Why was the best paper made from the worn-out clothes of peasants? Why is gold leaf so thin that it cannot be touched with bare hands? Why is the art of bookbinding as beguiling and enchanting today as it was when invented on the banks of the Nile 2000 years ago? This lecture tells the story of everything that makes a traditional hard-backed book.
Dominic Riley is a bookbinder, artist and teacher. He first learned bookbinding at the age of 16 from the Benedictine monks at Douai Abbey in Berkshire and later at the London College of Printing. He has worked for the V&A and for various binderies in London, New York and San Francisco. He is Vice-President of the Society of Bookbinders and has won many prizes in design competions,