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Artists' Books in Special Collections and Archives

Learn more about the artists' books in Special Collections and Archives

Supplies

San Luis Obispo bookmaking resources:

Art Central: http://artcentralartsupply.com/

Beverly's: https://beverlys.com/pages/san-luis-obispo-store [Beverly's closed in summer 2020]

Learning bookmaking and binding

YouTube is a great resource for teaching yourself bookmaking and binding techniques.

Here are binding techniques to explore:

  • Saddle stitch binding
  • Perfect binding
  • Case binding
  • Wire binding
  • Pamphlet binding
  • Coptic binding
  • Japanese stab binding
  • Screw post binding
  • Long-stitch binding
  • Concertina binding (aka accordion binding)
  • Dos-à-Dos binding
  • Flag binding

Bookmaking books in Special Collections

Smith, Esther K. How to Make Books (2007). Z271.S63 2007 (available in Special Collections)

Zamrzla, Erin. At home with handmade books: 28 extraordinary bookbinding projects made from ordinary and repurposed materials. 2011. Z271 .Z36 2011 (Available in the main collection and Special Collections)

Printing Resources

Letterpress printing is taught at the Shakespeare Press Museum in the Graphic Communication Department. Check out their facebook page for their open hours.

Print Like It's 1897.

Public Domain works

Do you need text or images for your book design project? Here are some places to look:

Public Domain

Creative Commons

About Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/

A starting point for finding creative commons works: https://search.creativecommons.org/