This section of the research guide was created to supplement the "Building Books By Hand" display in the LSU Main Library. The dates of the display are November 1 - December 31, 2023.
Models of handmade books that flap and stretch and unfold in unexpected ways were made by Caroline Ziegler and Michelle Melancon of LSU Libraries Special Collections. They both are continuously amazed by paper's ability to transform from a flat, everyday material into sculptural and kinetic forms. Using the bookbinding manuals that can be found in the stacks of the Main Library, they created models to inspire anyone to check out a guide, grab some paper, and start making books!
While building the models, the pair was inspired to create a large, playful, wall hanging composed of folds and stitches and the type of movement their book models displayed! In the wall hanging, you'll find accordions, pleats, freeform origami, and sewing using repurposed materials such as used parchment paper, toilet paper wrappers, and packaging material.
You can learn more about the book models displayed by browsing the books featured in this section, or you could sign up for a Book Arts course in LSU's Printmaking Department! In course Art 2381 / Art 4381 Book Arts, students learn how to make a variety of different book structures, experiment with letterpress printing, and visit Hill Memorial Library where they handle and take inspiration from rare and historic books as well as books by contemporary book artists.
Learn this structure in Benjamin Rinehart's Creating Books & Boxes: Fun and Unique Approaches to Handmade Structures.
Model by michelle melancon.
Learn this structure in Hedi Kyle's The Art of the Fold: How to Make Innovative Books and Paper Structures.
Model by michelle melancon.
Learn this structure in Hedi Kyle's The Art of the Fold: How to Make Innovative Books and Paper Structures.
Model by michelle melancon.
Learn this structure in Keith Smith's Non-Adhesive Binding series or Esther Smith's How to Make Books. (Note: This structure is often called "Coptic binding," but it is preferred to reserve that term for books made by Copts, the early Christians in Egypt.)
Models by Caroline Ziegler.
Learn this classic stab binding structure (Yotsume Toji) and box in Kōjirō Ikegami's Japanese Bookbinding: Instructions from a Master Craftsman.
Models by Caroline Ziegler.
Learn this structure in Hedi Kyle's The Art of the Fold: How to Make Innovative Books and Paper Structures.
Artist's book by Amanda D'Amico
Learn this structure in Hedi Kyle's The Art of the Fold: How to Make Innovative Books and Paper Structures.
Model by michelle melancon.
Learn this structure in Esther Smith's How to Make Books. (Instructions for this structure can also be found under the name "Maze Book" or "One Page Books")
Model by michelle melancon.
Learn a similar Triangle Pamphlet Accordion structure in Benjamin Rinehart's Creating Books & Boxes: Fun and Unique Approaches to Handmade Structures.
Model by michelle melancon.
Learn this structure in Hedi Kyle's The Art of the Fold: How to Make Innovative Books and Paper Structures.
Model by michelle melancon.
Learn these exposed binding stitches in Denise Carbone's Observations on the Caterpillar Stitch.
Model by Caroline Ziegler.
Learn this structure in Hedi Kyle's The Art of the Fold: How to Make Innovative Books and Paper Structures and Esther K. Smith's How to Make Books.
Learn this structure in Tom & Cindy Hollander's Introduction to Bookbinding and Custom Cases: A Project Approach for Learning Traditional Methods.
Model by Caroline Ziegler.
Learn this structure in Tom & Cindy Hollander's Introduction to Bookbinding and Custom Cases: A Project Approach for Learning Traditional Methods.
Models by Caroline Ziegler.