David comes costumed as a middling status craftsman and shows all the stages of binding a book in an appropriate historic style - 15th, 16th or 17thC. He will talk about the life of a craftsman and apprenticeship and asks for volunteers to try their hand at some aspect of bookbinding.

The demonstrations can take several forms:

• Activities for Children
  1. For free, they can stamp their initials on a piece of leather to take away as a souvenir of their visit or
  2. Make their own minature "Commonplace Book" for a small fee.

• Bookbinding for adults
  1. Making a simple pamphlet "Bookbinding for the baffled"
  2. Making a larger, more detailed, Commonplace book.

or

• Talks about books and bookbinding.

Illustrated with examples of all stages of the bookbinding process and a selection of books including some from our extensive collection of 700 facsimile books that can be chosen to be appropriate to the event.

"Aesop, Subtle Histories and Fables", 1483.

This was first translated and printed in English by William Caxton. It was one of the first books printed in England using movable type. Every story is illustrated by a beautiful woodcut print.

Published in facsimile in the "English Experience Series" in 1972. Just one of the many facsimile books that can be brought along to a display.

Although printers often did their own bookbinding, books were also sold as a set of flat sheets. If the owner could afford it they could then be backed in wooden or paper board and leather and given some decoration. Some bookbinders traveled around the country to the homes of the educated gentry to bind their collections of books.

In 1539 Henry VIII ordered that an English bible to be placed in every church. The publication of the bible in English led to an increase in literacy throughout the country. This in turn created a great demand for printed books and bookbinding.

We have an extensive range of authentic bookbinding equipment:

Standing press, press boards, laying press, finishing press, bookbinders plough/plane, sewing press, brass sewing keys backing boards, brush, paste, glue pot, finishing tools, tool stand, brazier, brass type, printer type, lettering pallet, hand tools, fillets (decorative brass rolls), pallets & gouges, agate burnishers, gold leaf, gold leaf cushion, gold knife, red bole, backing hammer, bodkin, pricker, bone folder, English paring knife, clip point knife, flat-tipped tailor's shears. In fact David can fill at least three tables with books and equipment. If a workshop is required extra tables are needed.

Make your own Common Place Book

Children may, for a small fee, sew together some pages of paper and back it it card and leather to make a small notebook or commonplace book. These books were used by the literate classes - gentry, mechants and craftsmen as aide-memoirs. They wrote all sorts of "remembrances" down in them - accounts, poems, prayers and curses, measurements, drawings, medical recipes etc.

Larger Common Place Book Project for Adults

Otherwise called "Extreme bookbinding". Fee £60 per person plus consumables. Minimum of 4 people. Time 4 hours, or until finished with a break for refreshments (supplied). Suitable for anyone who has done the "baffled" course or has craft experience.

The plan will be to create a commonplace book with bumps (raised bands) suitable for use in a living history display. We will use computer fonts from the "Newe Newe Book of Copies" to create a "hand written look" book to your own specification. There will be an amount of pre-preparation over the internet in order to create the contents, which will be printed out (or hand written) on a suitable paper (price will vary depending on whether the paper is machine made laid, rag paper, or hand made conservation quality). The finished product will be a "quarto" book, i.e. normal book size, with up to100 pages some printed, some blank, some hand written.

Bring your Library to Life!!

When David and Gwen visit stately homes they feel very sad to see the books in the libraries locked away from visitors. Of course they have to be, for security and conservation reasons. However, the library played a very important in the life of the family and the running of the estate.

There would be books on all topics:

Religious Devotion, Land Management, Poetry, Plays, Music, Travel and Exploration, Political, Legal, Scientific, Manners and Behaviour, Education, Medicine and Cookery etc.

David also brings a choice from his extensive range of facsimile texts of early printed books of the 16th & 17th C including some of William Caxton's early books. If there is a particular emphasis you wish to make in relations to the event, the period, your location or your museum collection, David may have a book or two relating to it. For example when we recently went to Scotland we took a variety of Scottish books and when we appeared at a Hunting Lodge there were hunting books.

The library at Traquair House, near Peebles, brought to life by our bookbinding talks and displays.