Book and Media Studies

Julia Miller's second book grew out of the experience of writing Books Will Speak Plain: A Handbook for Identifying and Describing Historical Bindings (2014), now a recognized classic text on the subject.

For 250 years after its introduction to Europe around 1600, the method of decorating paper known as marbling reigned supreme as the chief means of embellishing the fine work of hand-bookbinders.Richard J. Wolfe reconstructs the rise and fall of the craft and offers the most comprehensive account available of its history, techniques, and patterns.

Written by the doyenne of artists' books, Hedi Kyle, The Art of the Fold is a wonderful insight into the work of a truly skilled artist. The common perception of the book today is fairly straightforward: a series of pages organized around a spine and protected on either side by two covers. This format allows for easy access, storage and retrieval of information. Yet what happens when the book is stripped away of centuries of preconceptions and is allowed to reveal something else: playfulness, utility, invention?

Bookbindings: Theoretical Approaches and Practical Solutions is a collection of twelve studies encompassing considerations on bookbinding structures, practices of binders in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, as well as theoretical reflections on the cataloguing of bindings, and on the choice of conservation and restoration methods.

Tricks of the Trade considers what is not taught - but probably should be - about binding and rebinding books. Written for competent binders and knowledgeable collectors, it brings quirky but effective binding techniques out of obscurity and into the professional repertory.

This handbook combines an overview of the history of the codex with basic information about many of the materials and structures found on historical bindings. The book's focus on non-luxury bindings adds depth to an often-neglected segment of bookbinding history.

Bookmaking is one of today's fastest-growing crafts, and this on-the-page gallery presents the unlimited potential of the form, from leather-tooled covers and handmade papers to exotic bindings.

This work explains how bookbinders are an essential part of the book production cycle. Topics include a history of bookbinding, book decoration, the economics of the binding trade, and the importance of bibliographical description of binding information.

The definitive guide to making, embellishing, and repairing paper, books, and scrapbooks.

A compelling reference giving authoritative definitions of bookish terms with some 700 clear, free-hand illustrations.

This history of bookbinding in the West from the codex to the twentieth century explains how book bindings are structured and made, and gives an overview of the development of decorative techniques and artistic styles.

Out of print and virtually unobtainable for many years, this facsimile of the 1950 edition is a welcome reissue of one of the standard books on the craft of bookbinding. It deals in great detail with what used to be called the "letterpress and stationery" branches of the trade and includes sections on finishing and design.

This overview of the development of bookbinding is worthwhile both as a historical survey and as a guide to technique. Written by an expert, this book includes an examination of national styles of book decoration and the contributions of influential bookbinders.