The Art of Book-Making

Vince Gorman, Patrick Walker, Aubrey Moore assembling chapbooks in the Charleston Library Society’s bookbindery studio.

Students in Prof. Rosko’s ENGL 402: Advanced Poetry capstone not only studied the practicalities and theories behind the sequencing of poems in a book, but they also had the opportunity to make a poetry chapbook of their own.

Brien Beidler, Director of the Bindery and Conservation Studio at the Charleston Library Society and a College of Charleston alumnus, taught two book-making sessions to ENGL 402 students this spring. The first session included the digital formatting and sequencing of book pages. The second session brought us to the bookbindery studio in the basement of the historic Charleston Library Society. Students prepared their pages using Brien’s hand-made tools–bone folders and carved awls made from local Eastern red cedar.  Then, we stitched the pages and the cover together with waxed linen string. Finally, we each took a turn cutting our book’s edges on a semi-intimidating, green iron guillotine machine.

Brien Beidler demonstrates the stitch technique to Sydney Beckner, Bri Saccaro, Jackie Killius, Vince Gorman, Patrick Walker, & Aubrey Moore.

Brittany Fortuna sews together her poetry chapbook pages.

Jackie Killius, Matt Dix, Mike Nowak, Brittany Fortuna, Vince Gorman, Patrick Walker, and the assistant bookbinder watch the demo of how to cut pages on the guillotine.

Writing poems is difficult and time-consuming enough! And, it was an eye-opening experience for all of us to learn about the labor-intensive process of how books are (used to be) made. Thanks to Brien Beidler for sharing his expertise!