In the world of antiquarian books, it is often the case that a first edition will be will be worth a great deal more when the original dust jacket is present. Naturally, however, they are often damaged: stained, torn, weakened, with areas of loss etc.
In this workshop you will learn the fundamentals of dust jacket repair: cleaning, washing, lining with Japanese paper, repairing tears, filling in loss and colour-toning the repairs. Michael will teach on the first day using standard paper conservation techniques to stabilise and mend the paper. On the second day Dominic will introduce you to the art of colour matching using acrylics and/or pencils. Taken together these techniques ensure a sympathetic, conservationally sound, and invisible repair.
Materials to Bring
Folders, both bone and Teflon
Scalpel with both straight and curved blades
Pointed awl
Japanese water brush
Small artists’ brushes
Tweezers
About the Instructor
Michael Burke (he/him) studied bookbinding with Dominic Riley and paper conservation with Karen Zukor. Michael lives in England, where he teaches bookbinding as well at events across the UK. Michael researches the structures of ancient and medieval bindings and received his Masters degree in the History of the Book from the University of London in 2011.
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. His work is mostly restoration and Design Binding, for which he has won many prizes in the Designer Bookbinders competition.
Michael and Dominic are co-founders of Book Camp, an immersive residential bookbinding experience which aims to teach new generations of binders.
Past Student Reviews
“Michael was patient and attentive throughout the workshop, demonstrating a few steps at a time before giving us time to try on our own, and making sure no one was left behind. He was extremely engaging and knowledgeable and all around an excellent teacher!”
“Dominic is encouraging and really seems to take pleasure in seeing students learning and creating. It's incredible to see someone of his caliber not in the least bit jaded and still enjoying what is really a basic process in the overall scheme of bookbinding.”
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):
$375
Prerequisite:
None.
Class session:
Saturday & Sunday, July 19 & 20, 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.