Nov-Dec 2009 Newsletter

Why are book clubs like church?
Half the participants are lonely old women, the
other half are just there for the wine.
Miss a few meetings and other members make
you feel like you are going to Hell.
When opinions vary, arguments ensue.
No one's ever finished the book/The Book.
New members
A big welcome to our new members:
Mary Donald ...................... Auckland
Karyn Downs ..................... Auckland
Annette James &
Karori Arts &
Kay Klitschner .................. Crafts Inc.
Rachel Scott....................... Amberley
Roselda Stevens................. Auckland
Jasmin Taylor..................... Dunedin (rejoined)
Jill Thwaites ....................... Gore
Association of Book
Crafts (NZ) Inc
Newsletter
Management committee
President:
Vice President:
Secretary:
Treasurer:
Assistant Treasurer:
November - December 2009
David Ashman
(09) 360 4223
Roger Boud
(09) 521 3301
Lynne Melton
(09) 521 3032
Malcolm Grant
(09) 412 7258
Ann Bell
(07) 839 4044
Email: [email protected]
112a Lake Rd, Hamilton 3204
Seasons greetings
Where on earth did the year go? It seems like only yesterday I was writing
my end of year piece for the 2008 newsletter and here I am again
foraging amongst the parings for something appropriate to share as we
are propelled towards the end of 2009.
Committee members
Veronique Lautenslager
John Sansom
Joe (Megan) Horton
Con Anderson
Harry van der Vossen
Jennifer Simpson
Elizabeth Steiner
Terrie Reddish
(09)
(09)
(09)
(09)
(09)
(09)
(09)
(06)
407
473
625
818
528
827
817
870
3233
6865
1777
5055
9858
7120
6343
8040
It has been a very full year for the ABC with 20th Anniversary planning
taking off with gusto at the start of the year. A host of celebrations have
taken place up and down the country. These included a celebratory feast
in Auckland on a crisp winter’s day, among the grand old trees of Cornwall
Park. Here we sat down to a fine meal in the park’s restaurant. The
location set the stage for a memorable occasion where we had the
opportunity to catch up with old friends and meet new folk. It provided an
opportunity to acknowledge the founder members, past presidents and the
ever constant John Sansom for the dedication and energy that has
overseen the growth of the ABC to an organisation of around 300
members.
Chapter and group liaison:
Wellington:
Dunedin:
Central Otago:
Christchurch:
Northland
Brigid Grant
and Teresa Francis
Kathleen McCarthy
Robyn van Reenan
Liz Davison
and Terry Park
Veronique Lautenslager
(04) 387 3770
(04) 293 6631
(03) 487-9450
(03) 443 1810
(03) 355 0400
(03) 332 0851
(09) 407 3233
Resource Manager:
Do you want to learn to write beautifully, to fill your books with
calligraphy, flourishes and or decorative text?
We offer a yearly membership with access to a comprehensive
library.
Workshops with experienced Calligraphers
A quarterly newsletter
Classes fortnightly and much more.
Do you want more information or a contact person look on our
website: www.nzcalligraphers.co.nz, or write to: New Zealand
Calligraphers, P O Box 99-674, Newmarket, Auckland.
John Sansom, email: [email protected]
Ph (09) 473 6865, Fax (09) 473 6826
4 Alnack Place, North Shore City 0630
Correspondence:
Secretary
69B St Johns Rd, Meadowbank, Auckland 1072
Accounts:
Association of Book Crafts
(New Zealand) Incorporated
Founder and life member: John
Sansom
In this issue:
Treasurer, Ph (09) 412 7258
87 Nelson Road, Taupaki RD 2, Henderson 0782
ABC Calendar
Editor:
Websites
Terrie Reddish, Ph (06) 877 8040 email: [email protected]
P O Box 28 208, Havelock North 4157
Library news
Wazgoose
Book review
Events
Association of Book Crafts (NZ) Inc
C/- 4 Alnack Place, Torbay
North Shore City 0630, New Zealand
Workshops
Member
profile…continued
Book binding
equipment and
materials
Crossword - NEW
New members
ABC publishes this newsletter every
two
months
to
inform
and
communicate
with
Association
members. The Editor advises readers
that articles, views and advertisements
published are those of the contributors
concerned and not necessarily those of
ABC.
12 ABC Newsletter 6 November - December 2009
Our much loved newsletter has taken on a new look this year, mainly due
to Terrie’s skills, flair and enthusiasm. Thanks Terrie. It has a fresh and
appealing appearance that just makes me want to rip straight into it
(whilst exercising due care removing the Sellotape :-) I then get to read
the myriad of tips and opinions, find out what has been happening around
the regions and discover what treasures are up for sale.
The recent members’ survey to gauge interest in a newsletter name
change resulted in a vote confirming the status quo, even though there
were some creative alternative suggestions. Clearly change is not
something we are up for on this occasion. None the less change can be
beneficial and sometimes it is essential if we are to remain relevant.
Where would we be without Guttenberg and moveable type? That [then]
new technology revolutionised printing as did the Fourdrinier paper
making machine, developed in the late 18th century and ensuring plentiful
supplies of affordable paper ever since.
Recently I have been thinking about how we deliver the ABC Newsletter.
With the advancement of technology and the ever growing numbers of
members with access to the internet, it may be time to consider posting
our newsletter by email. There are a number of advantages to doing this.
It makes administration simpler, delivery is faster, full colour pictures
would be easy to include and it would be a substantial financial saving.
Of course a lot of people like to read their newsletter as a hard copy –
myself included. However that is just a matter of printing it off on a home
printer or taking it along, on a memory stick, to a local copy shop. It
would also provide the option of being ‘eco friendly’ by printing onto
recycled paper. (On the other hand you could print it onto a high grade
paper for hand binding.) These as just my thoughts and are by no means
committee policy. I imagine we will be discussing these - and any other options at some future juncture.
I have just collected a large casket like plastic crate with around 40
competition entries entombed within. Through the semi translucence of
The Jan - Feb newsletter material deadline is 24 December – Ed.
the plastic I can make out the spectral form of the
books. Each binding appears mummified, swathed
in a protective layer of tissue paper. As a first time
judge of a bookbinding competition I’m rather
excited by the prospect of getting to reveal the
contents of each small parcel. By the time you read
this Paul Taylor and I will have completed the
judging and we will announce the winners at the
Wayzgoose on November 15.
I’d like to take this opportunity to say a big thankyou to the sponsors of the 2009 Bookbinding
Competition. They have each provided a cash prize
for the 3 Categories:
Triptych Conservation Services – Novice
Covertech – Set book
Conservation Supplies – Open
Do have a look at their websites: they are easy to
find by doing a NZ Google search.
Have a wonderful Christmas and I hope that 2010 is
the best it can possibly be for you all.
Happy Christmas
David Ashman
ABC Calendar
Please send your 2010 event information to the
Editor for publication.
November 2009
Newsletter
We also have the Christmas/ end of year function.
ABC is organising it this year.
All of this is at Ferndale House on 15 November, at
11am. Ferndale House is at 830 New North Road,
Mt Albert, Auckland.
3
All you have to do is bring a plate of food to share
and $5 to cover expenses. Like last year, there will
be good food and good company. It’s really nice to
get together with the Printers, the Bookbinders, the
Calligraphers and Ex Libris, (many of whom are
members of ABC) to talk about new projects and
things achieved during the year. Maybe we will see
some of our new members too.
The entries for the competition will be displayed for
everyone to appreciate and winners of the
competition will be announced on the day.
15 – Wayzgoose
December
6
8
Nothing planned
January 2010
February
7 - 1.30pm ABC Meeting MOTAT
March
Newsletter
Wayzgoose 2009
We have the books. We have the judges. We have
the venue. We have an ABC Bookbinding
Competition.
10
13
Of course food‘s not the only reason people go to
Wayzgoose. It’s really nice to get together with
people from both the Printers and the Bookbinders,
(many of whom are members of both), and talk
about new projects and things achieved during the
year.
14
It’s nice to talk away from lectures, demonstrations
or workshops and meet other creative people. Then
of course there was the usual table of books,
leather, tools and paper for sale or for free.
16
Down
Then there were the lucky ones who won the
raffles. (What was in those bags?) 34 people signed
the visitor’s book, but there was room for more.
But there’s always next year!
Thanks again
Printers.
Jenny Simpson
7
Did you know…
10
about Sotherby’s history
12
13
An economical form of binding
2 ABC Newsletter 6 November - December 2009
1
Across
A salt used to prepare a skin for binding,
rendering it soft and white
The conspicuous broken edge on handmade
paper
A chemical such as china clay or starch,
added to paper and cloth to bulk it out
Paper, cloth or leather impressed with a
pattern or false grain
The time a hot tool is impressed in the leather
while gold or blind tooling
The sheets of paper (two or more) which
come between the cover and the sewn
sections (2 words)
An outer border on the inside or outside of a
cover, resembling lace
An heraldic term used to describe a pattern
The oldest auction house in operation is the
Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674 and the
second oldest is Uppsala Auktionskammare founded
in 1731, both Swedish. Sotheby's predecessor,
12
9
Wayzgoose, Christmas, Friendship and Food go
together. November 25 included all four, thanks to
‘The Printers’.
Newsletter
11
7
Wayzgoose 2008
Most of us made our own printed ‘badge’ and had a
laugh doing it. It’s a real novelty for the binders,
because it involves using unfamiliar equipment!
Wayzgoose was worth it just for that!
2
5
15
- Children’s Christmas card making workshop
1
4
Be prepared for a quiz, prizes and raffles. The
calligraphers are giving everyone a surprise gift too.
(If you need a lift, let us know.)
7 & 8 - Barbara Schmelzer workshops
14 & 15
MOTAT
Crossword
2
3
8
9
Answers: will be in the next newsletter – Ed.
3
4
5
6
8
10
11
14
15
16
A sheet of paper folded once to give two
leaves
A continuous plain line produced by a wheel
shaped finishing tool of the same name
Another term for end paper (2 words)
A protective covering of fabric or soft leather
A French craftsman specialising in gold tooling
Material pasted down onto the inside or a
cover board, separate from the fly leaf
a thread crossing over at the base of the head
banding core
Covering boards which are angled at the
edges for elegance (2 words)
A binding whose cover is the same size as the
sections
The cords or thongs on which sections of a
book are sewn
(How to: http://edhelper.com/crossword_free.htm)
11 ABC Newsletter 6 November - December 2009
3.7% ABV the decision to savour a second glass will
not be difficult!
a variety of peddler, who circulated such literature
as part of their stock.
Google ‘chapbooks’ (both the word and
images) to discover a whole new world!
Members may have recently had an email from John
Sansom about Saskatoon-based chapbook publisher
JackPine Press offering to hand produce chapbook
projects in limited editions of 75 copies. JackPine
Press has been set up to publish literary and artistic
book works that demonstrate a unified collaboration
of text and design.
JackPine Press calls for chapbook
proposals
Laws of Bookbinding
All customers expect the most
restoration job for less than $50.
complex
The piece of thread that you cut overlong for
sewing a thin book, to save 30 seconds
rejoining it, will get in a hopeless tangle.
The last cut you make on an expensive piece of
leather, with a paring knife that you intended to
sharpen, will rip the leather and ruin it.
Baker's, was founded in London, England on 11
March 1744 when Samuel Baker presided over the
disposal of "several hundred scarce and valuable"
books from the library of a certain Rt. Hon. Sir John
Stanley. This disposal however was not by means of
auction as the business did not seek to auction fine
arts in general until much later, their first major
success in this field being the sale of a Frans Hals
painting for 9 thousand guineas as late as 1913.
The current business dates back to 1804 when two
of the partners of the original business (Leigh and
Sotheby) left to set up their own book dealership.
Library news
JackPine Press is seeking writer-artist collaborations
that challenge the conventional notions of literary
book publishing in the genres of poetry, essay, short
fiction, graphic/art books. Proposals will be accepted
from both emerging and established writers and
artists from September 1st through November 15th,
2009.
Add to your Library holdings list two DVDs,
formally Powerpoint presentations, now in DVD
format thanks to Terry Nash.
The JackPine Press Editorial Collective provides
some editorial, artistic and technical direction, but
the primary role of the Press is to provide financial
and promotional support for the creation of
innovative book objects. JackPine artists and writers
are the creative directors of their work, overseeing
the creative direction and production from concept
to completion.
Both these slide shows feature a number of
ABC members both past and present.
Visit
www.jackpinepress.com
information.
for
www.canberrabookbinders.org.au/caterpillar.
html
Printing Cultures - Lynn Taylor 2005.
Donated by Lynn.
Endangered Species - A Collaborative
Artist Book. Donated by Yoka van Dyk.
Auckland Chapter
more
Blunt knives make blunt cuts on fingers.
If you place a cup of coffee near your work
area, you are guaranteed to spill it on your
work. There is also a direct correlation between
the value of the work and the size of the spill.
Your ABC Committee hard at it……
20 members attended the meeting on Sunday, 25th
October in our bindery at MOTAT.
Morocco Bound Vol 30 No. 1
Chapbook
A chapbook is a generic term to cover a particular
genre of pocket-sized booklet, popular from the
sixteenth through to the later part of the nineteenth
century. No exact definition can be applied.
The term chap-book was coined by bibliophiles of
the 19th century, as a variety of ephemera
(disposable printed material). It includes many
kinds of printed material, such as pamphlets,
political and religious tracts, nursery rhymes,
poetry, folk tales, children's literature and almanacs.
Where there were illustrations, they would be
popular prints. The term is derived from chapmen,
Spy Novel
In a spy novel I had just read, the hero hid a letter
in a particular statue in Washington, D.C. Since I
was in that city at the time, on a whim, I decided to
see if the statue really contained the small niche the
author had described. To my great surprise, it did -and a cellophane-wrapped letter was inside.
After a moment's hesitation, I pulled out the letter,
opened it, and burst into laughter. An unidentified
reader had penned, "Good book, wasn't it?"
10 ABC Newsletter 6 November - December 2009
Book no. 345 Painted Paper & Techniques &
Projects for Handmade books & cards by Alisa
Golden.
Book no. 346 CU Copper Connections. A book
catalogue of the Ann Bell & Margaret Mecchia
collaboration, a limited edition of 100 produced
for their Hamilton exhibition. Donated by Ann.
On line tutorials
The Canberra Craft Bookbinders have a growing
and fabulous tutorial resource on their website, for
example check out how to make an innovative
exposed spine caterpillar stitch from Keith Smith’s
book Non-Adhesive Binding, Volume 3:
A special honour was conferred on MOTAT recently:
UNESCO gave them an Asia-Pacific Heritage Award
for Culture and Heritage Conservation for their
restoration of the Western Springs Pumping Station
Beam Engine. This is a 131 year-old steam-powered
engine that pumped up to 2 million gallons of water
every day from Western Springs to central
Auckland, and is the only such engine left in the
world running on steam.
We are hosting the Wayzgoose on 15th November,
when our guests will be the Association of Hand
Printers, and also the NZ Calligraphers and Ex Libris,
an association interested in book plates. See page 2
for details of this event.
3 ABC Newsletter 6 November - December 2009
Our speaker was John Coley, an artist and art
educator, who has taught at the Christchurch
Teachers' College and has also been the Director of
the Robert McDougall Art Gallery in Christchurch.
His interest in bookbinding began when he saw an
exhibition of artists' books, leading him to bind
some blank books for his own use as travel
journals. He showed us several of these journals,
the first ones consisting of pencil sketches alone,
and the later ones artistic combinations of
watercolour
paintings
and
hand-written
commentaries. The atmosphere of the places he
visited - France, Italy, Turkey, and more - was
readily conveyed through these wonderful pages,
and our enjoyment of these books was completed
by listening to his well-told travel anecdotes. David
Ashman thanked him on behalf of all of us for his
talk.
In the morning before this meeting, Peter Goodwin
ran a mini-workshop on the Philadelphia method of
repairing books for 10 members.
are small. Some have pictures; some don't. They
are different sizes and shapes and are about
different things, but all the books are made the
same way. The books with hard covers are made
with folded pages that are held together by stitches
on the inside. The paperback books are held
together with glue. Are these the only ways to make
books? Absolutely not. “
www.makingbooks.com/booksaroundtheworl
d.shtml
For another potted history of bookbinding take a
look at:
www.answerbag.com/articles/The-Historyof-Bookbinding/bc9c1b3f-8047-02ca-57a0230a4bb11294
Polar bear joke books:
http://dianealdred.com/2008/01/12/passion
ate-about-polar-bears/
Other people’s book swaps:
www.bookbindingteam.com/2008/12/bookswap-5-preview.html
Bookbinding Class: come in, make
yourself a tome
"I need to find out Ibid's first name for my
bibliography."
"Why don't you have any books by Ibid? He's
written a lot of important stuff."
"I'm looking for information on carpal tunnel
syndrome. I think I'm having trouble with it in
my neck."
"Is the basement upstairs?" (Asked at First
Floor Reference Desk)
Take a look at Jeff Altepeter’s wonderful boxes:
www.handbookbinding.com/html/gallery.ht
ml
Books:
Get inspired by the wonderful books
www.philobiblon.com/bindorama09/
Letterpress,
books
handmade work
and
at:
'The beginning of art,' said Mr. Cobden-Sanderson
last night in his charming lecture on Bookbinding, 'is
man thinking about the universe.' He desires to give
expression to the joy and wonder that he feels at
the marvels that surround him, and invents a form
of beauty through which he utters the thought or
feeling that is in him. And bookbinding ranks
amongst the arts: 'through it a man expresses
himself.'
other
All the items on this site were written, designed,
illustrated and/or hand made by Meliors Simms.
Many of the books were letterpress printed on an
Arab platen jobber at the Te Kowhai Print Trust in
Whangarei. Every piece has a story behind it,
usually documented on Meliors’ blog, Bibliphilia
often with photos of the work in progress.
www.meliors.net
Books Around the World
Check out Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord’s article on
the history of books which starts: “When we go the
library, we see lots of books. Some are big; some
This elegant and pleasantly exaggerated exordium
preceded some very practical demonstrations. 'The
apron is the banner of the future!' exclaimed the
lecturer, and he took his coat off and put his apron
on. He spoke a little about old bindings for the
papyrus roll, about the ivory or cedar cylinders
round which old manuscripts were wound, about
the stained covers and the elaborate strings, till
binding in the modern sense began with literature in
a folded form, with literature in pages. A binding, he
pointed out, consists of two boards, originally of
wood, now of mill-board, covered with leather, silk
or velvet. The use of these boards is to protect the
'world's written wealth.' The best material is leather,
decorated with gold. The old binders used to be
4 ABC Newsletter 6 November - December 2009
Peter Jermann has written a very thoughtful study
(including useful diagrams) on fan gluing – a similar
technique to lumbecking, at:
http://temperproductions.com/Bookbinding
%20How-to/Fangluing%20Basics/fanglue.htm
Peter Charlesworth
Fore edge painting
Tanners and leather dressers
A fore-edge painting is where the page block is
fanned and an image applied to the stepped
surface. If the page edges are themselves gilded or
marbled, this results in the image disappearing
when the book is relaxed. When refanned, the
painting magically re-appears. Take a look at the
excellent
(and
‘moving’)
example
of
Martin(foredge)Frost on his website at:
www.foredgefrost.co.uk
J Hewitt and Sons are manufacturers of Bowden
book headbands and suppliers of equipment, tools,
materials and sundries for all craft bookbinding
requirements. According to their website they are a
well-established company with a 200 year history of
manufacturing the finest quality leathers for
bookbinding and leather goods production. Skin
Deep, their biannual newsletter, is packed full of
interesting items. It is worth checking out Vol 28
Autumn 2009!
To download back copies of Skin Deep:
www.hewit.com/downloads.htm
Emerson’s reply…
John Sansom wrote to Emerson’s about their
Bookbinder brew and received this response:
Thanks for your interest in our brew, which
understandably piqued your interest! Bookbinder is
one of our most popular beers.
The Beauties of Bookbinding
Author: Oscar Wilde
(Pall Mall Gazette, November 23, 1888)
www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/9890/
Boxes:
Fan gluing
J Hewitt & Sons Ltd
Book review
Websites
Ed.
Below are the notes regarding what we, and our
devotees, lovingly call "Bookie".
Cheers
The team at The Emerson Brewing Company Ltd,
Dunedin, New Zealand
Stephen Fry and the
Gutenberg Press
I was fortunate to see on TV a wonderful
documentary where Stephen Fry investigated the
story of the Gutenberg Press. Many would say that
this was the most important machine ever invented.
In the 1450s it literally changed the world as the
first mass production machine.
Stephen travels to France and Germany in search of
Johannes Gutenberg (inventor of the printing press)
and discovers his life was made more complex by
competitors and investors. He also works with a
team of craftsmen to build a working replica of
Gutenberg’s original press
www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/medieval/gutenber
g.shtml
NZ Champion Brewery of the Year – BrewNZ 2009
www.emersons.co.nz
Bookbinder
A wonderfully drinkable Kiwi interpretation of a
classic English ale style, Bookbinder Bitter is brewed
with a blend of four malts, and a combination of
two classic, Nelson-grown, European hops (Fuggles
and Saaz). Bookbinder Bitter was first created as a
one-off brew for the 1996 Victorian Fete in Oamaru,
and was named after local bookbinders Michael
O’Brien of Oamaru and David Stedman of
Dutybound in Dunedin.
The beer pours an attractive reddish brown colour,
with a cream coloured head. Bookbinder Bitter has a
sweet, perfumed, malt and hop aroma with a soft,
malty, fruity and vinous palate that is both fullflavoured and refreshing. The long, gently drying
finish will leave you craving more - and at a mere
9 ABC Newsletter 6 November - December 2009
and quickly fell apart. The next stage was the
introduction of PVA glue, and this was reasonably
successful and carried through to about the 1980s
when hot melt was invented. This has been highly
successful in dramatically reducing binding and
publishing costs, and with the introduction of
computerised machinery has done away completely
for the need of a bookbinder. Any reasonably
mechanical person, male or female, can quickly be
taught to set and run these machines. The results of
this are apparent in our bookshops where books
sales of surplus lines are being sold at bargain
basement prices, enabling us to read more and
more.
The abolition of the apprenticeship scheme about
20 years ago was a stupid error on the part of the
then government, as the only successful way of
creating tradesmen is to teach young people at an
early age when enthusiasm is paramount. I am glad
to see they have reinstated the scheme. This has
affected what is left of the commercial bookbinding
industry as there is not enough left to justify an
apprentice. What is left is a form of apprenticeship
in the ‘print finishing’ section, which is basically
folding stapling and guillotine work.
You of course are concerned about the future of
ABC, I think you have nothing to fear. ABC is
basically a collection of book artists, this in my
opinion is nothing to do with traditional
bookbinding, many forms of book art are extremely
attractive but are poorly bound and do not follow
the tradition of a well bound book, naturally I am
biased in that direction.
Reg Platt
For more information about Keith check out his
website:
www.keithsmithbooks.com
For instructions on how to make a Ferguson slipcase
see:
http://coolpalimpsest.stanford.edu/byorg/abbey/an/an
13/an13-5/an13-518.html
Instructions on how to make a sophisticated slip
case can be found at:
www.computerarts.co.uk/__data/assets/pdf
_file/569584/cap84_tut_pack.pdf
Reference Queries
The following are actual reference queries reported
by American and Canadian library reference desk
workers of various levels.
"Do you have books here?"
"Do you have a list of all the books written in
the English language?"
"Do you have a list of all the books I've ever
read?"
"I'm looking for Robert James Waller's book,
'Waltzing through Grand Rapids.'" (Actual title
wanted: "Slow Waltz in Cedar Bend.")
"Do you have that book by Rushdie: 'Satanic
Nurses'?" (Actual title: "Satanic Verses")
Keith Smith
In the July – August ABC newsletter there was a
description on how to make a slipcase. This was the
design of Keith Smith, who has been making books
since 1967. A slipcase is a removable four or five
sided box, custom made for a specific book or set
of books, normally made with an open end, leaving
the spines exposed. The book, or books, are slipped
into the case for protection.
Keith’s books range from artist books to poetry,
textbooks and dictionaries. He has made over 150
one-of-a-kind artists books, most of which are in his
own collection. Smith has published over two dozen
small editioned artists books and book-length
poems and written ten small dictionaries to aid
structure and vocabulary in his poetry. His books
with widespread distribution are his eight books-onbooks:
Structure of the Visual Book
Text in the Book Format
Five volumes of non-adhesive binding: Books
without Paste or Glue, 1 2 & 3 Section Sewings,
Exposed Spine Sewings, Smith's Sewing Single
Sheets and Quick Leather Bindings.
"Where is the reference desk?" This was asked
of a person sitting at a desk who had, hanging
above her head, a sign saying "REFERENCE
DESK"!
"I was here about three weeks ago looking at a
cookbook that cost $39.95. Do you know which
one it is?"
"Which outlets in the library are appropriate for
my hair dryer?"
"Can you tell me why so many famous Civil War
battles were fought on National Park sites?"
"Do you have any books with photographs of
dinosaurs?"
"I need a colour photograph of George
Washington [Christopher Columbus, King
Arthur, Moses, Socrates, etc.]"
"I need a photocopy of Booker T. Washington's
birth certificate."
Bookbinding for Book Artist
8 ABC Newsletter 6 November - December 2009
given forests that they might always have a supply
of the skins of wild animals; the modern binder has
to content himself with importing morocco, which is
far the best leather there is, and is very much to be
preferred to calf.
Mr. Sanderson mentioned by name a few of the
great binders such as Le Gascon, and some of the
patrons of bookbinding like the Medicis, Grolier, and
the wonderful women who so loved books that they
lent them some of the perfume and grace of their
own strange lives. However, the historical part of
the lecture was very inadequate, possibly
necessarily so through the limitations of time.
The really elaborate part of the lecture was the
practical exposition. Mr. Sanderson described and
illustrated the various processes of smoothing,
pressing, cutting, paring, and the like. He divided
bindings into two classes, the useful and the
beautiful. Among the former he reckoned paper
covers such as the French use, paper boards and
cloth boards, and half leather or calf bindings. Cloth
he disliked as a poor material, the gold on which
soon fades away. As for beautiful bindings, in them
'decoration rises into enthusiasm.'
A beautiful binding is 'a homage to genius.' It has
its ethical value, its spiritual effect. 'By doing good
work we raise life to a higher plane,' said the
lecturer, and he dwelt with loving sympathy on the
fact that a book is 'sensitive by nature,' that it is
made by a human being for a human being, that
the design must 'come from the man himself, and
express the moods of his imagination, the joy of his
soul.' There must, consequently, be no division of
labour. 'I make my own paste and enjoy doing it,'
said Mr. Sanderson as he spoke of the necessity for
the artist doing the whole work with his own hands.
But before we have really good bookbinding we
must have a social revolution. As things are now,
the worker diminished to a machine is the slave of
the employer, and the employer bloated into a
millionaire is the slave of the public, and the public
is the slave of its pet god, cheapness. The
bookbinder of the future is to be an educated man
who appreciates literature and has freedom for his
fancy and leisure for his thought.
All this is very good and sound. But in treating
bookbinding as an imaginative, expressive human
art we must confess that we think that Mr.
Sanderson made something of an error.
Bookbinding is essentially decorative, and good
decoration is far more often suggested by material
and mode of work than by any desire on the part of
the designer to tell us of his joy in the world. Hence
it comes that good decoration is always traditional.
are not primarily expressive arts; they are
impressive arts. If a man has any message for the
world he will not deliver it in a material that always
suggests and always conditions its own decoration.
The beauty of bookbinding is abstract decorative
beauty. It is not, in the first instance, a mode of
expression for a man's soul. Indeed, the danger of
all these lofty claims for handicraft is simply that
they show a desire to give crafts the province and
motive of arts such as poetry, painting and
sculpture. Such province and such motive they have
not got. Their aim is different. Between the arts that
aim at annihilating their material and the arts that
aim at glorifying it there is a wide gulf.
However, it was quite right of Mr. CobdenSanderson to extol his own art, and though he
seemed often to confuse expressive and impressive
modes of beauty, he always spoke with great
sincerity.
Next week Mr. Crane delivers the final lecture of this
admirable 'Arts and Crafts' series and, no doubt, he
will have much to say on a subject to which he has
devoted the whole of his fine artistic life. For
ourselves, we cannot help feeling that in
bookbinding art expresses primarily not the feeling
of the worker but simply itself, its own beauty, its
own wonder.
Events
29 Cu copper connections
An exhibition of artists books in Hamilton
While I cannot reprint a review for readers about
Ann Bell and Margaret Mecchia’s exhibition, I can
tell you that they sold 6 pieces and have kindly
donated one of their printed catalogues to the
Library. I did manage to get a photo of Ann’s (and
my) favourite book for the newsletter.
Ed.
On the other hand, Meliors Simms has produced a
blog on the exhibition with photos which is worth
reading:
www.meliors.net
- Monday, September 21, 2009
Where it is the expression of the individual it is
usually either false or capricious. These handicrafts
5 ABC Newsletter 6 November - December 2009
http://ampersandduck.com
Books to Hold or Let Go
Craft ACT Gallery Two: 14 May to 20 June 2009
www.craftact.org.au/exhibitions/2009EX3G2
Books to Hold or Let Go was a group bookbinding
show promoted as “a multi-faceted response to a
single gathering of pages”. Bookbinders and book
artists were given one text and produced a wide
range of both traditional and alternative bindings.
Participants came from all over the world - but
every binding had an Australian work inside it.
The textual heart of the bindings was a selection of
poems by one of Australia's best-loved poets,
Rosemary Dobson, who lives in Canberra. The
selection is a thematic meander through a lifetime's
work and preoccupations, beginning with Dobson's
piece on creative process (… the poem that exists /
will never equal the poem that does not exist), and
then inviting the reader to swing back the gate2 and
enter to read, until at last we hold the best of all
since done / and let the rest slip through. Amidst
the pages are two wood engravings by printmaker
Rosalind Atkins that act as portals leading to and
from Dobson's work. The book was designed and
printed by Canberra private press Ampersand Duck,
using letterpress printing processes and aided by a
grant from the ACT Government. The resulting
book, Poems to Hold or Let Go, was shown in
entirety around the walls of the gallery, and also in
its original edition binding which, by necessity, was
simple and functional, allowing it to be reproduced by hand - 200 times.
All the exhibition presentations of the book were
indicative of each individual binder's style and
tastes. The book sheets (the book pages, folded but
un-sewn) were offered by the printer firstly to
members of the ACT Bookbinding Guild and then to
potential exhibition participants. The design brief
was left wide open for personal interpretation.
Participants ranged from amateur and professional
binders and book artists.
Ampersand Duck is a new venture, committed to
working and interacting with the Australian - and
particularly the local - creative community. As a
movement, traditional craft bookbinding in Australia
is slowing down, mostly due to limited teaching
facilities, scarce equipment and little opportunity,
although most states have an active and dedicated
local Guild that does its best to keep the craft alive.
At the other end of the spectrum, artists' books
have developed into a bookbinding genre all of their
own, and it is blooming and thriving worldwide,
perhaps as a 'rage against the machines', a reaction
against the coldness of digitalisation and
commercial shortcuts.
All the bindings are featured in more detail at the
Ampersand Duck website, including many
statements by the binders:
and the website of an entrant:
www.leijonstedt.com/general/creativity/boo
ks-to-hold-or-let-go/
Two workshops
with Barbara Schmelzer
Readers may recall Penny Simcox’s rave review of
Barbara last workshop in the May – June newsletter.
Ed.
and hard copy files where I just put these
communications in until I can no longer avoid the
need to start creating the next newsletter.
Over the next few days I plonk all the articles,
information, photos, suggestions etc into a draft
newsletter. Then I spend a few more hours
arranging them on screen in an attempt to produce
something that looks reasonably readable. I use
Microsoft Word to produce the newsletter, typing
the first draft in red or blue and iteratively changing
it to black when I feel each article is complete.
Boxmaking
DATE: 7 November2009
TIME: 10.00am–4.00pm
PRICE: $160 (all materials, morning and afternoon
tea included)
and
This is a wonderful technique which is based on a
slit and slot method.These albums make lovely gifts
and are easy to make at home.You will learn how to
cover boards,fold,crease and cut paper and board.
Whole weekend price $280 (all materials,
morning and afternoon tea included)
For more information:
www.artsight.co.nz/artist-workshops.html
Fiona Sullivan
P 04 3862908
M 021786629
E [email protected]
From my desk….
When I took over the editorship of this newsletter,
just over a year ago, Jonathan Bennett told me that
content comes in from a variety of people and
publications and my job would be to collect it all up,
get John Sansom to proof read it, make corrections
and then send it to the publisher’s. I have
discovered that, for me, the process doesn’t quite
work as simple as it sounded.
I am extremely grateful to John Sansom, your ABC
Committee and a few special members (you know
who you are) who constantly think of things that
might be of interest to readers, and send them to
me during the month. I confess I have special email
6 ABC Newsletter 6 November - December 2009
Equipment &
materials
British & Foreign Papers "B&F" have just
developed a website and if you are interested in
what is available and in what weight and size have a
look at:
www.bfpapers.co.nz
Google
Non adhesive photo album
morning
PLEASE!
Balmoral cloth - we have a small stock of black
which is a close woven, fine cloth very suitable for
cloth jointed end papers. Also great for covering
small books. ............................ $18.50 per metre
John Sansom
We will make a simple box with lid suitable for pens,
covered in paper and bookbinding cloth. This is a
great way to start box making or improve upon your
boxmaking skills.
DATE: 8th November 2009
TIME: 10.00am–4.00pm
PRICE: $160 (all materials,
afternoon tea included)
and reply to that email survey –
Usually during the production process I realise
things like:
I don’t have permission to reproduce a
wonderful article I had hoped to include
I haven’t had a reply from the person I want to
profile
I haven’t got enough material to fill the
newsletter or I’ve electronically misplaced
something I want
I haven’t allowed enough time to complete the
newsletter in the time I would like
I have said (in the previous newsletter) I would
put something in the next newsletter and I
haven’t done my homework…………
If you have a spare moment sometime, try entering
the key words "Smells Old Books" – you’ll find the
search comes up with some interesting things and
useful links.
John Sansom
Profile
Continued this month:
Reg Platt of Kapiti
I received such an interesting range of information
and ideas from Reg that I want to share more with
you in this newsletter.
Ed.
Thank you very much to all the readers who have
taken the time to provide encouragement and
feedback to me. Like most people I need feedback
– especially corrective feedback, because it keeps
me on track. I think of it like being a rocket ship
headed for the moon, if it gets a few degrees off
track early then it will completely miss the moon.
But if it takes corrective action during the flight it
will get to the moon.
The reason I say bookbinding is a dead craft, I am
really referring to the commercial side of the
industry. The ultimate axe fell around the 1970s
with the introduction of the personal computer as
we know it today. Two trades were completely
ruined; letterpress printing & bookbinding.
Letterpress was taken over by digital and
bookbinding by the loss of account book work and
other accounting systems.
Unfortunately, I do not get corrective feedback, or
any indication of what readers want or like. So, over
the past year I have tried to include a variety of
different articles in the newsletters. During the next
couple of months I will ask John Sansom to send
out a survey so I can find out what you liked, what
you weren’t so interested in, what you’d like more
of and what else you’d like me to try. Please think
of me sitting, by myself, here in Havelock North
wondering what to put in January’s newsletter –
Machine binding had started with the introduction of
the industrial revolution but really accelerated in the
early 1900s machine sewing was in its heyday and
many huge Bibles were produced, especially in the
USA, with full leather covers heavily embossed in
gold leaf.
World war two brought another huge step onwards
with the introduction as what became known as
‘perfect binding’, really a misnomer because the
glue which at the time was a derivative from rubber
7 ABC Newsletter 6 November - December 2009