What a wonderful excursion down a great project! A lovely, short, step-by-step brief, DIY Bookbinding by Brian Sawyer inspires the reader to attempt their own bookbinding project. Although only 32 pages in length, the author makes the process of binding together a collection of magazines into a durable hardcover tome quite approachable and achievable.
I was interested in reading this book if only to appreciate the mechanics of bookbinding and I was very satisfied with the depth of coverage and for simple interest this volume delivers. It’s a great project and with clear instructions and heavily illustrations, this is a recommended read for all.
There have been a few other quick reviews of this book and it isn’t surprising given a seemingly latent interest, especially among those in the eBook space, considering, and being conscious of materiality of the bound volume. I myself continue to find myself between the two worlds. When I was heading off on vacation I immediately stored a good library of electronic books on my iPad, but also made sure to have a few printed volumes packed in the suitcase. Nice to be in both worlds and still ambivalent. I find reference volumes to be optimal on the electronic platform and quite easily sit there and are supremely accessible. On the other hand, for leisure reading, I am still possibly more comfortable with the cover and pages in my hand. As far as mainstream news media and magazines, I am happily at home on the iPad, quite possibly because of a perceived resource waste for short-lived materials.
