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Make your own Medieval-Style Girdle Book

Make your own Medieval-Style Girdle Book

About This Event

The Library in Leeds is hosting a fascinating five-day workshop dedicated to the art of crafting medieval-style girdle books. Running from Monday 5th October through to Friday 9th October, the course will immerse participants in the techniques of creating these unique portable bound volumes. Each day's sessions will commence at 10:30am and conclude at 4:30pm, offering ample time to delve into the craft. Girdle books, popular between the 14th and 16th centuries, were ingeniously designed to be carried attached to a belt or girdle, allowing for convenient reading during travel. This hands-on course will guide attendees through the selection and use of authentic historical materials. Expect to work with fine leathers, supple alum-tawed skins, and a variety of fabrics, mirroring the diverse formats observed in period artwork. For the entire five-day experience, the cost is a modest £50, representing excellent value for a truly immersive historical craft workshop.

A five-day course running from Monday 5th October to Friday 9th October, every day from 10:30am to 4:30pm. Popular between the 14th and 16th century, this unique book style was used to make a portable binding for reading on the go. Made in both leather, alum-tawed skin, and fabrics, they feature in artwork and marginal decorations of the time period in different formats and sizes. Come create your own. This in-depth 5-day course will take you through the many and varied stages of creating a medieval-style hardback book with wooden boards, primary leather cover, metal clasps, and a secondary chemise cover with extended tail. The class involves a small group of 8 participants. All the tools and materials you need will be included. Each day will take you through a different stage of the binding process, as well as giving you historical context for the choices you make along the way. The class will cover: folding, pricking, sewing, and trimming of the pages; optional hand-sewn headbands; shaping the boards; lacing the boards on; covering the book; making and fitting simple clasps; creating the secondary chemise binding and finishing it with a knot. By the end of the class, you should have the confidence to create your own unique tomes using variations on what you have learned. While this course will be accessible to beginner and intermediate binders ages 18+, some craft experience is recommended as we will be covering a lot of different hand skills. The cost for all five sessions is £500. A £50 deposit is required to secure your place. The balance may be paid in up to three installments. Linette Withers completed her MA in Medieval Studies at the University of Leeds and went on to work at the International Medieval Congress, Leeds helping run the international conference. She set up Anachronalia in 2012 and has been bookbinding professionally ever since, creating modern and historically-inspired books and stationery, as well as repairing books and doing historical binding demonstrations. anachronalia.co.uk

Description supplied by the event organiser.

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Frequently asked questions

Make your own Medieval-Style Girdle Book takes place on Monday, 5 October 2026 at 10:30. The event runs until Friday, 9 October 2026.

Make your own Medieval-Style Girdle Book is held at The Library in Leeds.

Tickets for Make your own Medieval-Style Girdle Book are priced at £163. Live prices and availability are shown on theleedslibrary.org.uk.

Tickets for Make your own Medieval-Style Girdle Book can be booked via theleedslibrary.org.uk using the "Check Tickets & Live Prices" button on this page, which opens the official booking site in a new tab.

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£163

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