A Lifelong Love of Books Became a Love of Making Them

I have always been a collector of books. I appreciated the stories they contained, but I was also drawn to books as physical objects, the materials, construction, history, and character that make each one unique.

In 2018, I sent one of my books away for repair. When it came back, I was fascinated by the work that had been done. Seeing how a damaged book could be thoughtfully repaired sparked a new curiosity:

How are books actually made? What skills, materials, and traditions make this kind of work possible?

That curiosity led me to search for bookbinding classes, and in 2019 I traveled to Telluride, Colorado, for my first course at the American Academy of Bookbinding.

I still remember walking into the classroom. The building itself was made of stone and wood, and its sense of craftsmanship was evident before the class even began. There was the smell of paper and wood, the quiet atmosphere of the workspace, and the feeling that I had stepped away from the fast-moving world of technology and into a place where I could reconnect with the maker side of myself.

A sense of peace came over me.

As I began working with the materials and creating my first projects, I realized that bookbinding was more than a hobby I wanted to try. It was a craft I wanted to invest in and continue learning for the rest of my life.

Why Bookbinding

The process of making books is deeply therapeutic for me.

Every project begins by thinking through the finished book before much of the physical work begins. There are measurements to calculate, structures to understand, materials to select, and problems to solve.

Paper, cloth, leather, thread, board, color, texture, and thickness all influence the finished result. Each material behaves differently, and each tool helps shape the work in its own way.

Bookbinding brings together precision and creativity. It involves mathematics, planning, problem-solving, visual design, working with your hands, and continually developing new skills. I find every part of that process intriguing.

At the end, those individual decisions become something tangible: a book that is useful, visually interesting, and made to last.

A Continuing Journey

Since that first class in 2019, I have continued studying bookbinding, book repair, restoration, leather work, hand titling, and traditional book structures through courses and instruction with respected schools, craftspeople, bookbinders, conservators, and restorers.

My education has included training through the American Academy of Bookbinding, North Bennet Street School, San Francisco Center for the Book, Save Your Books, and ongoing weekly instruction with bookbinder, conservator, and restorer Michael Chrisman.

Bookbinding is a craft with tremendous history and depth, and I continue to approach it as both a maker and a student. There is always another structure to explore, another material to understand, another technique to practice, and another lesson to carry into the next project.

Why Book Makers Craft

Teaching and helping people develop new skills have been important parts of my life for many years.

As I continued learning bookbinding, I saw an opportunity to bring those interests together, to create a place that could help people discover the craft, understand its foundations, and find a clearer path forward.

Book Makers Craft grew from that idea.

There are many excellent books, instructors, schools, videos, suppliers, and resources available to bookbinders. But for someone just discovering the craft, it can be difficult to understand where to begin, how the pieces fit together, and what to learn next.

BMC is being built to help make that journey more welcoming and easier to navigate.

The goal is not simply to teach someone how to complete a single project. It is to help them understand the tools, materials, structures, and decisions behind the work, so they can build a strong foundation and continue growing with confidence.

The Joy of the First Book

There is a unique reward in making something with your own hands, especially something that is useful, personal, and visually interesting.

I hope that when someone completes their first book, they feel proud of what they created. I hope they experience the satisfaction that comes from transforming simple materials into a finished object through patience, care, and their own developing skill.

Most of all, I hope they look at that first finished book and immediately begin wondering:

“What will I make next?”

That is where the journey truly begins.

Since 2019, Bob has been passionate about learning and practicing bookbinding techniques, a path of continual learning rather than a single course of study.

He has trained at the American Academy of Bookbinding in Telluride, North Bennet Street School in Boston, and the San Francisco Center for the Book, and earned a Beginner Book Repair Certification through Save Your Books. Along the way he has studied introductory and three-piece leather binding, half-leather binding, hand titling, paper and paste decoration, and conservation and restoration under instructors including Monique Lallier, Peter Geraty, Samuel Feinstein, and Renate Mesmer.

Today he continues that work with weekly instruction from Michael Chrisman, a bookbinder, conservator, and restorer, studying structure, repair, restoration, leather work, and master-level techniques. The learning is ongoing by design.