Become a Member today!

Membership of the Victorian Bookbinders Guild runs from 1st July to 30th June each year. Membership forms can be completed online or downloaded and emailed to the Secretary. Annual membership is $60 for a single membership.

Membership Benefits:

  • Three editions of Signature per year, the Victorian Bookbinders Guild newsletter, along with updates from other bookbinding guilds and societies from around the world.
  • Priority booking and discounts for workshops and courses hosted by the Guild.
  • Access to the Guild's extensive library covering various aspects of bookbinding.
  • Access to the members' buying scheme, which aims to make materials and supplies available that may not otherwise be readily obtainable in small quantities.
  • Priority access to bookbinding equipment donated to the Guild and made available for sale.
  • An open invitation to monthly meetings, open bindery sessions, and special events. See the What's On page for further details.

Open House Melbourne with Bookbinding Victoria

We were asked at short notice to play a part in St Faiths Church involvement of Open House Melbourne. This church reveals interesting and lively expressions of faith with delightful historic architecture thoughtful modern spaces for worship. The acoustics allows the local choral group to shine.
The Victorian Booking Guild, known also as Bookbinding Victoria and Bookarts Victoria, is pleased to share the facilities there with the traditions of historic bookbinding and modern book arts are complemented by the facilities of the rear hall.
Our display was set up, with the intention of telling a number of stories, from the origins of writing, to the stages of development of the book to the form we know, the content and history of writing to the methods, practice of different styles of book making, and the modern arts telling stories in shape and form.
One comment by a visitor. " it was a delight to see the flow of ideas in the items on display. Lots of artwork is often shown as individual items without the context of the items around them." Indeed was perhaps a bit over-enthusiastic in the number of pieces, but some of many styles , with many techniques on show.

So a walk around: In the centre of the room, a circular table, with writing implements and artefacts from the early clay tablets of Mesopotamia, to writing on bone in China, brush strokes and ink from China, palm leave (imitations), papyrus, the first codex style, and scrolls.
The circular table walk finished with the basics of modern bookbinding, the simplest of tools and materials needed to make a book. Member Tim Morrow supplied these materials.
Down the side is a display of book models, part finished books showing the techniques of binding styles which have developed from the simple Nag Hammadi codex to the sophistication of fine binding.

The display then showed some items in progress from repairs to book sheets awaiting attention. The display continued with a wide variety of traditional styles with artistic additions.

Finally a table of Art bindings provided by Gail Stiffe of Papermakers Victoria, (members in both organizations.) The bookarts explore the the form of paper and natural materials combined with a variety of techniques to be expressive with form and colour in different ways to the traditional book form.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing this glimpse of books as much as I enjoyed presenting it.

 - Jim, President VBG