• By Walkertown Branch
  • Posted Friday, March 26, 2021

Bookbinder's Bench Tools Display at Walkertown

The Walkertown Branch Library is hosting a display of Kernersville resident Matt Johnson’s bookbinding tools. The display includes tools that Johnson uses to make and conserve books, pamphlets, and other paper items. Also featured are items that Johnson has made for friends and family, as well as works in progress that demonstrate his process from start to finish.

Displayed items include a small letter press and its accessories, and embossed leather and marbled paper used in making book covers. Two books are deconstructed to show how decorative sewn bands, called endbands, are made.

Matt Johnson is the Senior Conservator at Etherington Conservation Services in Browns Summit, N.C. He has more than 25 years experience in bookbinding and book conservation. He has conserved items such as George Washington’s personal letters, an original Gutenberg bible, and John James Audubon’s bird and quadruped folios. He has also restored hand painted wallpaper in historic buildings as well as archival material damaged in the recent hurricanes in Puerto Rico.

The Bookbinder's Bench will be on display in the month of February. Stop by the library and check out this unique display by a local craftsman.

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