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Cambridge University Library

 

Pamphlets or chapbooks were sold by chapmen - wandering peddlers - in sixteenth-century England.  During the information revolution, in the early days of post-Gutenberg movable type - books became accessible to lots of people.  They were cheap booklets of poetry or short stories and literacy was exploding.  

When you fold a sheet of paper in half you get four pages.  A gathering is a folded section (a few sheets of paper gathered together and stitched on the spine).  A pamphlet or chapbook is simply one gathering or signature stitched into a cover.

Suitable for ages 6-15 years (with supervision for younger kids)

What you need:

4 to 8 pieces of lightweight paper for your text sheets (you can use any kind of paper)

1 piece of cover paper, slightly larger than your text sheets

A pair of scissors (optional if you need to trim your paper text paper)

A ruler (or a bone folder)

A needle

An awl (optional)

Embroidery thread (using three strands)

 

Step-by-step instructions:

  1. Fold your text paper and cover in half.
  2. Use your needle to punch three holes near the fold: One in the middle, one ½ an inch from the top and ½ an inch from the bottom.  You can punch into a thick magazine or a cork board to protect your table.
  3. Use three strands of the six strand embroidery thread.  You’ll need a length of thread as long as your arm.,br />
    Thread your needle: Start sewing from the inside of the middle hole, leaving a 4 inch tail of thread. (Hold the thread down with your other hand, as shown). Sew into the top hole (from the outside). Skip the middle hole and sew through the bottom hole.  Come back in front at the middle hole (take care not to split the thread already there).
  4. Tie the two thread ends around the long middle piece with a square knot (left over right, right over left)
  5. Trim your thread ends.

 

Things to think about when making your book:

  1. Four to eight sheets of folded paper makes a typical gathering for lightweight paper. The thicker your paper, the less pages your gathering should hold. 
  2. You can use a variety of papers for each signature.  Once you get the hang of sewing together a pamphlet, experiment with using different weights of paper in your gatherings.
  3. You can add decorative paper as end sheets.  They should be the same size as your text sheets.  If you choose to do this add it to the outside of your text sheets before you add the cover.