Get Started with Making Books by West Dean College

West Dean Making Books, officially titled Get Started with Making Books, is a self-paced online course from West Dean College of Arts and Conservation, taught by the artist and bookmaker Tracey Bush. It introduces pamphlet bookbinding: choosing paper, making a section, sewing a five-hole pamphlet stitch and adapting the cover, including a dos-à-dos format. It is designed for beginners and takes at least six hours to watch the videos and complete the tasks. The course costs £47 and includes six months of online access.

West Dean College of Arts and Conservation, part of the Edward James Foundation, is based in West Sussex, and its online courses let people learn with its tutors without travelling there. This one is a low-cost, low-equipment way into bookbinding. Pamphlets need no press or specialist bench, and the skills carry straight into zines, sketchbooks, portfolios and artists' books. The tutor review in the student gallery also sets it apart from purely video-based tutorials.

What You Will Learn

The course builds one structure, the stitched pamphlet, and then shows how to vary it. According to the official page, it covers:

• The types of paper suited to bookmaking
• How to fold and make a section
• Sewing a pamphlet with a five-hole stitch
• Adapting the cover, including the back-to-back dos-à-dos format
• Working with variable page sizes inside one book
• Adding a pocket page
• A recap, plus ideas for taking your books further

Who Is West Dean Making Books For?

The direct answer: complete beginners who want to make simple, handsome books by hand. It suits illustrators and writers who want to bind their own zines or sketchbooks, designers interested in physical formats, and anyone looking for a calm, practical craft to learn at home.

If you already bind books with multiple sections, case covers or Coptic stitch, much of the course will be familiar, since it stays with single-section pamphlets. It is also a practical course: you will need to gather tools and paper before you can follow along, so it is not suited to watching alone.

Course Structure

The course is delivered in West Dean's virtual learning environment and moves through the pamphlet in stages:

• Paper: paper types and choosing sheets for a book
• The section: folding and preparing a section
• Five-hole pamphlet: sewing the basic structure
• Covers: adapting the cover, including dos-à-dos
• Variations: variable page sizes and a pocket page
• Recap and ideas: a review and suggestions for further projects

Alongside the instructional videos, which you can repeat at your own pace, there are practical tasks, a suppliers list, a student online gallery where tutors review and comment on work, and email support from the college and tutors.

Price and Access

West Dean Making Books costs £47. That includes six months of online access to the videos and the learning environment, along with the gallery and email support. The official page does not mention a refund policy, so check it before buying if that matters to you. Tools and paper are not included.

About the Instructor

Tracey Bush trained as an illustrator and worked freelance for many years. Her books have been acquired by the Yale Center for British Art, Tate Britain and the Marvin Sackner Collection of Concrete Poetry. In 2014 she was commissioned to make Ports of the World, a butterfly box for the P&O ship Britannia.

Things to Consider

• Time: allow at least six hours, more if you make several versions of each pamphlet.
• Tools: you need a beeswax block, bone folder, paper knife, cutting mat, retractable knife, metal safety rule and a board or weight.
• Materials: linen thread 18/3, two A2 sheets of 80–120gsm short-grain paper, one cotton rag sheet of 100–175gsm, map or envelope paper, baking parchment and scrap paper.
• Feedback: post finished books in the student gallery, where tutors review and comment.
• Access: six months is ample for a six-hour course, but finish while gallery feedback is available.
• Next steps: once the pamphlet feels easy, look for courses on multi-section or case binding.

How to Get the Most From It

Make each pamphlet twice: once with scrap paper to learn the steps and once with your good sheets. Try the dos-à-dos cover with two short pieces of writing or two sets of drawings. West Dean Making Books gives you a structure you can repeat endlessly, so keep a small stack of finished samples as a reference for future projects.

Start the Course

Interested in learning with West Dean College?

Start Get Started with Making Books

For the full syllabus and pricing, visit the official West Dean College website.

Looking for more ways to learn? Browse all courses and learning resources on Good Stuff Weekly.

Last verified: November 12, 2026