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Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, illustrations by Julian De Narvaez. Irvine, CA: Suntup Editions, 2022.
Sewn boards binding: Covered in inkjet-printed Ruscombe Mill chateau vellum paper with Fabriano Roma flexi endpapers. Bound 2026.
9 x 6 x 1 ¼”
23 x 15.5 x 3.5 cm
The protagonist’s horrific wartime experiences leave him unmoored in time, space, and reality. The book is titled both normally and inverted as the archetypal tool of his postwar profession: the optometrist’s Snellen eye chart. Numbers on the spine document years between his numerous time jumps.
Binding structure model, including templates for punching sections and for cutting and paring leather
The basic structure of a fine leather binding has changed little over the past 300 years. The text block is sewn onto supports, the spine carefully shaped, and the boards laced on. The book is covered in leather that has been precision-pared for protection, flexibility, and a sumptuous presentation.
This year’s topic is crafting a cutaway model of a full fine leather binding. The book will be covered in leather only halfway up so the construction remains visible for future reference. Features include hand-sewn endbands, champhered boards, marbled flexi endsheets with hidden cloth hinges, the “inner hinge” variation on the loose guard (found in Laura Young’s Bookbinding and Conservation by Hand), and a hollow tube on the spine.
You will find this cutaway model invaluable for teaching bookbinding or for refreshing your memory on aspects of book structure. For those who delight in the engineering aspects of binding, the binding’s visible structure will make as lovely a design as any assortment of inlays, onlays, tooling.
These models were made as demos while teaching a bookbinding workshop. They may include marks or notes made to aid students. Colors and patterns will vary. Cutaway bindings revealing structural features are sometimes available.
Leather Binding Techniques: French-ish fine binding with edge-to-edge leather doublure and suede flyleaf. In-person workshop.
12 online sessions
The basic structure of a fine leather binding has changed little over the past 300 years. The text block is sewn onto supports, the spine carefully shaped, and the boards laced on. The book is covered in leather that has been precision-pared for protection, flexibility, and a sumptuous presentation.
Students will complete one full leather binding with edge-to edge doublures, double-core multi-color sewn endbands, suede flyleaves, and champhered boards. There are many ways to execute each of the steps required to craft a full leather fine binding. For this workshop our doublures will incorporate a leather hinge rather than the hinge being part of the endsheet construction. A temporary section will reserve space in the joint and for the thickness of the doublure.
A partial list of required tools: Scharfix, spokeshave, paring knife + strop.
Note: This is a fast-paced, advanced-level workshop for students experienced with traditional binding. Prerequisites: Leather Binding I: Fundamentals, II: Raised Bands, and III: Fine Binding or equivalent. Students should be making full leather fine bindings independently, outside a workshop setting.
Pleasecontact me if you are unsure if this workshop is the right fit for your current skills, or an appropriate stretch if you're ready for your next challenge.
Workshop fee includes a supply packet including most supplies: goatskin for covering, materials for the flyleaves and doubures, sewing supports and thread, endband silk, supplies for endband cores, book board, various paper and cloth linings, and a book in sheets comparable to those available on this site.
Payment in full is due at time of registration. See FAQs for refund policy.