old ways 2022

i was extremely fortunate to have an opportunity to attend Jim Croft's Old Ways course in summer of 2022. my time in Santa, Idaho was filled with great people, fantastic weather, and the rarely-surpassed joy of making something completely from scratch with your own hands (and a Hollander beater, but who's counting).

below are the notes taken over 14 days. they are a bit haphazard, a bit unreadable, maybe a bit nonsensical, but will ultimately likely produce a book in due time – perhaps that is no different from the class itself. eventually, i hope that repeated creating of a sewn boards binding will help clarify the notes. for now, they will have to remain a hodgepodge.

if there's one thing i hope you take away from the notes below is what Jim was wont to say through our time there: "form follows fuck up". and indeed it does!

(n.b. there are some references to pictures, which i have not yet had time to transfer over – typing this all up took enough time as is!)

pictures

• the deer skins, doug and darryl
  

• Jim and Melody, on our last day
  

• our paper!
  

• some paper drying
  

• the finished book
  

• the house in the morning
  

• the treehouse i slept in
  

• the view from the outhouse
  

covers

• when dry fitting, make sure to put both covers on a the same time (rather than one at a time) to keep tension even.
• if covering spine with textile, rather than leather, cut fabric on the bias so that warp/weft create a diagonal

wood

• paper wrapping cedar shakes helps strengthen them
• hew off sap wood for covers
• after splitting wood, if not used right away, attach to a lattice to help keep the boards straight and also exposed to air to help with drying
• "spalting" is black rot circles in wood – pretty cool looking

curing

• weigh the stacks of wood occasionally
• when the weight stops changing, wait another year
• don't bring directly inside after cutting
• basically only 1/3 of a quarter saw piece of wood makes a board
• many trees have interlocking grain in the butt cut

splitting

• thin wants to get thinner when splitting (using a froe), so try to always split in half of the block
• ideal wood is quarter sawn straight grain - see Jim's article in Suave Mechanicals II for more info

leather

• only add paste on one side so that one can feel the other side to check if the paste has penetrated fully

insetting

• ridge right before bevel often shows
• depth approx equal thickness of brass
• amount in from spine is an aesthetic choice

[ lots of pictures, day 13 cont ]

covering

• make a template w/ boards laced in (to cut out leather), add 3/4" - 1" for turn ins
  • bigger for thicker boards
• before pegging in this is your last chance to trim down shoulders (gap check with pencil) and fix bevels
• paste flesh side and loosely cover w/ wax paper to let it soak in
  • may need to palce udner weight between boards
  • check skin side to check that the paste has soaked through intermittantly (should be cool to the touch, probably wil change color of skin)
  • may need to scrape off paste on pack if it dries
  • may need up to 4 coats and to have to rub into leather to make sure it soaks in
• place a wooden chisel in a vice and pull the part of the leather that will be the spine over the wooden chisel to stretch the leather
  • pull head to tail (i.e. leather should be stretched along where the spine will go)
• add paste on leather and then scrape off, to get old paste off (e.g. with bone tool)

what follows is a bit more imprecise than all the other impreciseness, so bare with me

• place book in finishing press
• paste (a lot!) the skin and also on the covers and end grain
• fold leather in half both ways to help align to middle on center cord
• start by definign the center cord by pullin in the skin
• continue to define cords and rolling (not pushing) leather over the hinge and on to the boards
• can define the transition between leather and board by pressing hard w/ a bone folder when pasted (can reduce about half the size)
• don't stick all of head and tail for endcap
• when you think you're done, remove from press and lay on table (e.g. when the leather is mostly flat and staying stuck on the spine)
• wrap textblock in a paper strip to keep it upright and contained
• cover should rest on table with endcap area overhanging table
• start to roll leather over end and fold (push) under spine to make endcap [img day 14 cont.]
• it helps to move the book back on to table to press in endcaps
• be conscious of (a) keeping the leather wet (dab with wet cloth) and (b) pupshing air out so the leather pastes in
• once things seem to be sticking, put back into press and re-set spine (roll out air and continue to define cords - often this includes drawing a line in the center of the cords to show it was sewn on double cords)
• now, form endcaps, on the edge of the board, push leather towards spine and push in from outside at same time, should sort of look like this [img day 14 cont.] (note indent between board and spine curve leather)
• while supporting the external side of the leather, press down on the top of the leather to flatten the endcaps to board height
  • when placing back into the finishing press to reflatten the spine, place wax paper between textblock and covers
• if everyting appears to be sticking (and if not, repaste), while still in finishing press, wrap between cords with ace bandage or something similar, to lock in the spine leather and let sit overnight (i.e. wrap all the way around the finishing press tightly)
• if you are over the cover insets, wait for it to dry, cut to size and repaste
• if you have to pause in covering, cover the leather with a wet cloth and make a tent of wax paper to keep in moisture
• the next day, wet hinge and open covers slowly towards 45 degree angle, while pressing in towards the hinge from the foreege of the cover (e.g. pressing towards the spine)
• look for bubbles in the leather as you open
• paste textile bits to board adn reclasp with waxpaper to seal
  • one side at a time and let dry at 45 degee angle
• once all dry, smooth everything out with sandpaper

formation

• aim for board < 1" than the cover
• remove the pith from the log
• aim to match thickness when planing boards
• start with #4 plane, #5 plane for close shaving
• if grain is curved down, sharpen away from downturned grain, otherwise plane will follow grain and go deep
• align plane with shoulder
• lift up to finish (feathering) – don't curve off the side
• if plane is jerking, take less (adjust blade), take slack of screw to lock in blade
• blades may not be square, so slever at top can reangle blade
• when starting to plane, position blade at an angle (for a slice action)
• usually straight line with plane is the hinge
• store planes on side or on sawdust, to avoid damaging blade
• stanley #80 scraper for smoothing faces
  • functions by going in a diagonal one way and then a diagonal the other way
• square down to ~ 1/4" from head and tail (don't trim foreedge till end)
• can hollow covers to move pressure to outside of cover (optional)

shoulder

• less than 45° angle is common due to less swell in sewing
• aim to get to 30° by forming with bonefolder alone
  • [picture of shoulder with spine, day 10]
• goal is to have spine and shoulder of textblock touch
• drill from outside in at shoulder and then offset slighlty and drill a 45° angle hole
  • start perpendicular then angle to 45°
  • [picture of drilling diagram, day 10]
  • carve a groove between (a) and (b) deep enough to fit the lace
  • can use a block plane to shape
  • should never be flat, always a roudned point
  • bevel should be a long taper
  • shoulder length should start at 1/4" and only go smaller if needed after lacing in and testing fit
  • make sure to off set holes linearlly, to reduce risk of splitting when drilling [see example, day 11]
• use a gauge of numbered drill bits to find matching size for laces

bevelling

• when doing edges, plane by meeting in the middle [diagram day 12], otherwise may chip wood/splinter at the ends
• lace in and trace the square for foredge and then plane to match
• to trim hinge, lace in and trace a pencil into gap, reduce bevel on outsie to remove excess wood

pegs

• pegs should be tapered
  • [picture day 10, pg 2]
• after pegging in, cut off with nippers, shouldn't be flush, since you'll "rivet" the ends to lock in
• example wood to use is larch

pegging in

1. place paste on cords and in inner groove
2. sew back into place
3. set up board like this [img day 14] so there is support and clearance for the peg to go through
4. make a guide hole from inside to outside w/ an awl
5. tap in a peg into that hole -- go slowly, make sure they don't hit the support
6. clip off peg on front and back of cover
7. smooth down any raised bumps
8. size board insets (not spine) w/ paste

• go head/tail holes first, then middle hole, to keep cover alignment
• if peg breaks, pare down another peg and re-peg (or half old/half new peg)

binding

• When clasped in, should be quite tight, so when unclasped, the covers "pop" open. This helps to keep pressure on the bookblock.

wooden boards

• Jim is in the camp of folding all folios of the section together - reduces air between sections, which reduces movement
• flat spine (romanesque) came before rounded (gothic), historically

nipping

• Nip sections until they can stack on top of each other without moving
  • start 1 or 2 at a time and increase number until there are good-sized bundles
• If nipping two bundles at once, nip with spines outwards

boards

(refer to Jim's article)

• quarter the wood and check for straight grain
  • different professions have different requirements for straightness -- ex. 1" of deviation in 12", 15", or 50" (for airplanes) of length
• cracks follow the grain
• split off new growth
• saw off end grain to check depth of end cracking
• wester red cedar is easy to split, though not good for boards
• birch makes good book boards, as does tree-of-heaven
• 1/4" thick for 8o/smaller, 3/8" for 4to

1) Plane board flat (to avoid cracking on edge)
2) Square board with a plane
3) Then use a square to saw off edges (leave foredge for later)

sewing

• split thread into half (ex. 12-ply to 6-ply) if necessary. high ply makes covering with leather difficult
• if split, retwist and then cover with beeswax
• string up equidistant from each other
• 2-cord books are unusualy, 3-cord is normal, 5-cord is "extra" (probably covered in goat skin/best of the best)
• [day 9, picture of sewing frame]
• traditionally space to the head is shorter than the tale [day 9 diagram]
• cord length approx. equal 2-3'' on each side + text block length
• kettle stitch should be looser than between sewing stations
  • tighten between each section since sewing on double cords lock in well between stations
• can press down behind cords to reduce swell ("very Arts & Crafty" (they're against swell))
• spine should open in an arch - if it kinks, then it's overpacked
• packed sewing: wrapping around the cords as much as needed so that no cord is seen
• [Day 9 station diagram and sewing diagram]
  1. come out in middle
  2. around back towards where you were
  3. behind both cords (above middle thread)
  4. around 2nd cord and back through original hole
  5. tighten * a good idea is to place the awl from the inside-out to show where the hole is
• Jim refers to not pre-punching holes as "hope and poke"
  • can align things afterwards
• don't forget the kettle stitch!
  • Jim's 1st section tie off:
    1) make a knot in the tail
    2) pull the tail out a bit
    3) kettle stitch around the thread between the knot and the section
    4) boom. (when I did this, it reallllly loosened the first section, so be careful)
• make sure thread around cords is TIGHT
• fray thread ends for strength
• after you're done sewing, you can still tighten loose sections: pull out thread on spire with needly and move slack towards kettle stitch
  • with loop at kettle stitch, tie upwards for a "kettle accent"
  • aka, "form follows fuckup"
  • if the cord breaks, pull out, tie on more thread, re-sew, and reattach to other end of cord
  • this might be a simpler way to tighten, if a bit more time consuming
• when preparing to fit textblock to cover, glue the 1st section slightly offset from second (e.g. towards foredge), as well as the last relative to 2nd to last – this helps guide the sections into a rounded shape.

cords

• in hemp cord, green == non-cellulose (often, thread is only surface treated)
• bad cords will degrade as you take the cover on and off to test clasps (since you must lace in fully each time)
• can wash bad cord in a boil with light smushing every 5 minutes (???)
• can probably get good cord in france or germany, not england.

• recessed cords = 19th century, transition to smooth spine

• twist cord ends into "needles" with paste – when paste gets tacky, twist tighter. the goal here is to make it easy to thread the cords through the holes in the covers.

• hang cords off edge when drying

rounding

• board pressure (and shape) should naturally round the spine
• but also will pull the shape into being, too, to help get it started
• paste the spine when it is straight and under weight
• apply multiple layers
• avoid pasting cords and hinges
• stipple – push paste into gaps between sections
• when tacky (no longer wet feeling) set between boards (don't lace in) and form shoulders
• can use a strip of tin in a section to pull it forward to align a section to the spine
• make sure to roll, not push, the section – press on part (near middle) and roll sections, then move forward towards covers
  • start near center of the spine and go head to tail, repeat a few times down centerline (towards both front and back), then repeat slightly away from center line, will push outermost sections towards shoulders
• when round, put in lying press and form to shoulders of covers – 1/3 to 1/6 a circle (Jim says closer to 1/6 is better)
• when forming shoulder, can add more paste into gaps – wait till tacky and keep making shoulder
• make sure sections are straight, esp. at cords
  • avoid wavy sections [diagram, day 11]
  • use a pointed bonefolder to work them downwards

leather

• endcap: turn in on cover behind head/tail of spine

paste

• using wheat paste for the leather
• cover with water and keep in cool room
• strain out with cheesecloth

spine lining

• using Japanese paper – spine lining not traditionally used
• between sewing sections
• ~ 1/2 cm over kettle stiches
• only cover spine
• stipple w/ stiff brush (make sure to wipe off intermitently)
• on top of the Japanese paper, we also used linen tape ("Flight-Ex"/airplane tape)
  • place tape in between sewing stations, which approx. 1" overhang on either side on to textblock, but don't paste on to textblock yet
  • press between boards overnight w/ wax paper between linen and textblock
  • make sure to align spine so it doesn't slip from being re-wetted with paste

even more perfect binding

[Picture of Paired cuts w/ hacksaw, day 1]

1. Tie thread around paired station (to secure section)
2. Stuff cracks in spine with junk paper and glue it

tools

bone

• can use a carpenter's side axe or hewing axe to do large shaping. these axes have one flat side, which help with shaping.
• must be a sharp file for bone
  • Heller or old Nicholason are good
• emo bones are good for needles
  [Picture of filing setup]

preparing bones

1. cut off joints (with a bandsaw)
2. boil - 3 days of daylight or 24hrs indoors
3. split lengthwise with bandsaw
4. shape with side axe

sandpaper

• progression is 150 - 220 - 300 - 400 - 600
• make sure to only ever sand on a flat surface
• can use a crepe eraser to clean up sandpaper

misc

• Scraper on a ball joint with a handle
• laminating food board: 2x grain one way, 1x grain the other and press w/ paste
• rope board: tar & hemp ("black board")
• Bahco saw blades are best, or buy old hacksaw blades; older steel is better
• See Day 8 for a diagram of a folding jig (from Hedi Kyle's book)
• Dritz/PyrmGroup Czech-made needles
• glass scapers can be used to finish hides
• bamboo from old JP houses are great for tools
• can repair hand drill chuck with ball point pen spring
• use smaller hand drills to reduce leverage
• "best handles" are 2nd growth white hickory

leather

• Use high quality ash and rub into hair - let sit, perhaps overnight, and then hair should be easier to remove
  • Kelly said this is because a basic (pH) mixture expands the pores for the hair folicles, making them easier to remove. it thus requires making the skin more neutral (by cleaning with water, for example)
• knot used on tightening pegs is a half-hitch + bow knot (though professional tanners have more modern/elaborate setups for stretching hides)
• avoid letting the skin dry in direct sunlight

paper

[Picture of railroad jack and post, day 2]

• after pressing, split papers into a stack, thin papers in another pile, separated by blotters (for pressing in a standing press)
• hang spurs (4-8sheets/1/4" thick - when creating the pack, it's recommended to place blotters between every 4 to help ease spur creation)
  • pinch top and bottom together so they don't unfurl when drying
  • once dry (should no longer feel cool to the touch), spurs can be pulled apart
  • while sitting, put one end of the spur between knees and pull up and out to keep tension
  • make sure to split in the middle of the spur, otherwise may risk tearing (the thin part likes to go thinner when splitting)
• if pressing/nipping paper, make sure to press under boards (something non-stick, like formica) larger than the paper, so the edges don't curl up
• burnishing can be done by rubbing a bone over the paper, while the paper is on a surface like marble. It is recommended to do a little bit of burnishing on very wrinkly pieces, as large wrinkles in the textblock will cause the wrinkles to propogate through the textblock.
• traditional (?) single sheet drying is done with marble rollers, rather than loft drying

sizing

• Can use store gelatin - 2qt water to 3 packets
• Make the mixture uncomfortably hot (but not boiling)
• Place paper in gelatin
• Set on felt (or existing stack) and press out wrinkles with another felt. Finish by flattening covering felt with large brush, such as a wallpapering brush
• press briefly in stack and then loft dry in spurs

trimming bookblock

• when using a draw knife to cut paper, cut with a slicing action, rather than a strict pulling action
• rounded foredges are done with a very sharp knife and sandpaper in a tight vice
• foredge trimming is done after rounding -- with the covers on, hang them both downward, place chopsticks/dowels through to straighten the spine, which will align the foredge
• in the Islamic tradition, trimming is done with a SWORD
• trimming of the head and tail is done with the boards off
• clamp in tight in a lying press with binders board at the shoulder (Jim used 4 laminated together and shaved down to the approx. curve of the shoulder)
  • must be larger than the book
  • and clamping must be tigher than hand tightened
• bevel side down of the draw knife allows for more control in the depth of cutting (which from experience, it is easy to gouge unsightly holes)
• can also use a block plane for finishing work

fiber processing

• dew retting: slow retting outside
• when spinning, useful to have one dry hand and one wet hand, where the wet hand is used to wet the fibers as they twist together

rag preparation

[Picture of setup, day 2]

• pull rags towards and across the blade (must be sharp - such as a hand scythe) into 1'' x 1'' squares
• soak rags for a long time in the sun - the more threadbare the rags, the better
• wash w/o soap in washing machine to help remove some detergent (reduces soap suds forming in beater)

flax preparation

• Break - clapper thing to break off outer part of flask stalk
• Scutch - continue to remove more of the outer part
• Hackle - used to pull out the short fibers (tow) so only the long fibers remain, called a strick
• Then you can spin it!

sharpening

• paper is very abrasive - dulls knives very quickly
  • especially true for plough blades
• thicker is stronger, thinner is sharper
• Find the angle using an angle finder [picture, day 3]
• thin band of light on cutting edge is an indication of rounding
  • avoid rounding!
• bevel = bezel
• sharpening in 3 words: "establish angle. polish."
• using a magnifying glass or loupe to look for scratches.
  • scratches are valleys, which make hte edge like a saw - which is coarse
• start with a fine grit sandpaper and only go coarser if needed for shaping or removing divets quicker
• electric grinding wheel can burn your blade - be careful!
• hand grinders exist, but be careful, can still burn
  • aluminum oxide stone?
  • turn towards you when using - start near top to avoid burning tip (since stone will be less hot)
  • truing up the grind stone?
  • move back and forth to avoid valleys in the stone
  • can use a grinder to clean up corrosion
  • [picture, day 3]
• hollowing is removing metal from the flat side, so there is less metal to polish. Japanese tool makers often hand hollow (e.g. on hand planes)
• don't worry about some chicps as they will often be sharpened out
• secondary bevel?
  • "automatic from stropping"
• a burr means you've sharpened to the edge
  • new steel may not turn a burr
  • use the magnifuying glass to see the grit scratches -- make sure to sand evenly across the blade (easier if switching angles of sharpening, so scratch direction is more obvious)
• angles: chisel 20, parring 13, pocke knife/whitling 15
• stropping: turn on back of blade when switching direction to avoid rounding the edge
• [picture of jim's whittling pocket knife]

brass

• a ball peen hammer is used to make the diveted look in the brass - this also serves to expand the size of the brass
• using a ball peen hammer will also curve the brass, which can be reflattened using a plastic head hammer on an anvil. The plastic head helps avoid marring the surface of the brass.
• be careful when polishing the brass, as it is possible to polish off the head of the rivet once the clasps are rivetted in. This can also be an intentional look though -- if the brass is slightly indented (a counter sink) prior to hammering in the nail, then the head can be polished off, creating a flush rivet.

hinge/hasp/clasp

• 4x diameter of pin for hinge [diagram day 12]
• 2x diameter of hook for clasp
• we used a rod that resulted in 6/16" for hinge and 3/16" for clasp, using 20-gauge rods
• half of europe has hinges on the back, half on front – where you have yours is personal preference
• open clasped books by compressing book and having gravity pull down clasps
• hinges can also be leather
• insets - cut down and chisel out slowly
• if cover is beveled, match brass to curve of bevel on the curve of an anvil
  • clamp brass to anvil
  • use a wooden chisel and hammer w/ a metal hammer to push brass down
• make brass punches out of wood (Jim uses service berry wood)
• recommended to use a brazing rod as a temporary hinge rod
• rivets are solid brass escutcheon nails
  • use a magnet: if it sticks, it's not brass
• for curved designs, nibble to line and file to finish
• ~ 3 nibbles (~ 3/4") wide is minimum width of brass

formation of parts

• Bend hinge at 180°
• put practice rod into hinge
• nip with dulled end nippers, trying to make a cricle w/o daylight
• in between hinges, file down so a flat brass will get under the rod of the practice bar [diagram day 12]

inlaying

• trace on board with awl/knife slightly into wood
• file back of brass at a slight angle so it'll sit into hte carving
• after riveting can use a wooden bunch to round brass

rivetting

• hammer down inner part of rivet to make a little head
• may need to file off burr on nail
• use an end nipper that makes ^ triangle point so it can be hammered down.
• if nipped end is not hammered in and slightly concave, paper will turn green and make a hole
• if after riveting the brass is domed (due to uneven wood in the inlay), can use a wooden punch to even things out
• Jim uses a 2oz. ball peen hammer to finish flush rivets
• bottom rivet should be on a non-beveled part of the opposite side of the cover

catches

• [picture of tools, day 13]

1. hammer in catch to shape
2. shape brass to bevel of board
3. hammer catch down to below level of board (make sure to pad the top of board and brass when clamping)
4. rivet on catches -> aim to be as close to edge as reasonable (4 rivets for square, 3 for triangle, etc.)

• Jim's order: rivet on catch, create hasp, place in hinge temp, full lace in, then check length of hasp.

• setting catch hole

• squeeze laced in book (remove air)
• mark where catch hits hasp
• drill hole - go lower, as one can always expand the hole upwards if needed
• play with it a lot to get the feel right
• hasp should pop off when the book is pressed downwards

hinge pins

• first head of the rivet is made on a block (or stack of blocks - the height of your rivet), which is a metal block with a hole drilled in the size of the rivet's diameter
• second head is made on a hinge
  • the blocks can be designed for a flush head rivet, too
  • if it gets stuck, might need to drill it out
  • using a narrow metal punch, tap out of block
• make sure to round rod to avoid accidental riveting
• when hammering, bottom out rod on anvil (e.g. block is placed on an anvil)
  • clip at 1 diameter above anvil (at minimum, can always clip more as needed)
  • flatten clipped end and then file off shoulders
• file diameter of head to match curl of hinge
• second head - flush cut 2/rd of rod diamter on hinge [image, day 13 cont.]
  • place rod into hinge
  • hit second head while 1st head is on the anvil
  • may need (esp. for a bar hinge, [img day 13 cont.]) a support between hinges so the hinge doesn't bend
  • 2nd head will be smaller than 1st head
• be very careful when hammering in 2nd head, as it a bent hinge is hard to get unstuck and as smooth as you had it before rivetting in

tools

• Nibbler (the one that Jim uses, from Acme, are no longer made, but there are similar ones from a German manufacturer on McMaster https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/128/2587)
• Brass gauge mesurer
• Glass pliers for bending brass w/o scarring it
• Brass scratch for cleaning files
• Tin snips can be used for cutting brass

alternate design

[pictures, day 14]

spoon carving

• draw spoon outline w/ water soluable pencile
• look for a natural crank if the billet has one
• try to carve as much of the spoon with the axe, e.g. should look pretty spoon like when you're done with the axe. the knife is just for fine-tuning
• be aware of grain direction! going against the grain causes those chipping/nicks/tearing.
  • [see picture at bottom of day 8 for example of grain direction]
• can carve towards or away from you
  • place spoon on chest, lock elbow to side, and pull towards you
• aim for a square blank to help identify the places where the blank is too high or lumpy (square meaning 90 degree to edge and face)

tapered dovetailed splines

[diagram on Day 9]

1. knock in spline into dovetail
2. when it stops, check where it stopped (shiny part) - on edges, not base
3. plane off and reknock-in
4. repeat 2 and 3 until it slides in all the way
5. saw off extra part

endbands

• unofficial, we kind of went off on our own on this one
• using handspun flax core and flax thread
  1. sew a long thread through the 1st section (if two colors, tie them together and thread joined thread's knot is on outside)
  2. switch needl to outside end and make a loop
  3. tighten loop w/ core in it
  4. loop other thread around the thread you just looped and around the core 2-3 times
  5. repat, alternating threads
  6. occasionally, with the thread w/ the needle (maybe after making the bead and looping) go into the center of the nearest section's kettle stich, pulling the core into place
  7. finish by thread both threads through the last section and knot off
• can use a press
• helps to put bookmarks in sections you'll want to tie into

finishing endbands

• cut core very close to fist and last loop
• paste down and slightly rivet (e.g. push core so a rivet-like head is created)

books mentioned or recommended

• Warraq: Islamic Papermaking - Aliza Thomas (article)
• Kagid: Indian Papermaking - ? (may not have been published, from Tim Barret's movie's end credits)
• Axe Handles - Gary Snyder (poetry)
• Japanese Woodworking Tools: Their Tradition, Spirit, and Use - Toshio Odate
• Hand Bookbinding - Aldren Watson (Jim's first instructional)
• Movement of the Book Spine - Tom Conroy (article)
• Collectible Hand Tools - Dominique Pascal
• Papermaking: The History and Technique of an Ancient Craft - Dard Hunter
• Archaelogy of Medieval Bookbinding - J.A. Szirmai
• Bookbinding in Early America - Hannah French
• China at Work - Rudolf P. Hommel
• 1700s books on French bookbinding:
  • Traite de la Relieure des Livres (1762/63) by Jean-Vincent Capronnier Gauffecort
  • L’art du Relieur de Livres (1772) by Rene Martin Dudin
  • Jeff Peachey on French Bookbinding
• Traditional Art of Persia - Hans Wulff
• On Board Shears - Jeff Peachey (article)
• Penland School of Handmade Books
• Identifying Wood - Bruce Hoadley
• Understanding Wood - Bruce Hoadley
• Craft of Log Building - Hermann Phleps
• A History of English Craft Bookbinding (+ 2nd/3rd Supplement) - Bruce Middleton
• Books Will Speak Plain - Julia Miller
• They Made the Paper at Tuckenhay Mill - Peter and Donna Thomas
• Dictionary of Leather-Working Tools - R. A. Salaman
• A Craftman's Guide to Edge Decoration - John Mitchell
• Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: A Dictionary of Descriptive Technology - Matt Roberts
• Eloquent Witnesses - Mirijam Foot
• Paper Before Print - Jonathan Bloom

last updated: 2024-07-22 22:15:50