Tutor: Michael
Burke
Dates: 21-22 September 2008
Times: 10.00am - 5.00pm
Venue: Bayntun's Bindery, Bath
Fee: GBP120.00 (plus GBP30.00 materials payable on the
day)
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The traditional method of binding books in Ethiopia survived relatively unchanged for over a thousand years. It is one of the oldest methods of binding with wooden boards, was used for devotional texts, and recently inspired the sewn boards binding.
This workshop will yield a flexible non-adhesive book that opens fully. Wooden panels will be drilled and shaped to give smooth book boards. The signatures will be sewn with a linking chain stitch employing pairs of sewing stations, and the sewing will go directly into the boards to form the attachment. Thongs will be added to the boards to secure the book's closure. Although they were often left bare, the boards can also be covered in leather and have braided leather endbands for a more luxurious book. The covers can then be decorated with religious designs.
The protective case is a shoulder bag made from leather. It has a long strap that allows the owner to keep the book ready to hand. This flexible yet sturdy case will be made from only three pieces of leather, sewn together with a strong thread. The simplicity of the case elegantly complements the beauty of the Ethiopian Codex.
Michael Burke studied bookbinding with Dominic Riley and paper conservation with Karen Zukor in San Francisco. He helped to establish the bindery at the San Francisco Center for the Book, where he teaches each summer. Michael now lives in the Lake District where he teaches bookbinding at the Brewery Arts Centre in Kendal, and in recent years he has been researching the structures of ancient and medieval bindings.