John Francis Dean - My First Mentor and Inspiration

Yesterday, I learned of the passing of John Francis Dean (2/11/1936  -  2/29/2024). Looking back, John probably had the greatest impact on me in the conservation and preservation field. I shared some of my experiences with him in a post here several years ago.

After emigrating from Great Britain to the United States in 1969, John F. Dean managed the preservation program at the Newberry Library before establishing the apprentice training and conservation program at the Johns Hopkins University in 1975. He went to Cornell University in 1985 to establish and develop the Department of Preservation and Conservation. He is widely recognized as one of the major proponents of preservation programs at academic libraries and was the 2003 recipient of the American Library Association’s prestigious Paul Banks and Carolyn Harris Preservation Award. A thread throughout his career arc is David Stam who as as Director of the Newberry Library brought him to the U.S., then as Director of the Library at Johns Hopkins brought him there. They remained life-long friends until David's passing last February. David was University Librarian at Syracuse when I arrived there ...

John Dean (2nd from left) with Yoko Sampson demonstrating
during one of the frequent tours he gave of the program at
Johns Hopkins. The image is undated, but could have been during my time.
Image from the Johns Hopkins University graphic and pictorial collection. 

I was introduced to John at the start of my freshman year at Johns Hopkins in 1981. Like many students, I needed a work-study job, and being a faculty brat my parents knew the campus options well… So, “son, the library hires a lot of students… Shelving books is boring, but there’s this Englishman in the basement who has a book conservation program and manages preservation…” Sounded interesting, went down, talked to John Dean, and got the job. That experience, and all the people who worked there changed my ideas, interests, and goals. This was a fully developed program with circulating collections repair and rehousing (my job, largely), rare book, and paper conservation. They also managed the library binding program that was substantial in those pre e-journal days…

I was put to work learning how to repair the heavily used books from the circulating collections, make basic enclosures for brittle items, clean stacks, … Because of the nature of the program John created at Johns Hopkins, I was exposed to all levels of work, something that deeply intrigued me so that when I wasn’t training for bike racing or studying, I also volunteered with the paper conservator, and just observed the goings on. John encouraged this interest by inviting me to observe presenters brought in like Tini Miura, exposing me to other aspects of the field. Knowing that I was a semester ahead, he encouraged me to take an internship in Germany to see what impact that experience might have - That experience led me to apprentice there after graduation and then experience my own sort of journeyman years.

John F. Dean striking a pose while at Cornell.

In 1993, I began work as a rare book conservator at Cornell where I was reunited with John. He had left Johns Hopkins in 1985 to start the conservation and preservation program there. While Cornell did not have the apprenticeship program, it was a very broad and comprehensive program that included commercial binding, circulating book repair, box making, special collections conservation in books and paper, and reformatting that included the then nascent digitization. Thanks to that exposure, I developed a far greater understanding of the complexities of the field and how they all interconnected. This was quite different from single item treatment in a private practice where those interconnected parts were not always obvious. Like at Johns Hopkins, the program he created was very active in the training of other professionals through internships and workshops. It was one of those interns, Marty Hanson who was the Preservation Administrator at Syracuse, and who later lured me away from Cornell to establish "my own" conservation lab while earning my MLS. The ultimate work-study job. John was also very involved internationally, especially in Southeast and East Asia so that interns from there were not uncommon either. He was also very successful in sponsoring and supporting consortial preservation efforts. John "retired" from Cornell in 2005.

John Dean and I getting ready at the inaugural
Brodsky Lecture in 2005.
Photo: Steve Sartori, SU Photo and Imaging Center.

In 2005 I was fortunate to be able to help create and then lead the Brodsky Series for Advancement of Library Conservation at Syracuse University Library. It was only natural that John was invited to be the first speaker on the topic of Conservation and Preservation in the Digital Age. From my introduction at the inaugural lecture:

John Dean our speaker for this afternoon’s inaugural event will speak on “Conservation and Preservation in the Digital Age,” a topic he is uniquely qualified to speak on as a result of his leadership in such activities at Cornell. John Dean is Cornell University's Preservation and Conservation Librarian.  He received his City and Guilds of London Institute medal in bookbinding in 1956, a Master of Arts degree in Library Science from the University of Chicago in 1975, and a Master of Liberal Arts degree in the History of Science from the Johns Hopkins University in 1981.  Following his six years apprenticeship, Dean established and lead four major preservation programs beginning in 1960, at the Manchester Central Research Library (England), the Newberry Library (Chicago), the Johns Hopkins University Library (Baltimore), and, since 1985, Cornell University Library.  He is author of several works on conservation and preservation management, has taught conservation and preservation management at the University of Maryland, Syracuse University, the University of Alabama, and the State University of New York at Albany, and is a member of several national and international preservation committees.

It was John Dean who introduced me to the field when I was a work-study student in the conservation lab at Johns Hopkins, urged me to go to Germany to apprentice as a bookbinder, and has been a true mentor and friend. I can think of no one more appropriate to inaugurate this series.

John's lecture can be viewed and downloaded here. He speaks about his own training starting on page 7 of the transcript.

With John at the memorial gathering for David Stam at the end of April 2023.
Despite the best intentions, it was the last time I was able to see John. 

John, thank you for everything over these decades. You and your program saved me while in college, and you were the best mentor and role model I could have hoped for as an academic library conservation and preservation professional.

Rest in Peace

See the obituary here.

Addendum: May 4, 2024

Display from the memorial celebration for John held at
The Kendall in Ithaca, NY. It was good to be able to say goodbye
with his family and friends and colleagues from Johns Hopkins 
and Cornell. Many fond memories were shared that showed the 
the profound and meaningful impact he had on the people around him
whether personal or professional.
There was often no separation between the two.

Dietmar Klein - The Passing of my Meister

It was with sadness that I took notice today of the passing of Dietmar Klein 10/14/1943 - 2/22/2024), the bookbinding Meister I apprenticed under, in posts shared on social media. As almost always happens in moments like this, one reflects on the impact of that person on ones life, and in this case career. 

Working in the Conservation and Preservation as a work-study student while at Johns Hopkins and then interning at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg inspired me to embrace bookbinding and conservation as a career. As my time as a college student was winding down, I escaped campus (and some exams) to interview at the three binderies in Germany that responded to my query about apprenticing. Ones of those was the Kunstbuchbinderei Dietmar Klein located in Künstlersiedlung Halfmannshof, an artists' colony in the heart of Germany's industrial heartland of the Ruhr Valley. that alone was enough to entice me to accept their offer to apprentice. I described the adventure of getting there, and my experiences as an apprentice in "The Ponderings of a Bookbinding Student- Part 2".

Me between my Meister Dietmar Klein and his wife Regina Klein
at my Lossprechung in July of 1987. The Lossprechung marked
the successful completion of my apprenticeship. Frau Klein would
receive her Meister shortly after.

I came into this apprenticeship older than the average apprentice at the time, with direct experiences in the field, and from a different culture (even though I was German, I grew up and studied in the US). While these experiences, especially working in binding and conservation helped me hit the ground faster, they could also be a kind of liability as I was not the clean slate that one often desires with apprentices, leading to friction. But, as I was often reminded, "the apprentice is always in the wrong, the Meister in the right, and on the off chance the apprentice might have been right, they were still in the wrong." As someone else told me, "Lehrjahre sind keine Herrenjahre" ( "Learning years are not earning years" i.e. one starts on the very bottom rung in every respect ). Having the proclivities to get ahead of myself didn't help either. In something I came to regret later, my apprenticeship was shortened from 3 years to 2 based on those previous experiences. I also only experienced 1 year of Berufsschule (trade school) rather than 3 based on my age and education. It was what it was, as we say today. 

The whole crew in my final year: Me, the other apprentice Nicole,
the Meister, and the Gesellin (soon to be Meisterin).
Photo: Ruhr Nachrichten, 9 December,1986.

In the end, I passed my Gesellenprüfung (journeyman's' exam) and was given this advice from the Meister - "now you can set about to prove that you are better than your exam results, a better situation than turning out to be a disappointment after". A long career in various roles has taught me that this is so very right. As an apprentice I focused on the essentials of the work, but was exposed to so much more in those special jobs that came into the shop. Our bread and butter was large batches of 100+ journal volumes/week that we bound for regional municipal, corporate, medical, legal libraries. We also did repair and rebind work for individuals, as well as special commissions such as presentation bindings, guest books, fine bindings, and restoration work. As an apprentice, I was regularly tasked with contributing to that work as my experiences allowed including disbinding, sewing, forwarding, ... Gold tooling and finishing were not part of that, but in a small shop like ours with 3-4 people doing the work, there was ample opportunity to "steal with the eyes" by observing and keeping notes. 

The skill that I came to most appreciate was the ability to "work", by which I mean the ability to look at a job (1 volume or 100), see what was needed, organize that work, and complete it without losing track of the process. Through that repetition I also learned to internalize so many processes that they became second nature. I could think about the next step (or other projects and things) while working on what was at hand and didn't need to think about how to fold that end sheet, sew that book, make those cases, stamp titles, ... It also allowed me to focus on the details. While my work as an apprentice was essentially library binding by hand, those organizational skills scaled up for special collections conservation work and everything in between. Even now, when I no longer bind or conserve in my day job (and I haven't done any binding in a year and a half) those experiences allow me to jump right back in, albeit at a slower pace (for lots of reasons).

The Meister in his happy place doing gold finishing.

Following my apprenticeship I headed to Ascona, then back to the US and lost touch with the Kleins. On my "honeymoon" in Germany as I was driving between relatives, I saw the exit that lead to the Halfmannshof where the Kunstbuchbinderei was. It had been 7.5 years since I left, and I was filled with a sense of apprehension as I pulled up into the parking lot and looked towards the bindery. I got out of the car and my wife and I walked in. The Kleins were surprised to see me again and we had a good long visit. Showing the bindery to my wife brought back many memories, and when we left we promised each other to keep in touch - we still are.

Kleins visiting me at Syracuse University Libraries in 2009.
They were on a big USA trip ...
Note the Bonefolder caps we are all wearing.

In 2009, the Kleins visited me in Syracuse on their way across the USA. It was very good to see them again, and to show them the Conservation and Preservation program I was leading at Syracuse University Libraries, the kinds of work we did for the special and circulating collections, and tell them how my experiences with them helped shape me and to develop the skills I needed to complete and mange the work, as well as teach students and work-study students.

Thank you Herr Klein for all that you taught me. You helped me become who I am (and prove that I was better than my apprenticeship grade).

His family are in my thoughts.

Rest in peace | Ruhe in Frieden

An article (in German) about his life and work can be found in the WAZ.

Maria Lühr and a Stool

CREATIVE FEMALE HANDS

Miss Master Bookbinder

As in so many professions dominated by men alone, women have also turned to bookbinding. In the workshop of Maria Lühr, Berlin, where only female hands exercise the craft, artistic and tasteful book bindings are created under the direction and the own hands of this woman.

The products of this unique female bookbinding workshop will soon be shown in America as part of an exhibition of German women craftsmen in St. Louis and Chicago.

Apprentices inserting the books into the hand press for "backing" and placing the finished books into the standing press.

Copyright by Presse-Photo G.M.B.H.
Berlin SW. 38 -- Wilhelmstr. 130

Apprentices inserting the books into the hand press for "pressing"
and placing the finished books into the standing press.

Also seen at far left is the "forgotten Bauhaus stool" manufactured
by Rowac in Chemnitz", Germany.

Schaffende Frauenhände

Fräulein Buchbindermeister

Wie in so vielen vom Manne allein beherrschten Berufen, hat sich die Frau auch dem Buchbinderhandwerk zugewardt. In der Werkstatt von Maria Lühr, Berlin, in der nur weibliche Hände das Handwerk ausüben, entsehen unter der Leitung und den eigenen Händen dieser Frau künstlerische und geschmackvolle Bucheinbande.

Die Erzeugnisse dieser wohl einzig dastehenden weiblichen Buchbinderwerkstatt werden demnächst in Amerika im Rahmen einer Ausstellung Deutscher Kunstgewerblerinnen in St. Louis und Chicago gezeigt werden.

Lehrlinge beim Einsetzen der Bücher in die Handpress zum "Abpressen" und Setzen der fertigen Bücher in die Stockpresse.

Copyright by Presse-Photo G.M.B.H.

Berlin SW. 38 Wilhelmstr. 130

---

The image was shared with generous permission by Alide & Dieter Amick / Rowac who are reissuing this classic stool.

The Binding of a Book, Film and Manual, 1936.

First post on bookbinding history, manuals, all the things that were usually featured on this blog since the end of 2021.

Training in the trades in Germany was very regulated and standardized with training in the apprentices bindery, comprehensive manuals, trade school and other workshops all coordinated with each other. Exams and the pieces and skills to be demonstrated were the same across the country each year as well. The intent was that binderies and the Meister knew what they could [theoretically] expect from each new journeyman with the latter expected to arrive with their tools and ready to work from day one...

Das Einbinden eines Buches (The Binding of a Book) is a very basic manual that described the construction of a Deckenband (case binding in the German (Bradelesque) tradition). As is common, lots of text with a few illustrations. What makes this text unique in my experience with the German literature is that it was published to accompany a silent film in two parts in which the steps are demonstrated. The book and film were produced by Georg Netzband (instructor for diagraming) and the Reichstelle fur den Unterrichtsfilm (National office for instructional films) in 1936.

The film was released in two parts:

• Part 1: The endpapers; sewing; sewing supports.
• Part 2: Rounding; the book cover (case). 

Part 2 begins with a history of bookbinding, but in a sign of the times concludes this history with a mention of the binding of Hitler's Mein Kampf that written on parchment, embellished with ornaments of German plants, total weight of this presentation binding, 70 pounds... It was presented to Hitler at the annual day of the trades (Handwerkertag) in 1936. The binding was depicted and described in the Archiv für Buchbinderei, 1936 (pp 46-48).

Here the complete film with both parts combined by me.

Download/read the booklet from here.   

Interesting to me the construction of the hooked endpaper. The diagram is below. Not illustrated in the video (starting at 2:12) is the attaching of the reinforcing cloth ("Shirting", a starched muslin-like fabric), the endpaper being just paper. The cloth would strengthen the joint and connection though... The "fliegender Falz" a "guard" is used to attach the case to the textblock before putting down the pastedowns.

The endpaper construction.

After folding, and the sawing in for the recessed cords, these endpapers get hooked around the first and last sections for sewing.

Hooking the endpapers around the 1st and last sections.

After sewing and forwarding (the cords get untwisted and fanned out onto the guard - see also this post), the case gets constructed, and spine covered. In this case (pun intended) it will be a quarter binding with corners. The case then gets attached to the textblock (at 19:37) by way of the "fliegender Falz". This ensures that everything fits before attaching corners covering sides, and putting down the pastedowns.

Gluing out the guard to adhere the case. Note the frayed out cords.

In many respects, the steps and techniques demonstrated and described go back to the 18th/19th century roots of this structure as it would have been applied by the trade. The completed book can be as utilitarian or fancied up as desired.

I presented a hands-on workshop for the University of Iowa Libraries and Center for the Book at the end of September on this topic and will be transforming my workshop handout with comprehensive review of the literature into an article for the Guild of Book Workers Journal over the course of this year. Everything is mostly there, but loose ends to connect...

Down The Rabbit Holes For The William Anthony Conservation Lecture Series

Join me as I jump into some of my addictive, all-consuming, and yet, sustaining rabbit holes in Down the Rabbit Hole: Embracing experience and serendipity in a life of research, binding practice, and publishing, part of the William Anthony Conservation Lecture Series. 

The lecture will be at 6:00 CST on September 30, the workshop for students of the Center for the Book and staff of the Conservation and Collections Care Department  on the "Ur"-Bradel binding will be on October 1st and 2nd.

View the recording on the University of Iowa Libraries' YouTube Channel below or via this link. Lecture slides with notes can be downloaded here.

Below the adverts for the event.

For more information on the lecture, see the William Anthony Conservation Lecture Series page at the University of Iowa Libraries, or the events calendar.

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Hope to see some of you there.

Textbook for Trade School Apprentices

Just received Der Fachunterricht der schmückenden Berufe, Buchbinder (1927) by Beyer u. Weißenmüller. It was written to accompany the instruction apprentices would receive in trade school,  supplementing what they would learn in their binderies. This specific manual was written for those in more remote, less resource rich areas, away from the major urban centers.

Professional Instruction for the Decorative
Trades - Bookbinding

Title page.

A note to the reader.

The exercises in this little volume should be solved by you independently. Given your practical experiences and knowledge, this should not be difficult. The trade specific descriptions are there to supplement what you know, and serve as encouragement to continue on and experiment, even outside of school. 

See also my post on "designing spines". 

How to draw ellipses. Always need to have a chapter
on drawing shapes, including geometric solids...

Design template for different binding types, from
stiffened paper to "better" quarter cloth. The template
suggests proportions, and thinking about
where what materials and colors are used.

Letterform basics...

Type, letter spacing, kerning.

Placing a title on cover and spine.

Experimenting with color and placement
on the binding.

Base color and the addition and lightening
with white. Now try this with other colors.
The colors are hand-painted in.

Edge treatments: Solid, sprinkled, marbled.
Note the variants. As before, experiment...

Tipped-in paste paper swatches.

More tip-ins, this time sprinkled papers.

Combining the elements: Edge treatment,
covering paper, and end paper.

Stiffened paper binding with a label.
Cloth spine with decorative paper sides.

Quarter cloth with cloth spine, marbled paper
sides, uncolored edges, and end paper.

Another quarter cloth with different color
combinations.

As apprentices left school at a young age
(early teens), they continued to receive
instruction in citizenship and social studies.

Attracting Women to the Bookbinding Trade

Another recent acquisition, Die Buchbinderin, #5 in the series Die Frau im Handwerk (Women in the Trades). The pamphlet was written by Agnes Richter, herself a Buchbindermeisterin, and published with permission of the Soviet military administration in 1949. 

In short it outlines the trade and apprenticeship in the way it would have been introduced and experienced by Babette/Bärbel.

Cover showing the seals of the trades in the series.
See the last image for the other publications in the series.

The series was written for all women thinking about starting a
career in the trades, other trade Meister, the Guilds, etc.

The authors' forward

Forward: This small pamphlet is particularly written for those women and girls deciding what trade and career to choose. I want to introduce a trade to them, one that has always employed women, but is particularly encouraging them formally learn the trade.

I want to describe the bookbinding trade and all of its varied facets so that girls leaving school and women contemplating a new career are filly informed about the work, apprenticeship, the exams, and opportunities for advancement.

I would be delighted if this publication helped career guidance counselors and supports the trade unins in their work. They could bring eager and interested future binders to the trade.

To those in the trade, I ask you to share your critiques so that I can update and improve this publication.

To those that helped finding illustrations and other documentation, my heartfelt thanks.

Schönbeck/Elbe, fall, 1948.

The author

Some statistics from Die Buchbinderin.
The years 1939 and 1942 are being compared.

In 1939 there were 7697 binderies in the trade, in 1942, 5498.

The table above shows how those working in these binderies were represented by type. Left column: Bindery owners, family members as "helpers", salaried staff, journeymen, apprentices, workers, totals. Top row: ["type"], [year], male total, male %, female total, female %, trade average %.

1939 and 1942 are interesting years to compare. In 1939 the war in Europe had really started, and by the end of 1942 the outcome would become much clearer. How much of the decline in binderies and males can be attributed to being closed, bombed out, drafted for the front, ...? The increase in females partially also to replace males lost, like Rosie the Riveter. Based on the print run figures in some of my earlier copies of Der Buchbinderlehrling, a comparison between pre-1929 (let's say 1927) and some time in the early 50s would have given a better sense, but that would be after this pamphlet came out. The Buchbinderlehrling would definitely have been required reading for apprentices represented in the date range of the table.

Binding by Maria Lühr (in German with pictures), first
Buchbindermeisterin in Germany. Lühr got her start with
W. Collin in Berlin and studied with Cobden-Sanderson, among others.
She also wrote the introduction to the 2nd German edition of Cockerell's
Bookbinding and the Care of Books (1925).

Bookbinder working on a folding machine.

Apprentices making cases for books.

The Meisterin checking the work of the apprentices.

From the author's conclusion

In her conclusion, the author offers practical suggestions about the career prospects and options for a master bookbinder. Among these other paper-based trades, work in libraries and archives, in conjunction with a small paper goods store. In the case of the latter, this would ideally be with the binder's husband or someone else who could run the store so that the binder could focus on the actual binding work.

She also responds to the often asked question of why invest in the training of women through to their master's certificate if they are likely to leave the trade to get married to focus on raising a family and managing a household. In her answer she points out that the number of women who will find husbands after the lost war (remember this was written in 1949) is substantially lower, and that as a result of labor shortages women will still be needed to contribute to a family's income, even in the best of circumstances. These women will be glad that they will be able to continue in their chosen careers and not have to take in odd work-from-home piecework. Yes, a portion of these women will leave the trade, but there are also plenty of men who do the same and were thus lost to the trade. 

So, for those that stick with it and practice their trade and craft to the highest standards, there will always be opportunities.

The list of other publications in the Series.
#1 a general introduction; #2, the potter; #3, the glassblower;
#4 the spinner and weaver; # 5 the bookbinder. The list of those in preparation
is quite representative of the trades learned by men and women.

Now, in the 21^st century the tables have flipped and women represent the majority of those learning and working as bookbinders (and conservators). At the same time, the numbers of binderies and available positions have contracted greatly due to any number of changes. On the positive side, the number of people practicing the books arts and number of learning opportunities has been increasing for decades. Those experiences cannot be compared to the traditional trade apprenticeships, schools, and overall situation described in Die Buchbinderin and publications like the Buchbinderlehrling and its successor Das Falzbein that ceased publication in 1960... I still need to write up a summary like I did for the Buchbinderlehrling.

Visit to a Hand Bindery in Trier - Buchbinderei Mohr

Was searching YouTube for some bindery videos from Germany and came across this one from the Buchbinderei Franz Mohr in Trier, Germany. The Buchbinderei was founded in 1864 (via Archive.org), and was stop 1 on my apprenticeship interview tour in May 1985. The location was very convenient as I flew into Luxembourg from Baltimore... Trier has an incredibly rich history.

The Buchbinderei Mohr as I saw it in May 1985.

View in same direction from the video.

Device for fan gluing (Klebebindung, aka Lubecken) that starts at 2:08. It appears to be the same
as being used [by the Geselle?] in the foreground of the first image.

Here the video that shows the steps of case binding journals and periodicals for town, municipal, medical, law, ... Below the full video.

I did not end up apprenticing there, but it was the hand-bindery the other two I visited were compared to in terms of the type of work completed and overall atmosphere.

Sushi and a Philosophy of Craft

Saw Jiro Dreams of Sushi last night, amazing food porn that was filled with thoughts about how we learn and master a craft, apprenticeship, and how to sustain what is a lifelong journey. The clip below kind of laid that all out in the kind brutally honest wisdom only a true master could pass on.

One of the terms often referred to is "shokunin" a term that loosely translates to "artisan" but means so much more. The Kyoto Journal has an interesting article, "Shokunin and Devotion" that is definitely worth reading. As the master woodworker Tasio Odate said:

The Japanese word shokunin is defined by both Japanese and Japanese-English dictionaries as "craftsman’ or ‘artisan," but such a literal description does not fully express the deeper meaning. The Japanese apprentice is taught that shokunin means not only having technical skills, but also implies an attitude and social consciousness. … The shokunin has a social obligation to work his/her best for the general welfare of the people. This obligation is both spiritual and material, in that no matter what it is, the shokunin’s responsibility is to fulfill the requirement.

There is an interesting post about Odate here.

In the clip below Jiro Ono lays his philosophy out: Once you decide on your occupation, you must immerse yourself in your work. You have to fall in love with your work. Never complain about our job. You must dedicate your life to mastering your skill. That's the secret of success and is the key to being regarded honorably.

In a word, fantastic, sobering, inspiring, ... You'll also be extremely hungry during and after, and unless very lucky, highly unlikely to ever experience, especially since reservations must be made at least a year in advance...

The film is available on Hulu and Netflix, as well as YouTube.

Definitely worth watching!

A Bookbinder’s Journey 2 - Video Online

A Bookbinder’s Journey: My analog and virtual life in the book arts

48th Susan Garretson Swartzburg ’60 Memorial Book Arts Lecture
Lecturer: Peter D. Verheyen
Thursday, Oct. 17th, 2019
Wells College, Aurora, NY

Details at:
https://wellsbookartscenter.org/48th-susan-garretson-swartzburg-60-memorial-book-arts-lecturer-peter-d-verheyen/
 
Video below. Slides with notes here

A Bookbinder’s Journey 2: My analog and virtual life in the book arts

A Bookbinder’s Journey: My analog and virtual life in the book arts

48th Susan Garretson Swartzburg ’60 Memorial Book Arts Lecture
Lecturer: Peter D. Verheyen
Thursday, Oct. 17th, 2019 — 6:00 p.m.
Wells College, Aurora, NY

Details at:
https://wellsbookartscenter.org/48th-susan-garretson-swartzburg-60-memorial-book-arts-lecturer-peter-d-verheyen/

Lecture poster by Leah Mackin,
with imagery derived from fish skin.

A Bookbinder's Journey

Was very honored to have been asked to give a presentation on my career as a bookbinder with a focus on my creative (rather than conservation/preservation) work. Among the facets discussed were how my experiences and the mentorship I received as a work-study student guided me to apprentice in me “native” Germany; the materials and techniques used to craft my bindings, many of which have been exhibited throughout the US and abroad; and a recent project that ties together many of the threads of my career. In addition to slides, I brought a selection of bindings, and some of the tools and materials I use in my work for attendees to explore.

See my 4-part interview with Sarah Kim, The Ponderings of a Bookbinding Student for more about my experiences.  Slides for the presentation can be found here. Sample slides below.

A Bookbinder's Journey
Title slide
https://youtu.be/4aj-mR8XkOg

First internship

Apprenticeship and earning my chops...

The Book of Origins

Parchment from fish

Additional images from the Syracuse University Libraries' Instagram feed:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bl3kwcVl27A/

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This afternoon, our Emerging Issues Analyst Peter Verheyen shared his experiences as a bookbinder with our staff. As part of his presentation we also got a chance to view and handle a sampling of some of the beautiful books he’s crafted over the years. #BirdLibrary

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