Product Description

The craft of book-making goes back as far as the earliest times. Though the techniques are old, the art of book making seems to be growing. This is most likely due to the beauty of handmade books but also the ease with which simple books can be made. Mary McCarthy and Philip Manna provide illustrated, step-by-step instructions to lead both the beginning and experienced crafts person through twelve simple and beautiful book-making projects.With Making Books by Hand anyone can create elegant, decorative blank books, photo albums, gifts and journals that will last forever.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #107984 in Books
• Published on: 2000-02-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 109 pages

From Booklist
In an age when e-mail has encouraged a new form of letter writing, McCarthy takes it one step further--back to the era of tactile, personal handwritings. Other recent how-to books have been devoted to similar subjects, most particularly scrapbooking. So what's different? One, this is an aesthetic presentation, with step-by-step photographs for each of the dozen projects. And two, it is brimming with helpful hints, called "bits and pieces," which focus on tips gleaned from years of experience, such as the avoidance of air bubbles. And three, the showcases of experimental styles and professional works are both a delight and an inspiration. Very appealing high touch for the high-tech millennium. Barbara Jacobs

About the Author
Mary McCarthy is a self-employed book artist. Her books appear in a number of museums, college libraries, and private collections. Besides making books for her own artistic expression, whe also designs portfolios, books, and boxes for various clients. Before starting her busienss, Mary worked as a photography and visual studies teacher at Phillips Academy, Andover. She maintains her connection to education today by offering workshops and courses to anyone interested in making books by hand. She lives in Boston with her husband Philip Manna, and two children.

Philip manna is an educator and writer. He has helped develop and write two activity-based science curricla for national publication. He has also written articles concerning educational reform and the practice of teaching science. Philip currently teaches in the Boston public schools.

Customer Reviews

good photos of each step
The best thing about this book is the birds-eye-view photos of each step. The projects use only very basic stitching. I think this would be ok for a beginner, but I still think the best way to use how-to books like these is to take a class first; otherwise the steps can seem overwhelming.

Lacking in content, but some inspiring photos.
As an experienced bookmaker, I was anxious to try some of the projects in this book. BE VERY CAUTIOUS! I found many errors in measurments in this book, which can cost you valuable paper and time! This book can be very vague about what size your papers should be and exactly how much of it you need. If you simply rely on what the author says, you may find yourself frustrated with a project that didn't work out.

Other than that, there are some nice inspirational pictures in the book, but I don't know if that justifies the purchase. So, unless you're prepared to do some serious math/measurment checking, I'd go with a book that the editors actually took time to edit.

A direct, to-the-point, "user friendly" instructional guide
The collaborative effort of self-employed book artist Mary McCarthy and educator/writer Philip Manna, Making Books By Hand: A Step-By-Step Guide is a direct, to-the-point, "user friendly" instructional guide to the art and craft of creating beautiful and useful scrapbooks, photo albums, diaries, blank books, and more. Full-color photographs illustrate each part of the process of crafting accordion art books, photo albums, box books, scrolls, etc. Making Books By Hand is commended as being first-rate guidebook for those interested in cultivating their skill in a unique and satisfying hobby, or who want to make exceptional and memorable gifts for friends and loved ones.