Workshop Fee (includes materials fee): $200
Click here to apply for a Windgate scholarship

Masks are no longer required for most workshops, though anyone is welcome to wear one if they wish.

Bookbinding Core Certificate Program

The San Francisco Center for the Book celebrates the craft and art of bookbinding. Our Bookbinding Core Certificate Program introduces students to four different binding models, leading them through the history and evolution of bookmaking.  It provides students a comprehensive foundation to delve into the practice of binding and qualifies them to rent studio time in our bindery. Core workshops must be taken sequentially.

Click here to learn more about the Bookbinding Core Certificate Program. 

Bookbinding Core 2 :: Flat-Back Case Binding

In this second Core Bookbinding class, students will create what most of us refer to as a hardbound book. In bookbinding terms, it is known as a case binding; where a sewn textblock is glued into a separate structure known as a case. Students will learn more about the mechanics of books as they build on skills from Core 1 and expand both their vocabulary and capabilities in and around the bindery.

Competencies Gained:

• Build on skills from Core 1

Knowledge:

• Mechanism and relationships of the elements of a bound book and case binding
• Bookbinding materials: threads and tapes

Skills:

• Spine gluing and lining, endsheet/flyleaves structure and application, sewing all-along

Equipment:

• Finishing press

 >> Prerequisite: Bookbinding Core 1 <<

 

Materials to Bring: None. All tools and materials will be provided. Students are also welcome to bring any of their own favorite bookbinding tools.

Date & Time: Saturday, June 15, 2024 :: 9:30am-5:30pm 

Location: 375 Rhode Island St, San Francisco, CA 94103

NOTE: Please read over the SFCB Registration Policies before signing up for a class. Registration will close approximately three days prior to the start date of the workshop to allow the instructor time to prep materials for class. We recommend you not wait to register, as workshops that don't meet our minimum enrollment will be canceled, sometimes as much as a week in advance.
 

About the Instructor | Madison Gordon (she/her)

Madison is a bookbinder living in Oakland, CA, currently working at the Key Printing & Binding and Zukor Art Conservation. She is fascinated by paper, and loves making and repairing practical, fun, accessible, and well-made structures for the use and enjoyment of the everyday people. Madison is also trained in letterpress printing and has worked previously with Small Editions in Brooklyn, NY.

Past Student Reviews:

"Madison is engaging and kind. Great instructor!"

"Madison is warm, knowledgeable, kind, upbeat, encouraging and inclusive!"

"Madison is amazing. She is a professional bookbinder and is clearly passionate about her job. It is so fun to watch her excitement when she shows a new technique she learned or when she demonstrates how a piece of equipment in the bindery can cut perfect lines etc. She dropped some snippets of tips or interesting facts of bookbinding which really elevated the experience. I feel like a whole new world opened up to me. It is so cool!"