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AMERICAN ACADEMY OF BOOKBINDING
2008 COURSE OFFERINGS

TELLURIDE, COLORADO

Book Conservation: Treatments of Textblocks and Sewing 
April 7 – 18  |  instructor: Don Etherington
This course will introduce a number of treatments of textblocks, including washing, sizing and deacidification. Guarding signatures and repairing tears and losses using Japanese papers and heat set tissue will be demonstrated with students practicing on their own books. The second week of the course will concentrate on various methods of sewing. This will include link stitch and sewing on single and double cords using herringbone or “all along” sewing. Sewing using a concertina guard will be practiced. Various styles of endpapers will be constructed and attached to the sewn textblocks.

Students should bring at least three books in need of textblock treatment, mending, sewing, and end paper attachment plus two others for sewing and end paper attachment. The three books required for the treatment sessions should not be thicker than 1 inch and not larger than 12 inches high. If possible, they should have been printed before 1900. These five books will be used in the Forwarding, Covering, Finishing, and Box Making segments of the Book Conservation Diploma program.

Book Conservation: Finishing
April 21 – May 2  | instructor: Don Etherington
Students will be introduced to blind and gold tooling on leather covered practice panels. Handle letters, rolls, line pallets, and decorative tools will be used for spine and cover decoration. The class will teach techniques for the use of real gold leaf and foil. During the second week, students with completed bindings from previous conservation courses will tool their bindings in gold leaf (with some blind tooling). Leather label preparation and final polishing will be executed. The use of the stamping machine with type will also be practiced along with the use of the type holder and handle letters. This class may be repeated as desired.

 Intermediate Fine Binding
May 5 – 16  | Instructor: Monique Lallier
Students will complete two full leather bindings in this class.  Included will be the laced-in boards technique, French style embroidery end-bands, leather hinge, end papers, sunken suede leather doublures and decorated paper or leather fly leaves.  Also included during the two week session will be blind and gold tooling and leather onlays.

Students registering for this class should have completed the Introduction to Leather Binding course or must exhibit a basic knowledge of bookbinding by submitting several examples of their work.

Contemporary Decoration Techniques
May 19 – 23 or May 26 – 30 | Instructor: Hélène Jolis
Special guest artist Helene Jolis will join the American Academy of Bookbinding for two special sessions this spring for both beginners and professionals alike. Helene will instruct students on a variety of exercises designed to show a large number of different situations and the ways and sequence of work. Learning the progression of difficulties will allow students to develop not only the skill of the hand but also the precision of the eye. The objective is to lead the student to a technical understanding that will serve to stimulate creativity.

Techniques taught in this class open real possibilities to creative work in contemporary decoration. They are adapted to the needs of most designer bookbinders, without requiring costly tools investment. It is entertaining and pleasant to learn them because they are rapidly accessible. Moreover they are very rewarding for the bookbinder because they lead to a precision, finesse, a quality of work, which contribute to improve the practice of bookbinding.

Advanced fine Binding
June 2 – 13  | Instructor: Monique Lallier
In this two-week class, students will complete two full leather bindings using the laced-in boards technique.  Embroidered endbands will be made using the French style and edge-to-edge leather doublures and sunken suede doublures.  One book may have a front panel opening with onlays, inlays, blind and gold tooling, or a design developed by the student.  This class may also be used as a review of the whole program or a concentration on one particular technique in order to prepare for the diploma.

Anyone who has completed two or three years with the American Academy of Bookbinding may register for this course.  Bookbinders who have received training in other locations may submit their work in order to be accepted.  This class may also be repeated as needed.

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN

Introduction to Leather Binding
Feb. 25 – 29 & March 3 - 7 | Instructor: Monique Lallier
In this introduction to leather binding, students will learn the different steps of traditional bookbinding and lay the foundation for future fine binding and specialty courses.  Students will be introduced to sewing using a sewing frame, rounding and backing, as well as paring and applying leather to the book.  Learning to make your own headbands and, time permitting, edge decoration will also be a part of the process. The focus of the class will be on learning sound bookbinding techniques with special emphasis on working with leather. 
The class is designed to accommodate people for either a one week or a two-week session.  During the first week’s session, students will do a half leather binding and in the second week, will complete a full leather binding.  Note: Students must take the first week in order to take the second week of this course.

Restoration of Cloth & Leather Bindings
March 17 – 21  | instructor: Don Etherington
This course will cover the restoration and repair of cloth and leather bindings using the combination of Japanese paper and linen for re-backing and other repairs. Students may also complete a leather reback. Students should bring four books (two cloth and two leather) whose covers need to be repaired to work on during class. No prerequisite is required for this class. This class may be repeated as desired.

Book Conservation: Finishing
June 2 – 13  | instructor: Don Etherington
Students will be introduced to blind and gold tooling on leather covered practice panels. Handle letters, rolls, line pallets, and decorative tools will be used for spine and cover decoration. The class will teach techniques for the use of real gold leaf and foil. During the second week, students with completed bindings from previous conservation courses will tool their bindings in gold leaf (with some blind tooling). Leather label preparation and final polishing will be executed. The use of the stamping machine with type will also be practiced along with the use of the type holder and handle letters. This class may be repeated as desired.

Intermediate Fine Binding
Sept. 8 – 19  |  instructor: Monique Lallier
Students will complete two full leather bindings in this class.  Included will be the laced-in boards technique, French style embroidery end-bands, leather hinge, end papers, sunken suede leather doublures and decorated paper or leather fly leaves.  Also included during the two-week session will be blind and gold tooling and leather onlays.

Students registering for this class should have completed the Introduction to Leather Binding course or must exhibit a basic knowledge of bookbinding by submitting several examples of their work.

Fine Box Making
Sept. 22 – 26  | instructor: Monique Lallier
In this one-week class, students will be instructed on how to make two different types of fine boxes for two bound books.  The two styles, a clamshell and a modern drop spine, replace the less effective chemise and slip-case.  They are specifically designed to protect books from light, dust, and climate changes.  The boxes that will be constructed in class can be made with a variety of materials including book cloth, leather, paper, or a combination of these three elements.  Students will also learn how to modify the construction of these boxes in order to accommodate differently shaped objects.

Book Conservation: Treatments of Textblocks and Sewing
Sept. 29 – Oct.: 10  | instructor: Don Etherington
This course will introduce a number of treatments of textblocks, including washing, sizing and deacidification. Guarding signatures and repairing tears and losses using Japanese papers and heat set tissue will be demonstrated with students practicing on their own books. The second week of the course will concentrate on various methods of sewing. This will include link stitch and sewing on single and double cords using herringbone or “all along” sewing. Sewing using a concertina guard will be practiced. Various styles of endpapers will be constructed and attached to the sewn textblocks.

Students should bring at least three books in need of textblock treatment, mending, sewing, and end paper attachment plus two others for sewing and end paper attachment. The three books required for the treatment sessions should not be thicker than 1 inch and not larger than 12 inches high. If possible, they should have been printed before 1900. These five books will be used in the Forwarding, Covering, Finishing, and Box Making segments of the Book Conservation Diploma program.