Traditional Iranian Hand Binding
A special thank you to Mr. Iraj Navidi for providing the content of this post. A Summary of the History of Iranian Traditional Hand Bookbinding Iranians learned to make paper from the Chinese, and started making paper in the city of Samarkand. Examples of Iranian paper include Samarkand, Khorasan, Tabriz
Care and Repairs for Standard Hardcovers
Many of us have personal libraries, and within those libraries the chance that we own a standard hardcover book is high. Modern case bindings (also known as hardcovers) are everywhere. These bindings are constructed from paper boards covered by a sturdy cloth or decorated paper, and the cover is generally
The 18th Century, Thomas Jefferson and Book Binding
“I am not so regular in my sleep as the Doctor (Rush) says he was, devoting to it from five to eight hours, according as my company or the book I am reading interests me; and I never go to bed without an hour or half an hour’s previous reading
Women in Book Cover Design
We recently wrote about the tedious and arduous process of hand-sewn book binding and the hard work of the young women involved. But what about the book covers themselves? We thought it might be interesting to take a look at women’s role in crafting book covers. Early book covers were
A “New and More Perfect” Conservation Lab
Benjamin Franklin wrote his own epitaph as a youth while working as a printer’s “devil” (apprentice.) We’ve paid homage to this clever metaphor before, but it is worth repeating.
Don’t Cross a Bookbinder – A Bookbinder’s Curse
In honor of National Poetry Month, a bookbinder’s curse in 10 stanzas. One wonders what “Particular Occasion” caused Mr. “Burnisher” to vent such spleen. Solemn Curse Pronounced by Ben Burnisher upon a Master Bookbinder upon a Particular Occasion May rats and mice devour your paste, Your paper, and your leather.
#ColorOurCollections 2016!
The craze for coloring books continues to grow! If you (or people you know, of any age) enjoy coloring, as I do, then you’re in for a real treat. This week, the New York Academy of Medicine is sponsoring a special collections coloring fest on social media!
box by box, the ABM library is being built!
While the museum itself is of course up and running, the library and archives here at the museum are still in process. I find myself confronted with a particular question often these days: In general, what is the difference between libraries and archives? The simple distinction is that a library
The Ruler, a Bookbinders Poem
The Ruler by Samuel O. Spaeth Down by dot Hiccough ruling machine Der bindery ruler stands. Mit six days’ viskers on his face Und ink all ofer his hands.
the Kathleen V. Roberts Collection of Decorated Publishers Bindings comes to the ABM!
The American Bookbinders Museum is thrilled to announce that we are the new (permanent) home of the Kathleen V. Roberts Collection of Decorated Publishers’ Bindings. Described by Rachel Jones of the publication Seven Days as “an expertly curated selection of bindings made by hand between 1830 and the 1950s”, this