Study Day – A Day of Books and Book Binding

Study Day – A Day of Books and Book Binding

Our study day will be undertaken by Dominic Riley a bookbinder, artist and teacher. Dominic first learned bookbinding at the age of 16 from Benedictine Monks at Douai Abbey in Berkshire and later at the London College of Printing. He has worked at the V&A and for various Binderies in London, New York and San Francisco. As a result, he spends part of the year teaching across the USA. He has his own Bindery in the Lake District, from where he travels across the UK, teaching masterclasses and lecturing. He is Vice President of the Society of Bookbinders and was elected Fellow of Design Bookbinders in 2008. His binding work mostly consists of the restoration of antiquarian books and Design Bindings. He has won many prizes in Design Bookbinders Competitions, including both first prizes and the Mansfield Silver Medal in 2007. His bindings are in collections across the world, including the British Library and the John Rylands Library in Manchester. In 2010 he bound a special copy of the winning entry of the Booker Prize, which was presented to the author. In June 2013 he won first prize in the prestigious Sir Paul Getty International Bookbinding Competition. His winning binding was acquired by the Bodleian Library in Oxford. In 2012 Dominic was presented with one of only 400 copies of the Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, a huge book with illustrations by Burne Jones and decorations by Morris.  Once completed, the newly bound copy was donated to the V&A museum.

For our Study Day, Dominic will give a lecture on the subject of the Book as Art, followed by a practical demonstration of some aspects of the art of bookbinding, such as restoration techniques and tooling with gold leaf. The aim is to show some of the ancient skills involved.

In the afternoon Dominic will bring some interesting books from his own collection to talk about, including special old bindings, strange and quirky examples and some fabulous artists’ books.

For the last session participants are invited to bring along a book of their own that they might like to discuss. This could be an old curiosity, which they would like to find out more about, or a treasured volume in need of repair. Dominic will offer helpful advice about how to care for such books and give guidance to those considering having a binding restored.