8th May
2009
The book binding workshop where Firman crafts his volumes
Tony Firman is a bookbinding craftsman and teacher with a workshop in North Fort Worth. I recently talked to Tony about the craft of bookbinding and classes he offers locally. The following interview tells about his work with rare and unique books, his workshop, and the craft of bookbinding.
How long have you been bookbinding?
Off and on, about 50 years.
Where and how did you learn bookbinding?
I originally studied bookbinding at a trade school in England in the late 1950s. I neglected the skill for many years, then started using it again later in life when I had accumulated a large library (thousands of books, many of them oldish) and realized that some conservation work was needed.
Is it difficult to bind books?
Conservation is not especially difficult, and doesn’t require much in the way of special tools. It helps if you are a bit “fussy”. Cleanliness and carefullness are the key points, I think. Creating a book from scratch requires some additional skills, and certainly some special tools.
When were the techniques you use originally developed, and where?
Bookbinding has been evolving for many, many centuries. The type of book we are familiar with today, with a stack of hinged pages between two covers (called a “codex”) emerged more than a thousand years ago in Europe. Originally the pages were parchment and the covers were wood, and of course the books were handwritten (manuscript) not printed. Then we got paper (which started becoming popular in the 14th century) and printing (15th century); since then we have introduced cardboard covers, signature printing, case-binding, and other techniques of mass production. While all this was going on in Europe (and later the Americas) slightly different methods were evolving in Asia and Africa. Those details are not required for modern book conservation, but they are a fascinating study in their own right, and I can certainly show examples of these other methods in my classes.
Conservation is not especially difficult, and doesn’t require much in the way of special tools. It helps if you are a bit “fussy”. Cleanliness and carefullness are the key points, I think. Creating a book from scratch requires some additional skills, and certainly some special tools.
When were the techniques you use originally developed, and where?
Bookbinding has been evolving for many, many centuries. The type of book we are familiar with today, with a stack of hinged pages between two covers (called a “codex”) emerged more than a thousand years ago in Europe. Originally the pages were parchment and the covers were wood, and of course the books were handwritten (manuscript) not printed. Then we got paper (which started becoming popular in the 14th century) and printing (15th century); since then we have introduced cardboard covers, signature printing, case-binding, and other techniques of mass production. While all this was going on in Europe (and later the Americas) slightly different methods were evolving in Asia and Africa. Those details are not required for modern book conservation, but they are a fascinating study in their own right, and I can certainly show examples of these other methods in my classes.
What tools are needed for success?
Conservation work can be done with a simple tool set. In fact, I provide one that my students can buy to get them started. It consists of a self-healing cutting mat, large and small craft knives, a steel ruler, a bone folder (the trademark tool of the bookbinder), large and small glue brushes, a couple of press boards, a couple of “tins”, and a couple of 1/8″-diameter dowels. You may not recognize the last three items. Press boards are simply small sheets of wood (about 10″x12″), laminated with melamine, used in pressing work flat under weights while glue dries. “Tins” are not made of tin any more; I use pieces of aluminum sheet, again about 10″x12″, which are used between pages to keep stray glue from getting in and sticking things together. The dowels are used to form a nice clean groove in the “hinge” of the book covers. The whole tool set costs only $75, so you see this is not an expensive hobby, especially when you consider the cost of replacing books that you can now save.
Can you bind any book you find in a store, or do you need special qualities of books?
Conservation can be applied to any book, in principle. We’ve all had old books whose covers are falling off, or the corners are battered, or the cloth is fraying on the edges. Unless the book is inherently valuable in its original form, it is fairly easy to remove the old covers and replace them with a strong new “case” that will protect the book for many years to come.
Conservation can be applied to any book, in principle. We’ve all had old books whose covers are falling off, or the corners are battered, or the cloth is fraying on the edges. Unless the book is inherently valuable in its original form, it is fairly easy to remove the old covers and replace them with a strong new “case” that will protect the book for many years to come.
Another application that has become important in recent years is rebinding paperback books. Many paperbacks these days are made to high standards. They use acid-free paper, with the pages sewn in “signatures”, just like hardbound books. The only difference is the cover. In fact, may publishers make a stack of identical text-blocks (the pages of the book), then bind some of them in paper covers, and some in hard covers. The hardcover versions then sell for about $20 more than the paperbound versions. You can buy the paperback for $20 less, then apply your own hard case for perhaps $2 or so, and provide the extra protection that paperbacks so sorely lack. When you consider that some academic paperbacks sell for $150 or more, isn’t rebinding a good investment?
How much time does it take to bind a book?
The total amount of work involved in rebinding a book is only a couple of hours. However, because it involves several steps, and each step involves glue drying, the work is usually spread over several days.
Can you tell me a bit about the courses you offer? When is the next course or courses?
Right now I am offering a basic course that introduces many of the common techniques in modern bookbinding, based on rebinding a paperback in a hard case. The course runs one full day (9am to 5pm) and is limited to four students, so everyone gets lots of personal attention. All the tools are materials required are available in the classroom, which is the room in my house used as a bindery. Students learn and practice every step of the process, and each student rebinds a book of their own. A small, highly illustrated textbook is provided for the students to take home as a reminder of the details.
Right now I am offering a basic course that introduces many of the common techniques in modern bookbinding, based on rebinding a paperback in a hard case. The course runs one full day (9am to 5pm) and is limited to four students, so everyone gets lots of personal attention. All the tools are materials required are available in the classroom, which is the room in my house used as a bindery. Students learn and practice every step of the process, and each student rebinds a book of their own. A small, highly illustrated textbook is provided for the students to take home as a reminder of the details.
Are you planning any new courses in the future?
I am currently planning new courses on designing and making your own books from scratch. Many people have something to record, or publish to a small audience. You can make a “real” book instead of a photo album, for example – this is really quite easy in these days of digital cameras, computers, and color printers. Make your own cook-books, family albums, “baby’s first year”, you name it, the opportunities are endless.
How much does it cost and what do you get as part of the instruction?
The cost for the day is $75. Students can also buy the basic tool set for another $75, although they may not need it right way, since most of the tools are quite ordinary, and many people already have them.
Follow-up courses teach rebinding hardbound books, which requires some additional skills, and making slipcases to protect books that do not require rebinding as such.
Follow-up courses teach rebinding hardbound books, which requires some additional skills, and making slipcases to protect books that do not require rebinding as such.
Do you help people create bookbinding tools?
Making books from scratch does require some special tools. But as you might imagine, these tools also go back centuries, and tend to be made of biggish pieces of wood. You can buy these tools, but they are usually quite expensive, so I have made many of my own tools over the years. (The trade school that taught me bookbinding also taught me woodwork!) I have recently been asked to teach courses on making these tools, since I have a big workshop… So I am currently developing a line of tools that can be made by people who don’t have a lot of woodworking experience, along with manuals on how to make them. I hope to announce a course on this in the next few weeks.
How can people contact you?
My website is at www.TonyFirmanBookbinding.com. And I welcome emails at TonyFirman (at) Earthlink.net.
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To answer your question, no, it wasn’t me who asked about bookbinding, but this is a great interview and it’s fantastic to feature local people with interesting crafts!