Reviewed by Patricia Selinger, Head, Preservation
This wonderful book describes the author's experience as the first woman apprentice to the master bookbinder William Anthony at the University of Iowa. Bill Anthony's skill is highly respected among bookbinders and conservators. The author's work is a tribute to him as well as a tribute to her own developing skill. She describes how she is taught, how she learns, the relationship of her tools to their actions, and her learned approach to restoration. When Anthony dies before her apprenticeship is complete, we see how her training has prepared her to continue her work. This book can be read on many levels. From a practical point of view, you can read this book as an extended essay on apprenticeship, and how to bind books. From a spiritual point of view, you can infer life lessons and the approach to any daunting task. The book looks like a quick read but it was so rich and detailed, I found myself reading it for several weeks and some parts of it over again in order to digest it all.
