Workshops & Courses

Upcoming workshops and courses

Arthur has been teaching since 2012 and has lectured for organisations including the Society of Bookbinders, West Dean College of Arts and Conservation and (ICON) the Institute of Conservation. Workshops and courses at Green’s Books are given in small groups and give step-by-step tuition in various bookbinding and conservation techniques. Unless otherwise stated workshops and courses are held at the studio near Malvern, and run from 10:00am to 4:30pm. Tea/coffee, handouts and materials are included in the fee unless otherwise specified.

For details and booking, please contact emily@greensbooks.co.uk

Cancellation policy: On request, places will be rescheduled subject to availability and at the discretion of Green’s Books. Refunds are as follows: notice of one month or more  = 100% refund; notice of two weeks or more = 50% refund. In addition, a £10 fee will be applied to all cancellations.

Introduction to Bookbinding, Saturday 3rd February 2024, £125.

A fun and informative day which introduces the subject of bookbinding; including tools & materials, terminology and a bit of the history too. You’ll make a simple single-section binding with all tools and materials provided. Suitable for all levels with no prior experience required.

Repair of Cloth-Covered Adhesive Case Bindings, Saturday 2nd & Sunday 3rd March 2024, £250.

The rise of cloth-covered adhesive case bindings in the early 19^th century is a product of three factors: the development of book-cloth; the invention of the arming press; and the arrangement of labour into production line factory work. These factors combined were so successful that cloth case binding became ubiquitous, all but replacing in-board binding for mass produced work. As such, these books survive in vast numbers and find themselves upon Bookbinders’ and Book Conservators’ benches in need of repair. In this two-day workshop, Arthur will examine these structures, and guide students through the process of repairing them; he will discuss his choice of materials and explain the advantages of his preferred method of repair in the order in which these bindings were initially constructed.

All tools and materials will be provided; however, students are requested to bring their own books to work on.

Society of Bookbinders/ Designer Bookbinders Joint Workshop: Paper-Covered In-Boards Binding, Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th March 2024.

For details and booking, please visit the Society of Bookbinders.

For bookings, visit Hereford Cathedral and email library@herefordcathedral.org or call 01432 374225.

Sharpening and Leather Paring, Thursday 5th & Friday 6th September 2024, £250 plus materials fee.

Going back to first principles, day one will cover the theory of sharpening by hand. The focus of the day will be on sharpening paring knives, and will cover both straight edge but also rounded edge knives. Arthur will cover two popular systems of sharpening: Japanese water stones, and abrasive films on glass (“scary sharpening”). Participants will receive clear instructions on how to get repeatable results and will also get an opportunity to make their own small lifting knife.

Leather paring is a discipline which often intimidates and can take many years to master but with a systematic approach this need not be the case. Day two will introduce safe and effective working methods for paring bookbinding leathers by hand. The session will cover edge-paring, working with a spoke-shave, and thinning down leather with a Scharffix.