The craft of bookbinding relies heavily on the tools we use and no one made wooden bookbinding equipment better than Frank Wiesner. Before Frank died, we talked about how we could continue to provide the quality handmade tools in this country that he had tirelessly made for so many years. Now it is my pleasure to introduce you to Matthew Dwight.

For those of you who have not been to a presentation, lecture or class with Dominic Riley, you don’t know what you’re missing. He is an outstandingly entertaining, knowleagable bookbinder and teacher. For those of you who have had the pleasure of learning whilst being entertained by Dominic I think you will enjoy this little bit of background information from him. Dominic will be presenting at the Bind19  Australian Bookbinding Conference this year and will be teaching in Sydney and in Canberra as well. You can read Dominic’s bio here. In Canberra Dominic will teach leather paring and knife sharpening, essential bookbinding skills. In Sydney you can finally learn the secrets to the traditional account binding Spring Back book, this is a five day class and will definitely be a lot of fun. Read on for a little insite into Dominics bookbinding career.Continue Reading

In Focus this week we ask Dieter Räder a few questions about his career. Dieter will be presenting at the Bind19 Conference in Sydney this October. Before the conference Dieter will be teaching in Canberra and in Sydney after the conference, click on the links to reserve your place but be quick as there are only a few spots left. In Sydney Dieter will be teaching the Edelpappband binding which is a very precise German binding using very small amounts of leather and is a terrific introduction to working with leather. Dieter is a charming teacher and an excellent binder with enormous attention to detail so this class should be brilliant! In Canberra Dieter will be teaching the Leather entry Slip Case and if you combine that with Philippa’s Chemise you will be equipped to house your best binding in the most elegant and protective fashion. I hope you enjoy getting to know a little more about Dieter in the following paragraphs. Continue Reading

This week In Focus we talk to Philippa Räder, the head of the Queen’s bindery in Windsor Castle. You can also read Philippa’s bio here. This year in conjunction with the Bind19 Australian BookbindingConference Philippa will be teaching in Sydney and in Canberra as well as presenting at the conference. I wouldn’t miss this one at the conference, if you haven’t booked your tickets get moving! If you are interested in her classes the spaces are very limited and filling up fast so be quick! Please enjoy our interview.Continue Reading

Kathy Abbott will be teaching in Sydney and in Canberra later this year when she will be speaking at the Bind19 Australian bookbinding conference. You can read Kathy’s bio here however I thought it would be fun to ask some other questions which I will ask each of the binders we feature In Focus.Continue Reading

Last time I attended the Society of Bookbinders Conference in England I had the great pleasure of sitting right between Bernard Middleton and Don Etherington. Bernard was a lovely and generous man and I was extremely saddened to hear the news of his death last week. Please read this tribute to his life and contribution to bookbinding from the Society of Bookbinders President Dominic Riley.

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