Real Life Journals: Designing & Using Handmade Books (AARP: Live & Learn) - Hardcover

Diehn, Gwen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1600594921 ISBN 13: 9781600594922

Publisher: Lark Books, 2010

Synopsis

The second in AARP's Live & Learn series celebrates making and keeping journals.
A custom-made journal can enrich a person's life, and this new entry in the Live & Learn series helps readers design journals that enhance the experiences they're chronicling. The unique format features an envelope attached to the inside front cover that contains a small book called Choose Your Own Bookbinding Adventure so readers can select the perfect journal for their purpose. Imagine a reader wants a travel journal that is portable and has both lined pages and blank ones to paint on. The booklet directs him or her to the instructions in the main book that explain how to make that specific design. There are instructions and beautiful illustrations for 16 kinds of books and 10 cover styles. A removable foldout found on the inside back cover explains essential bookmaking basics. People who had personalized journals made for them by the author share their process and their pages, and beautiful photos and profiles of journal keepers inspire readers to make their own and start writing and drawing.

About this title

Product Description

Although the book is aimed at journal makers, I think it is ideal for anyone who has made some books already and wants to experiment with some less common structures, whether making journals or other types of books. She does include pamphlet, Coptic and longstitch bindings, but also others such as 3-hole Coptic, Coptic with concertina, 2 variations on Australian piano hinge and "sewn on tapes with concertina". Her instructions are detailed and clear. The advice on designing your journal to suit your needs (structure, size, materials, extra features) seems very useful too. Some of the journals featured are very good examples of fitting form to function. My favourite section describes in detail how she worked with individuals to create 8 custom-designed journals, some quite unconventional. After they had been working in their journals for a while, she asked the journal-keepers what they would change for their next journal, and some of those answers were informative. This book also has lots of pictures of page spreads from other journals, as well as the examples she describes in depth.

Edition details

• Publisher: Lark Books
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1600594921
• ISBN 13: 9781600594922
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 180