Introducing the ‘commercial’ full leather binding. Essentially, this is a reinforced case binding with a built-in cloth joint, which allows for strength.
Traditional leather bindings are sewn on cords or tapes which are taken through holes in the boards, providing a mechanical attachment of the book to its cover. This is obviously the best way to construct a fine binding as it the strongest and most durable structure for books of this type.
However, in recent years binders — especially those in commercial binderies where the budget is critical — have been embracing a new approach, which is much quicker to make but still retains many of the features of a traditional leather binding.
The sections are folded, pressed and marked up in the traditional way. ‘Made’ endpapers are prepared and pressed till dry. Strong cotton joints are sewn in with the endpapers (these will form the attachment of the book to the case). The book is sewn on frayed-out hemp cords with linen thread. It is trimmed, rounded and backed, and the top edge is decorated with graphite. Simple leather headbands, which are very elegant, are attached to the spine. The spine is then lined with mull and paper and sanded smooth.
The case is made from good quality millboard and a card liner for the spine. The leather is prepared, concentrating on accurate paring (plenty of time for practice paring will be allowed). Next comes the crucial bit: the making of the leather case. This is done ‘on the book’, to ensure an accurate fit of the leather to the cover. Then the case is removed and the leather turned in, then put back on the book and headcaps shaped.
It should be noted here that making the case in this way makes for a very neat binding. Since the spine of the case has a simple card liner, it is not necessary to turn in the leather into a hollow, which many people, particularly those new to leather binding, find difficult.
Once the cover is dry, the book is opened and the cloth joints put down. The leather is trimmed out and filled in with card, and finally, the endpapers are put down and the book pressed.
This is a very useful style of binding for when the beauty of full leather is required while working to a budget, and a good introduction to binding in full leather.
Materials to Bring
Your usual bookbinding toolkit
Sharp paring knife and strop
About the Instructor
Dominic Riley (he/him) is an internationally renowned bookbinder, artist, lecturer and teacher. He has his bindery in England, from where he travels across the UK teaching and lecturing. He spends part of the year teaching in San Francisco and across the USA. His work is mostly restoration and Design Binding, for which he has won many prizes in the Designer Bookbinders competition. He was elected a Fellow of DB in 2008 and is Patron of the New Zealand Association of Book Crafts. His bindings are in collections worldwide, including the British Library, the Grolier Club in New York and the San Francisco Public Library. In 2013 he won first prize, the Sir Paul Getty Award, in the International Bookbinding Competition. Dominic is a past President of the Society of Bookbinders. Dominic and Michael Burke are co-founders of Book Camp, an immersive residential bookbinding experience which aims to teach new generations of binders.
He has taught masterclasses in the USA, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, at the Centro del Bel Libro in Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Canada.
Past Student Reviews
“Dominic is a fantastic instructor. He's kind and patient, but doesn't talk down to you. I've been making books for 10 years, and have taken other workshops (of varying quality) elsewhere, but even when Dominic covered things I'd thought I'd known inside and out, such as paper grain, I gained new info. I learned so much in this one workshop."
“Dominic is a master binder. His skill level is unsurpassed. It is a privilege to learn from him.”
Location
San Francisco Center for the Book
375 Rhode Island Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Registration Policies
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.
Workshop fee
(includes materials fee):
$770
Prerequisite:
Bookbinding Core 1-4, plus Orientation to Leather or equivalent, and some additional experience working with leather in bookbinding.
Class dates:
Monday-Friday, August 4-8, 2025
9:30 am-5:30 pm
If this workshop is full, please click this link to add your name to the waitlist. If a seat becomes available, we will contact you.