The Art and Craft of Handmade Books

By Shereen LaPlantz

Book Overview

"A beautiful and worthwhile book." -- Next Book Please

This innovative approach to bookbinding demonstrates an array of creative techniques that elevate handmade books into extraordinary works of art. Easy-to-follow, well-illustrated directions for more than 25 patterns explain how to make seven different kinds of books with pop-up panels and pages that "explode" from the spine as well as slipcases, tassels, and other distinctive features.
The guide begins with instructions for a simple accordion-fold book. Successive projects build on methods readers have already mastered and introduce new skills, including the pamphlet stitch, ideal for photo albums and scrapbooks; tacket binding, the versatile stitch of medieval Europe; and the Coptic stitch, employed by Christians of ancient Egypt. A full-color photo gallery, with contributions from more than 60 artists, offers further inspiration for enhancing and personalizing projects by using alphabets, bestiaries, botanical illustrations, and other designs. The author includes a glossary of terms as well as information on materials and tools.

"Well-written, imaginative -- and just plain fun to read. I learned a lot about ways to make books that I never dreamed of. Ms. Laplantz is a creative genius." -- Bassocantor Reviews

"This is a gorgeous book filled with beautiful projects." -- The Sheepish Reader 'n' Writer

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486800377
• ISBN13: 9780486800370
• Release Date: July 2016
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 8.2" x 10.9"

Customer Reviews

Well written, good directions

I bought this book to get a feel for the basic small bookmaking process. It is very straightforward, with directions that seem easy to follow, and many diagrams & photographs to help guide you to a finished product. It has some beginner, intermediate, and advanced projects, so essentially there is something for anybody who wants to learn about the craft of handmade books. I wouldn't recommend this for a young crafter -- it's definitely written for a person with at least a small knowledge of paper craft who is looking to expand, and the directions would be too difficult, I think, for anyone younger than high school age.

Great to get the basics and advance from there

Great for starting into book making. The majority of the projects in the book are more about folding paper to make structures but the structures in themselves make books like the accordion fold books, star books, tag books, tunnels, signatures within accordions, etc. For me this was perfect. The book starts with a glossary so you can get the vocabulary down and then starts in with techniques for sewing and scoring. The majority of projects use the accordion fold book as the basis but there are lots of varieties and terrific photos of completed projects to inspire. The instructions go step by step and also have 3-d line drawings showing you where to fold and such. The book builds from very simple booklets to more complex ones where you use the Coptic stitch to create more traditional books. I love the variety and it was just at my level to build confidence along the way as I learned the vocabulary and techniques

Five Stars All The Way

"The Art & Craft of Handmade Books: New Ideas and Innovative Technique" is such a great book on creating/making your own handmade books and journals. The book is full of amazing photographs to give ideas and inspiration, the instructions are comprehensive, and the added diagrams guide you through the process of page folding and binding stitches. All in all, this book is fantastic!

A Must Have For Sure!!

I just received this the other day and all I can say is WOW!!!I also own Cover to Cover, but I like this one just as much or better. The samples are just to die for and are very inspiring, and this book has different types of stitches and other books .If you own Cover to Cover, you need this one too!

A must have for book artists!

This book is a must have for anyone who enjoys creating handmade books. It has excellent instructions for creating books with multiple folds and intricate bindings. The diagrams are helpful in the construction of the projects. Also, the gallery pictures of books are a great inspiration. This book was worth the wait after Shereen's Cover to Cover.