How to Make Books: Fold, Cut & Stitch Your Way to a One-of-a-Kind Book

by Esther K. Smith

From zines you can fold in a minute to luxurious leather journals and sumptuous sketchbooks, How to Make Books will walk you through the easy basics of bookmaking. Whether you’re a writer, a scrapbooker, a political activist, or a postcard collector, let book artist Esther K. Smith be your guide as you discover your inner bookbinder. Using foolproof illustrations and step-by-step instructions, Smith reveals her time-tested techniques in a fun, easy-to-understand way.

Genres: Nonfiction, Crafts, Art, How To, Design, Books About Books, Art Design

128 pages, Hardcover

First published November 6, 2007

About the author

Esther K Smith wrote How to Make Books published November '07 by Potter Craft, an imprint of Random House. At Purgatory Pie Press in New York City, she makes limited editions and artist books with letterpress printer Dikko Faust and other artists and writers. They designed much of How to Make Books, hand-setting antique wood type.

Purgatory Pie Press has had solo exhibitions at the Victoria & Albert Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Harvard University and Smith College. Purgatory Pie Press editions are also in the rare book collections of Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum, The National Gallery of Art, the Corcoran, the Tate, San Francisco MoMA, and the Walker Museum.

Esther K Smith has curated artist book exhibitions and has taught Artist Books at Cooper Union since 1992. She and Faust also present lectures and workshops as visiting artists, train interns at Purgatory Pie Press in New York City, and design, letterpress print and hand-bind commissions for clients. Purgatory Pie Press has won design awards from The American Institute of Graphic Arts.

Esther K Smith is working on a new book for Random House, Magic Books & Paper Toys.

Reviews

[Julie]

This is my current favorite book about making books! It has a n engaging layout, interesting projects, and clear, easy-to-follow instructions. This book is the closest thing you can get to learning how to make books from a real live person. I always recommend it to my bookmaking classes.

[Madelaine]

This is a book that will make you want to make more books. It's maybe not the best resource for how to go about that in a perfect, professional manner, but it will for sure ignite the spark. Flipping through the first section reminded me of why I started making zines way back in high school, and gave some simple formats for beginners such as the beloved 8-page-book. What makes it so great is the more than beginner results Smith gets from these basic structures. Later chapters get a little more complicated, with multi-signature binding and the like. By the end I wanted to jump back into making art books, and actually immediately started working on a few.

How to Make Books is fabulous little piece of inspiration. It's more about how to get you making books you like right now than it is a technical volume. For that I recommend Books, Boxes & Portfolios by Franz Zeier, the Thames and Hudson Manual of Bookbinding, or any of Keith A. Smith's excellent volumes.

[Danielle Godjikian]

This book provided exactly what I have been looking for for years- easy to follow instructions for making all kinds of books, from simple, single page, fold-and-tear Instant Books, to ones with unique covers and sewn spines. What I like best is that she offers many different kinds and examples of each, so that if you have a project in mind, you can find the book type that suits your materials. She also gives information on different types of paper, cover options, and supplies that you may need, and compares that value of each. I am looking forward to making a book of postcards and using some of the paper I have been collecting for years. There is also a list of resources in the back for book making supplies and other books on paper crafts.

I got this book from the library so it's time to purchase it for myself!

[Mim]

I read this awhile ago and forgot to put it on a shelf. I've made one book from here, over and over. The simplest one. The instructions are easy to follow and I hope to make the more involved ones some day.

[Fern]

Nice intro to basic book binding techniques plus some advanced/crafty ideas to branch out to!

[Sally]

Terrific layout, clean design.... But no new stuff. Unless the idea of using linoleum as cover board is "new." I was expecting more and exciting beyond Japanese stab-binding, accordion and dos-se-do. I was hoping for stuff like this and this, and this. Well, maybe not that last one. But isn't that music terrific!?

I felt that the material in this book was already available in books like Cover To Cover: Creative Techniques For Making Beautiful Books, Journals & Albums, Handmade Books And Cards, Making Books That Fly, Fold, Wrap, Hide, Pop Up, Twist, And Turn: Books for Kids to Make, and More Making Books by Hand: Exploring Miniature Books, Alternative Structures, and Found Objects, which are all available at my library. The fresh design and layout of the material made for an enjoyable read, but I don't know if I'd buy it.

[Gina]

I needed a book about books to fill a book club requirement, so what better to chose than how to make them. Never mind that I'm not craft at all or really have an interest in making books. I thought it would fill the requirement and I could try something new. Well...I did. Success is mixed. I managed to make the simple accordion one. It was relatively easy and I could use what I had around the house. I also tried one "recommended for kids." Maybe I'm just too old? It took 3 tries to get the cuts and folds right and it still turned out crooked. Did I mention I'm not crafty? I found the instructions and lay out to be well written with good pictures. I can see why this is well reviewed by those with a stronger interest in making books. I, however, won't be continuing this hobby.

[Allyson]

This is a great, unpretentious book with good info and beautiful art direction. Only thing not letting me give it five stars is that the directions take some deciphering and the informations pictures are hard to understand. Diagrams might be better.

[nat]

This is such an extremely useful book. I signed up to table at a zine fair this fall and have been seeking inspiration (as I have made no zines as of yet). This has inspired me so much. There's all different kinds of instructions with some really lovely anecdotes related to the author's creative process.

This is one of my favourites:
“Whenever I get interoffice envelopes, I do not cross out my name and keep them going. Instead I collect them and sort of treasure all those different offhand written notations in all those different pens—and the paper buttons and the strange punched holes.
I incorporate envelopes into bindings when I need them. They are useful in datebooks or for storing receipts, odd business cards, or stamps. Use them to hold postcards, and keep them with you in case you have a few minutes while waiting somewhere to write a note to a friend, a kid in college, or someone else who might enjoy something real in their mail for a change.”

I keep a drawer in my desk I call my "sentimental items drawer" because it has things like that. Notes and letters and care packages. Sometimes it's just the handwriting of someone I love who is deceased now. This inspires me on different ways to hold them close.

[Elizabeth Humphreys]

I kept picking this book up off of a bookshelf at university while working on a book project last semester. After I finished the class I asked for this book for Christmas because I thought that it would be helpful to me in my bookmaking practice. There are instructions for so many different books, some easy and some hard. I also enjoy the short stories that go with the instructions which add a lot to the book. The personalized aspects make it an interesting read that I can sit down with it and enjoy outside of just flipping through to find a new book to make. There are so many helpful antidotes in the books as well about different book making aspects that are very helpful if you are someone that is interested in any form of book arts.

[rumbledethumps]

This book is good for beginners, but only for folded books. I was quickly able to follow the diagram for the Basic Instant Book, and my daughter and I were able to work on some of the variations.

However, when we got to the sewn bindings, the diagrams were nearly impossible to follow. Because of the the illustrated arrows they chose in some, and the stylized pictures used in others, we found the projects difficult to complete without going to YouTube to watch someone else create a similar binding.

Might be worth it for the folded books, but we're still looking for an overall reference for all basic bindings.

[Marcie Lovett]

I have read a lot of book-making books and this one started out with promise. The cover is unusual and fits well with Smith's company's aesthetic. Not much new to offer, and the anecdotes about her company and all the fabulous work she's done annoyed me. The instructions are difficult to follow, sometimes stopping before the project is finished, and the illustrations that accompany the instructions are too small and detailed to understand. The book would benefit from tighter editing - lots of typos - and simpler illustrations.

[Elle]

My brother John gave me this book as a gift in 2013 =) it has a ton of cool projects and a great layout, and tons of gorgeous examples… but is lacking in particulars, such as measurements and certain practical considerations.

So, while I loved this, when I first tried to make a book in 2014, I planned poorly and got hung up halfway—really disappointing, since I’d intended to make my first book a graduation present!

So, I wouldn’t plan on making it my only resource, but it’s a great book, otherwise. Just charming, lots of inspiration within.

[Shae]

3 1/2 stars -- I appreciate the illustrations and organization of this book. It definitely makes folding and cutting your own little book doable and gives me an appreciation for the world of bookbinding that I know so little about. Someday I would love to make a cake box book.

My review might have been higher if I had actually tried to make a book or if I had read other books on this topic. I just lack exposure to give a higher review. Props to the author for her engaging voice, though.

[Mircah Foxwood]

Ooh I like this book. Definitely for the crafty among us, “How to Make Books” demonstrates about 30 different books to make as art or gifts - from simple accordion fold paper books to cloth books to books with stitched bindings. I didn’t know I wanted to make a book until I read this one. Now I’m brimming with ideas!

[Sally]

Borrowed from Seattle Public Library
Includes a chapter on instant books, including cloth instant books.
Accordion books with a pocket accordion
Stab stitch, often called Japanese binding; stab-stitched cloth book.
Addresses folding signatures
3 hole stitch or 5 hole stitch
Coptic binding

[Esther]

Rehashing too much of the similar format. Eg: instant books, accordions, etc. Introducing advanced experimental formats would be a nice plus.

[Kevy Lamb Anderson]

i love this book

[Krista Park]

Another fun collection of book assembly ideas that encourage play, experimentation, and joy. Great coaching instructions to help a novice figure out how to succeed.

[Jasson]

Excellent

[Susan Haines]

There are so many good ideas here, but there is also an assumption that you have enough experience to be able to look at very minimalist instructions and know what to do.

[Ruth]

As a beginner, I appreciated the range of ideas and clear instructions. A good find.

[Leonard Herrem]

I was disappointed with the content. Not enough for the cost. Some interesting craft techniques, but not much for serious bookbinding instructions. 3 stars is generous.

[Sergejs]

Bookbinding enthusiasts sweetest dream and book manufacturers darkest nightmare. This book is a must-have in your bookshelf if you are a fan of bookbinding.

[Mahad Keuken]

nice

[T. Rose]

Love this book! I recommend this book! Fun and useful resource for making books of all kinds. Great instructions!

[Anisha]

not bad

[Matthew]

Sometimes the directions are hard to follow, but it's been a great introduction to my new hobby!!

[Beverly]

I read this through and can't wait to try out some of the projects!

[pavlina]

mnamozna kniha a mnamozne tutorialy na dalsie knihy. pochytila ma vlna kreativity a ocakavajte mnozstvo kniziek a sketchbookov!!! 👹👹