The craft and process of fastening pages together and attaching them to covers to make a book.
From book + bind + -ing (gerund suffix). This craft dates back to early Christianity when monks began binding together parchment leaves into what we recognize as books.
The techniques used in traditional bookbinding today are almost identical to those used 1,500 years ago—it's one of the oldest continuously practiced crafts that hasn't been entirely replaced by machines.
Bookbinding has a long history of women practitioners, from medieval convents to modern studios, yet the craft's histories often centered male master-binders, rendering women's technical expertise invisible.
Use 'bookbinding' as-is; when teaching or documenting the craft, include women practitioners and their innovations equally.
Women have been master bookbinders for centuries, developing techniques and running ateliers. Contemporary bookbinding has significant female leadership; historical accounts should reflect this.
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