We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amanda Buck a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Amanda, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s one of the most important lessons you learned in school?

Studying Fine Bookbinding/Book Conservation at Guildford Tech in Surrey, England in 1991-1992. I studied under Master Bookbinders. Their message was simple. “Quality over quantity. Future clients will want the work done cheaply. They will want you to use shortcuts. As a result the work will be low quality.”They were right. My path has always been either step up and pay for the highest quality materials and solid work or go find another bookbinder. As a result my skills have continued to develop to a higher level throughout my 35 year career.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

After College at University of Minnesota,BA-History, I went to England to study the Craft of Fine Bookbinding and Book Conservation.
The best School in the World at that time for this discipline. Students from all over the world went there to learn from British Master Bookbinders.
When I returned to the States in 1993, I started The Lamb and Buck Bindery in Southern Vermont with my Partner Richard Lamb. For ten years I continued to study the Craft with Richard while building a clientele in New England. We produced Fine Bindings and provided Book Conservation for Rare Booksellers and Private Collectors.
Since that time I have been an Independent Bookbinder working in Kentucky and Georgia.
I offer Fine Bindings in Leather and Cloth. Hand gold tooling. Book Conservation and Restoration.
All work is done by hand using the highest quality materials available worldwide. I have clients all over the U.S.
Mostly working with Private Collectors rather than Booksellers. The goal is always to restore severely damaged books into functional, beautiful bindings.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Starting over in a new location with zero clients was daunting. Going out and introducing myself to everyone in the book community, letting them know what I offer. Starting an online presence in 2010 with a website and Facebook, instagram, and YouTube accounts was a game changer. Word of mouth references still bring in the most work.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Doing solid work. Each book has its own difficulties. Giving time and attention to each and every book makes all the difference. It’s probably odd to say but while these damaged books are on my bench they are like my children. I deeply care about their repair and preservation. I imagine that this will be the last time this book will be worked on and the work has to last.

Contact Info:

• Website: HTTP://www.book-restoration.com
• Instagram: amanda_buck_bookbinder
• Youtube: Amanda Buck @ BookRestorer
• Other: Threads:
  amanda_buck_bookbinder