Making Books by Hand: A Step-by-Step Guide [Paperback]

Mary McCarthy (Author), Phillip Manna (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2000

The craft of book-making goes back as far as the earliest times. Though the techniques are old, the art of book making seems to be growing. This is most likely due to the beauty of handmade books but also the ease with which simple books can be made. Mary McCarthy and Philip Manna provide illustrated, step-by-step instructions to lead both the beginning and experienced crafts person through twelve simple and beautiful book-making projects. With Making Books by Hand anyone can create elegant, decorative blank books, photo albums, gifts and journals that will last forever.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In an age when e-mail has encouraged a new form of letter writing, McCarthy takes it one step further--back to the era of tactile, personal handwritings. Other recent how-to books have been devoted to similar subjects, most particularly scrapbooking. So what's different? One, this is an aesthetic presentation, with step-by-step photographs for each of the dozen projects. And two, it is brimming with helpful hints, called "bits and pieces," which focus on tips gleaned from years of experience, such as the avoidance of air bubbles. And three, the showcases of experimental styles and professional works are both a delight and an inspiration. Very appealing high touch for the high-tech millennium. Barbara Jacobs --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Mary McCarthy is a self-employed book artist. Her books appear in a number of museums, college libraries, and private collections. Besides making books for her own artistic expression, whe also designs portfolios, books, and boxes for various clients. Before starting her busienss, Mary worked as a photography and visual studies teacher at Phillips Academy, Andover. She maintains her connection to education today by offering workshops and courses to anyone interested in making books by hand. She lives in Boston with her husband Philip Manna, and two children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 109 pages
• Publisher: Quarry Books (February 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564966755
• ISBN-13: 978-1564966759
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 9.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #947,636 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lacking in content, but some inspiring photos., July 17, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Making Books by Hand: A Step-by-Step Guide (Paperback)

As an experienced bookmaker, I was anxious to try some of the projects in this book. BE VERY CAUTIOUS! I found many errors in measurments in this book, which can cost you valuable paper and time! This book can be very vague about what size your papers should be and exactly how much of it you need. If you simply rely on what the author says, you may find yourself frustrated with a project that didn't work out.

Other than that, there are some nice inspirational pictures in the book, but I don't know if that justifies the purchase. So, unless you're prepared to do some serious math/measurment checking, I'd go with a book that the editors actually took time to edit.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice photos, good instruction for simple projects, May 2, 2000

By 

Angel Lee "Liocorno Amethyst Moonstone" (Cleveland, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Making Books by Hand: A Step-by-Step Guide (Paperback)

This is a great book for any beginning bookbinder. The entire book features full-color photos with easy to follow, step-by-step instructions for many simple, but beautiful and impressive looking projects.

First, materials and how to use them are covered. There are clear photos of all the materials. Then, the author demonstrates how to make corners for 3 different types of paper.

Next, instructions are given for making several accordion books, a pamphlet stitch journal with either a soft or hard cover, a tied-binding album, & a post album. Two gorgeous box books, & a scroll are also demonstrated.

There is a wonderful gallery in the back that really helped spark my creativity. Contact information on all the contributors is also included. A resource list and other suggested readings are a great bonus.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good information but the illustrated pictures are too small, October 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Making Books by Hand: A Step-By-Step Guide (Hardcover)

The information provided is informative for a beginner. However, the MAJOR drawback was that the pictures illustrating the techniques were much too small. Hence, it was difficult following the instructions cause I couldn't see exactly what the author was doing.