a love for God.

I know it can be hard to decide where to begin, so to make it easy on you, I've compiled a list of my top 10 free bookbinding tutorials.

DIY Lettering • Inspire Yourself • Easy Homemade Journals • Sharpie Journals • Time Travel Steampunk Journal • More ...

The Complete Guide To Bookbinding an Illustrated Handbook for the Amateur Bookbinder 158 pages Printable or Read on your iPad or Tablet 158 Pages With NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS AND DIAGRAMS BY PAUL N. HASLUCK First published in 1907, this volume is a complete guide to Bookbinding an Illustrated Handbook for the Amateur Bookbinder. Full of old-time tips and methods for learning the book-binder's and printing press arts and for making your own beautifully bound DIY hardcover books in the traditional way. This handy little guide touches on every aspect of bookbinding, including tools, technique, and plans for projects. Hasluck describes many essential aspects of bookbinding, including the required tools, cloth-covering for covers, tooling and pressing covers, folding pages, sewing and combining page signatures, cutting and setting book edges, book decorations and traditional page marbling methods, page gilding, and lettering and decorating book covers and spines. This book makes a perfect gift for aspiring or expert book binders, DIYers, traditional crafters, homesteaders, and handcrafters of all kinds. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. — Bookbinders' Appliances 9 II. — Folding' Printed Book Sheets 33 III. — Beating and Sewing 38 IV. — Rounding, Backing, and Cover Cutting 48 V. — Cutting Book Edges 55 VI. — Covering Books 58 VII. — Cloth-bound Books, Pamphlets, etc 66 VIII.— Account Books, Ledgers, etc. 72 IX. — Colouring, Sprinkling, and Marbling Book Edges 79 X. — Marbling Book Papers 92 XI. — Gilding Book Edges 101 XII. — Sprinkling and Tree Marbling Book Covers 110 XIII.— Lettering, Gilding, and Finishing Book Covers 115 Index ......... 156 ====================================== IMPORTANT READ THIS BEFORE PURCHASE: THIS is a COPY in PDFFORM NOT A HARD COPY for FAST & FREE ELECTRONIC DELIVERY via Instant Digital Download.

Bookbinding 101 is a series of posts designed to provide a solid foundation of bookbinding knowledge, which, for the new bookbinder, will teach you all you need to know to get addicted started. And for the intermediate binder, it should refresh some skills, teach you some new tricks, and maybe add a new structure or two to the ones you already know how to create. We'll discuss the materials, the tools you can't live without, and you'll learn to make many different book structures and how to combine them. By the end, you should be able to pick up any book on bookbinding and be able to follow along, which sometimes isn't easy to do without already having some experience and a working knowledge of bookbinding vocabulary. Bookbinding 101 will be a collaboration between Karleigh and Daniel (her husband), who is also a bookbinder. We think this will be a lot of fun, and we hope you do too. Start here: Bookbinding 101: Basic Tools Bookbinding 101: Materials

To craft books and binders, a book binding press is a must. Unfortunately, they cost A LOT. The good news is you can make one yourself with this easy DIY!

The Lost Art of Letterlocking: Tutorials, Personal Experience, and Application in Bookbinding When was the last time you wrote a letter? Put a piece of paper in an envelope and dropped it in a mailbox? Nowadays when people talk about communication security, they usually mean computer encryption. The thing about being a bookbinder, though, is that you tend to have a fondness for outdated technology. And before the internet, tracking numbers, and self-sealing envelopes, there was letterlocking. The term “letterlocking” is used to describe a way of folding and securing a letter without an envelope. It’s a relatively new field of study, but it has attracted a dedicated group of professionals who are very enthusiastic about sharing their discoveries with the world. To begin to wrap your head around the subject, you might explore the ever-growing Dictionary of Letterlocking, or watch a short documentary. For the truly intrepid individual, however, there is a fantastic youtube channel chock full of tutorials: Let it never be said that I am not an intrepid individual. Before I set out to lock a few letters, I needed some letters to lock. There’s something rather romantic about a handwritten message sealed with red wax, so I set out to write some Valentine’s Day letters for my friends. I’m hoping it’ll make up for the fact that I never sent Christmas cards. Just to make sure I was in the right mindset for letterlocking, I broke out my dip-pen and used some good quality paper from an old sketchbook. At least, it’s good quality for sketching. Perhaps not so much for letterlocking. Butterfly Lock The first tutorial I attempted was the Butterfly Lock. It was used by Mary Queen of Scots to secure a letter to her brother-in-law, the King of France, in 1587. As it turned out it was the last letter she ever wrote—she was executed the next day. The lock is made using a slim strip of paper cut from the center fold of the letter. This strip is woven in a figure eight or butterfly-like pattern through a hole punched in the edge of the folded letter. It seemed straight forward enough. Unfortunately, my sketchbook paper did not seem to be up to the acrobatic challenge. It broke. Not to be discouraged, I tried again with the next letter. My perseverance paid off—a success! At least for a few seconds, until the pressure from the folded paper caused the seal to burst open. The third time was the charm, but I’d learned to be wary. If you decide to try some letterlocking yourself, make sure your paper isn’t too thick or soft. I actually had much better luck with newsprint paper later on, and the added bonus is it’s cheap to practice with. Walsingham’s Anti-Spy Letter The second technique I tried was Walsingham’s anti-spy letter to Sir Ralph Sadler, from 1584. It seemed like it would be easier on my paper, which I now knew had the tendency to go to pieces under pressure. Like the Butterfly Lock, it uses a piece cut from the letter itself to hold the letter shut. The benefit of this is that the receiver, after opening the message, can arrange the torn pieces back together to confirm that nothing has been tampered with. With the help of a handy palette knife and a gentle hand, I did, in fact, have more luck with this lock. It gave me the confidence to try something more ambitious. Dagger-Trap Letter Something like Intelligencer Simeon Fox’s Dagger-Trap Letter, sent from Venice in 1601. I mean, with a name like that, I couldn’t resist. This one was actually quite fun, and you end up with a flashy-looking finished product. It involves a triangle of paper, still attached to the letter, which is woven back and forth through slits cut in the folded letter. Once the letter is completely folded, the triangle is concealed from view. Any unwary snoop who attempted to open the letter would get a shock when the triangle inside is torn as everything is unfolded. The recipient would know immedietely that their letter has been tampered with. The dagger-trap got me thinking about how such techniques might be applied to bookbinding. That feeling of anticipation you get unfolding a letter is not too unlike the one you get when you open a book. So why not lock a book for fun? I tried it out by making a straightforward three-signature pamphlet binding. I wrapped a triangle of tissue paper around the outside of the signature before I sewed it up, and I left the front and back cover long so I could fold them in a way that would mimic the dagger-trap lock. It worked like a charm—the tissue tore immedietely when I opened the book. I think I’ll try to come up with a way to “deactivate” the dagger so that a person in the know can get into the book without triggering the trap. I’d actually be interested in seeing some tutorials on how to break into a locked letter—the 16th century version of hacking if you will. I made another prototype binding the skill might come in handy for. It’s a supported concertina binding, with the letter pages sewn into the binding before being folded and locked. I used newsprint paper for the letters here, which I had a much easier time with than the sketchbook paper. The trick with this binding was to make sure to sew the letter paper in the right spot so that it could be folded and locked properly. I like to think of it as a book of secrets. I’m not sure what I would put in the letters if I fully develop the binding, but I’ve loved interactive books since I was a child. This one challenges the reader to sneak past the locks, or throw caution to the wind and change the book forever. Of course, you could always leave the letters locked and let them keep their secrets. It’s a choice I’m faced with right now, actually. After locking all those letters to my friends, I forgot to write their names on the outside. This could get interesting. Please Support us on Patreon! The minimum level of contribution is only $1 per month. Pledges received from our patrons cover the editing services for our bookish podcast! Moreover, starting with the pledge level of $3, you will get a digitized vintage book about bookbinding, book history, or book arts each month from us! These pledges help iBookBinding to continue its work and bring more information about bookbinding and book arts to you! Share this page:

Concertina spine books with sewn in pamphlet variations

Nowadays, when thinking of traditional Japanese bindings, stab bindings are the ones that come to mind. Originally coming from China, this binding style flourished during the Edo period (1603-1868)…

The art of bookbinding utilizes lots different materials, tools and equipment. This chapter presents a review of each of these.

Sewing an endband onto a blank book. From my time at the North Bennet Street School's bookbinding program, 2002.

A much more professional way to gather pages together

Make a Book Binding Cradle: Coptic book binding is a traditional form of book binding that has been around for thousands of years. Although it is fairly simple, there are some specialized tools you might find incredibly handy when binding your own books. In this Instruc…

This isn't a blog post about how to make a book, or a post to people interested in making a book, but a post for people interested in making a book after book after book. This is a post for people who have the desire to become great at bookbinding, or even great bookbinders. So, listen up beginner

DIY Bookbinding/Bookmaking: How to bind/make your own book, journal, etc. from scratch.

After preparing the boards and spine, the book was finally ready for it's leather cover... I used bark tanned calf skin for the cover - ...

I've been calling my tutorials "bookbinding 101" so I really should have done this particular tutorial first. I spend a substantial amount of time worrying about paper grain direction when I'm making my books. So, as far as I know, all machine-made papers have a grain direction. This applies to standard printer paper, cardstock, drawing paper, watercolour paper, etc, as well as binder's board or other boards. Basically every paper material that we use for making books – except handmade paper. So the grain is a result of the way the fibers align during the paper making process. With handmade paper, the fibers are all over the place so there is no grain. But machine made paper will have the fibers all aligned in the same direction. Sometimes if you have some classic laid paper or other nice paper, you can see the lines. The lines that are really close together are across the grain – then the perpendicular lines that are spaced further apart, those are parallel to the grain. But most of the time, you can't see any of those lines. I just scanned the web and found an article about paper grain by Richard P Grant, which looks very informative and quite detailed: About Paper Grain. It is important to be aware of the paper's grain direction so that your books close properly, and so they will open properly, and so the spine will keep its shape, and so the boards don't warp, etc, I'm sure there are many many more reasons. The direction of the paper grain should always always always be parallel to the spine of the book. So the first part of my tutorial will focus on how to determine the grain direction of a piece of paper. I've never met a paper that I couldn't figure out. Test 1 I always start with this test and it usually works. Just lightly bend the paper over and push down a little bit on the curved fold – without actually making a crease. Then lightly fold it the other way and press on it. Whichever direction presents the least resistance when you press lightly on the curved fold, then that is the grain direction. In these photos, I’m using standard 8.5" x 11" printer paper. It is always grain long – so when I bend it the long way (photo on the right), it is very easy to bend and there is much less resistance compared to when I tried it the other way. Test 2 If Test 1 doesn't tell you for sure, I will let the paper hang over the edge of the table. Place the paper at the edge of the table, about half on and half off. Look to see how much angle there is where the paper bends. Then turn the paper around and do it again. Whichever direction has the most bend to it, then that is the direction of the grain. In this photo, the paper in the foreground is bending along the grain. The paper in the background is bending across the grain so it doesn’t flop over the edge of the table as much. This was difficult to photograph but sometimes the difference is quite dramatic so if you try it, it can be quite obvious which direction is along the grain. Test 3 This test requires that you destroy the paper, but it is quite reliable. Simply try to tear the paper straight down the middle. If it tears in a relatively straight line, then the tear is parallel with the grain - shown here by the black arrow. If you get a curved tear, or it is just impossible to go straight when you rip the paper, then you are tearing across the grain. Test 4 If all else fails, I lick the paper. Cut off a corner and note its orientation – so I mark the long and short direction on it usually. Then just lick it, and place it on the table. Because it is damp, it will curl. The valley of the curl will be parallel to the grain direction, shown here by the black arrow. The key with this test is to remember how this little corner fits back onto your larger sheet of paper, otherwise the test isn't very helpful! I have created two book blocks that are the same size, but one has the paper grain intentionally going the wrong way. I have bound both of these book blocks because I was hoping to show how much incredibly better the 'good grain' book functions. The pages just lay so nicely in comparison to the book with the bad grain. Oh, just look at the beautiful open-book-shape of the good-grain book here. Other book…not so beautiful. One thing that I really like is the fanning of a book's pages. Having the grain direction going the wrong way just devastates this wonderful feature of a book – it is more likely to just spurt in chunks rather than perform a lovely fluttering fan. I made a brief video of this fanning process to more effectively show the difference. So in this clip, the bad sputtering book is shown first, followed by the nicely flowing fanning book. I haven't been doing many hardcover books lately so when it comes to paper grain, my primary concern is with the book block; however, the paper grain factor just grows and grows when a hard cover is introduced. I am not working on any hardcover books right now so I don’t have photos for this next part, but let me try to explain why it is important to be aware of the grain direction when making a hardcover book, and how it can be very useful too. Binder's board can be tested for grain direction by just trying to bend it, so you can feel which way bends easiest. Or if you have a really big sheet of board, laying it half on and half off the table and checking to see how much it bends over the edge of the table will work too (like test 2 described above). The grain direction of the binder’s board needs to be parallel to the spine, just like the grain direction of the book block. It is important to make sure that the grain direction of your covering paper is also parallel to the spine. Papers expand when they are wet, and they usually expand more across the grain. So if you spread paste onto a piece of decorative paper, it will be slightly larger after it absorbs the moisture of the paste. This expansion will be most noticeable across the grain. So when you put this wet paper onto the binder's board, then let the paper dry, the paper shrinks back to its original size…pulling the edges of the binder's board with it as it shrinks…causing the warp. Now if you apply past to another piece of decorative paper and adhere it to the other side of the binder's board and let it dry, when that second piece of paper shrinks back to its original size, it will pull the board in the opposite direction and make the whole thing flat again. No need to press while drying! But this will only work if the board and both pieces of paper all have the grain directions parallel. Also, it will be most effective if the two pieces of decorative paper are the same kind of paper, so that they react the same and expand the same amount when damp. If the two pieces of paper are quite different in weight or density, then one piece might expand a lot more than the other thus not pulling the board back perfectly flat while drying. If the papers are not the same, then the boards should be pressed while drying, but even pressing boards will not guarantee that they won’t warp now or at some point in the future. Keep the grains parallel to the spine all the time, always. Your book will open better. The pages will fan nicely and lie open flat. The covers will dry flat. The spine will be stronger. The entire book unit will be more cohesive. The book will have a longer life. I sure hope that this makes sense to anybody who is trying to learn about paper grain. Or for anybody that already knows about this stuff, please let me know if I haven’t presented it clearly. Now, I have to go dismantle the bad-grain book block that I made for this post...

One of the most overlooked aspects I see from amateur bookbinders is their choice of adhesives or glue; many of whom rely on PVA as a ‘one-glue-fits-all’ solution. Whilst PVA is a good option for many aspects in bookbinding it almost certainly shouldn’t be used over other more suitable adhesives. Yes, I agree that personal […]

This entry is part 12 of 12 in the series Introduction to BookbindingHeadbanding is the process of strengthening the head of a book. This is done by the sewing a cord onto the backbone behind the boards, which secures the signatures together more firmly. The result is a stronger binding construction, and even the backbone can be prevented from damage. A good video introduction into creating and sewing headbands can be found in this YouTube playlist. Well worth a watch before reading the rest of this tutorial. Enjoy! Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel to get access to HD videos of hundreds of Book Binding tutorials and reviews! Piercing the Holes For a headbanding, the holes should be pierced close to the centers of the folded signatures as shown in figure 208. Mark up the holes on the edge of the signatures; align a square card against the thickness on the folded edge and sketch a line that is about half an inch shorter than the book height. Leave this space at the heads of the signature as shown in figure 209. In case, the kettlestitches are at this same position, you can shift the line slightly towards the edge. Figura 208 – Furos nos festos dos cadernos para coser o requife. Figura 209 – Marcação do posicionamento para a costura do requife. Figure 210 – Using a Piercing Awl to Pierce through Book Signatures into Piercing Card Figure 211 – Using Folded Guide Slips (card) to Pierce Every Signature Take a cardboard that measures 2 inches in breadth and 4 inches in length, and place it inside the centre of the first signature. Push the card completely against the fold and pierce an awl through the signature right up to the edge of the cardboard as shown in figure 210. Using this same process, pierce every other signature. When you would be done, your signatures should resemble the image shown in figure 211. Threading the Headband Thread two needles with different color threads for a more attractive appearance. Tie their free ends together into a knot. Now start sewing the headband at signature numbered 1. Pry open the signature slightly by inserting a folding needle into its centre as shown in figure 212. Use the cardboard strips to locate the centre of the signature. Pass a thread through the pierced hole from the outside such that the needle is angled towards the top edge of the book as shown in figure 213. Pick up this thread from the center of the signature and tie the outside tail into a knot. This is illustrated in figure 214. Place a cord across the head of the book and pass the thread around it and out from the same hole through which you inserted it. Figure 215 depicts this step. Pull the thread tight so that the cord is flattened and secured in place over the signature as illustrated in figure 216. Tie the loose end with the first knot so that the stitch does not become loose. Now loop the thread two more times onto the cord and secure it by passing the thread beneath the cord, and into the loops as shown. This is shown in figure 217 and 218. Tie the end once more to the initial knot as shown in figure 219. Do not cut the tread and let it hang loose. Figure 212 – Prying Open the Book Signatures Before Starting to Sew Headbands to Signatures Figure 213 – Sewing Thread through the First Signature to Create Headband Figure 214 – Tying a Different Colour Thread to First Thread to Make the Headband Figure 215 – Wrapping Thread Around the Cord to Form the Book Head-Band Figure 216 – Tying off the First Headband Wrap around the Cord Figure 217 – Repeating the Wrapping Around the Headband Cord and Tying Off Now take the other thread, and wind it around the cord two times a shown in figure 220. The green loops should be completely lined up with the white loops so that no portion of the cord shows through them. Let this thread hang down. Pick up the loose end of the first thread and pass it into the second hole as shown in figure 221. This time wind it around the cord three times as illustrated in figure 222, and once again, secure the loops by passing the thread beneath the cord and into the loops. Tie this thread at the same position where you passed it into the second signature as shown in figure 223. Pick up the loose strands of the colored thread and tie it to the thread you just worked with. Proceed in the same manner; keep winding the threads around the cord until it is completely covered as shown in figure 224. Tie both the loose ends at the other end into the knot to secure your work, and cut off the tails. Now view your work; if you were neat and followed the technique exactly like given, no part of the cord would be visible and the ends of the headband would be aligned with the hinges. Just like with other binding techniques, headbanding requires sufficient practice. Until you do this, you would never be able to achieve a neat appearance. [support-website] Additional Resources A fantastic Step by Step Colour Tutorial on Making Headbands by Nat @ From Hell to Breakfast A good video and description of sewing a headband by Bookbinder’s Chronicle Another good headband tutorial on V for Books (tumblr blog) Edge Guilding and Sewing a Faux Headband – Bookbinding.com A little post with some good info on Endbands @ Badger and Chirp A collection of headband photos on Pinterest Monastic Endband Tutorial with some good photos Please Support us on Patreon! The minimum level of contribution is only $1 per month. Pledges received from our patrons cover the editing services for our bookish podcast! Moreover, starting with the pledge level of $3, you will get a digitized vintage book about bookbinding, book history, or book arts each month from us! 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Look what I made from scratch: a book! Last summer I took a course in bookmaking with Chicago’s Spudnik Press and I’m using the cold and quiet months of winter to re-indulge in this craft during my free time. For Christmas my sister bought me a bookmaking kit from Hollander’s, which is a famous company […]