Customer Reviews

Bookbinding for Book Artists

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is excellent for a person who is interested in learning more about bookbinding, but has no practical experience. You will learn the techniques of two well-known masters of the trade, and you can do it with common household items. It requires no special tools or equipment. Also, the diagrams provided are extremely useful in illustrating each step of a particular activity. I personally was amazed at how much I could do without special equipment. This book is for people who would really like to learn more about the art of bookbinding and perhaps continue with it as a career. You will learn the terminology. You will learn how to sew or paste book bindings. You will learn how to use cloth and leather to cover your books.

We used this book in a college class I took called "Book Art". This book is written in a straightforward manner with clear and simple illustrations where needed.

Among its explanation of book binding techniques, it covers specific stitching, and has directions for making archival paste (wheat paste).

The benefit of two expert authors is that whenever they differ in techniques, they describe both and you can choose a method to fit your style.

This is the one book that all people interested in bookbinding should read. Other books are more colorful and flashy, but Kevin Smiths' Bookbinding for Book Artists is the best book on the fundamentals of bookbinding on the market today. The book is clear, concise, challenging, and creative. A beginner can understand and implement every project described, and Mr. Smith shows you how to make and, as important, how to THINK about making books simply, artfully, and beautifully.

True to the synopsis of this book, it gives full instructions in how to perform bookbinding without any special tools. This book, in spite of avoiding custom tools, gives the best treatment I have seen on techniques for leather binding. It also goes into quite a bit of depth on sewing, knocking down the spine (for rounded spines, folks), repairing old books, hinging techniques, etc. In fact, this is one of my favorite books on bookbinding and I refer to it frequently. Definitely a must have on any serious bookbinder's library shelf.

I am an art teacher and have been looking for a comprehensive text on creating books that reflect creativity. Non-Adhesive Binding has given me a great resource for my classroom as well as my personal work.

If you love attention to detail and quality finishes then this is the book for you. The focus is on the craftsmanship of bookbinding over artfulness. However Smith does suggest "arty" adaptations via photographs of one off creations by artists. A good book for advanced bookbinders.

I bought this book based on the reviews of other satisfied customers. Though it has some good information, the big problem with this book is that Mr. Smith is more interested in creating books that are art rather than books that are useful. I was (and remain) interested in creating my own hardback books, and this book takes ~400 pages to talk about the process. The other big problem I had with this book is the lack of terminology. Smythe binding is mentioned once in passing. Oversewing isn't mentioned at all. Specialty tools are described, and the information about creating a book press is useful, but everything that Mr. Smith discusses here can be found online for free.

At least this volume contains a lot of information that (I suppose) can be found in Mr. Smith's other books.

If you are an artist whose chosen medium is books, you'll love this book and should get it. If you're like me and you want a guide to creating a hardback book of your own, skip this book. Search I[...] for book binding and TJ Book Arts for "hedgehogs" to get a much faster introduction to the subject.

I had trouble finding this book before coming to Amazon. Thank you for the book, the fast service and the better than expected condition.