Slate Publishing House

14/04/2023

Join us for Slate’s first ever book craft course with master bookbinder and craftsperson extraordinaire, Tom O’Reilly 📚

- 6 week bookbinding course
- Begins 29th April
- Saturdays, 11am - 2pm
- Beginners welcome
- All materials & equipment provided
- Ocean Studios, RWY, Plymouth
- Limited tickets: link in bio 👆

Learn the different stages of making a book, covering a variety of designs to include pamphlet binding, traditional hardback, and quarter-leather binding.

THE ARTIST 👨‍🎨

Tom O’Reilly is a renowned bookbinder, having produced books for the V&A Collection, Royal Academy Summer Show, and reproduced works for the National Trust. His creations are treasured by book collectors across the globe and his publishing career spans several decades.

BINDINGS 🪡

This is Slate’s launch event for ‘Bindings’, an immersive programme of workshops, talks, and exhibits focusing on the revival of traditional book craft. We look forward to sharing a wealth of practical skills and techniques with you over the coming year, and would like to thank & for their support in hosting our programme.

📸

04/04/2023

We are excited to announce Slate’s new series of traditional book-craft events and workshops, Bindings. The programme launches with a 6-week beginners bookbinding course from master craftsperson The Book Bindery - Tom O’Reilly M.A on Saturday 29th April 📒📚 Workshops are held in the beautiful Ocean Studios, Plymouth.

Study and practice the craft of traditional hand-binding with master bookbinder, Tom O'Reilly, on this six-week course.

04/04/2023

We are excited to announce Slate’s new series of traditional book-craft events and workshops, Bindings. The programme of events kickstarts with a 6-week beginners bookbinding course from master craftsperson The Book Bindery - Tom O’Reilly M.A on Saturday 29th April 📒📚 Workshops are held in the beautiful Ocean Studios, Plymouth.

Study and practice the craft of traditional hand-binding with master bookbinder, Tom O'Reilly, on this six-week course.

07/12/2022

3 reasons why reading more makes the perfect new year's resolution 📚⤵️

👉 Reading strengthens your brain:

Using MRI scans, researchers have confirmed that reading involves a complex network of circuits and signals in the brain. As your reading ability matures, those networks also get stronger and more sophisticated 🧠

👉 Reading reduces stress:

In 2009, a group of researchers measured the effects of yoga, humour, and reading on the stress levels of students.

The study found that 30 minutes of reading lowered blood pressure, heart rate, and feelings of psychological distress just as effectively as yoga and humour did.

👉 Reading can help you live longer:

One study concluded that people who read more than 3 1/2 hours every week were 23 percent more likely to live longer than those who didn’t read at all.

Is reading a staple in your daily routine? Let us know in the comments below 📖

05/12/2022

When it comes to making a difference, our actions don’t have to be eloborate 🍃

Big requests, extensive demands, and complicated actions may be implemented briefly; but people quickly tire, burn out, and turn their attention to other matters.

By contrast, smaller, incremental steps can be maintained over time, enhancing the chances of ultimate success 🦶

The steps of change we make can be small but with every one we make, it paves a mighty moment on a revolutionary journey 🤝

02/12/2022

Who invented the Printing Press? 📖

Unfortunately, it's not that simple 🧐

Nobody knows who invented the original printing press (or when it was made) and the evolution of the printing process is a lot more nuanced.

The oldest known printed text originated in China during the first millennium A.D., so we can only assume that's where mass-produced printing techniques began.

The first printing press revolutionised society and in the 15th Century we saw further development of this powerful equipment in Europe 📚

Johannes Gutenberg, the father of modern publishing, invented the Gutenberg press in 1450.

Integral to Gutenberg’s design was replacing traditional wood features with metal and printing blocks with each letter, creating the European version of moveable type 📖

Gutenberg's press started a printing revolution and is responsible for many of the building blocks that the publishing industry, as we know it, is built upon today.

In part two of this post we are going to take a closer look at the Gutenberg press and what made it so effective. Turn on our post notification to ensure you don't miss it 🛎

01/12/2022

To produce one ton of paper, 27,000 litres of water are used, 27 kilograms of carbon dioxide are emitted, and more than four kilowatts of energy are used 📚

Independent publishers and larger publishing organisations need to work together to commit to ensuring a sustainable future for the industry.

Here are three ways we can do that 🌳

1. Set company ambitions and declarations for sustainability targets and hold yourself accountable to them.

2. Create practical tools to understand the impact publishing businesses have - from a carbon calculator to a recycled material index.

3. Celebrate best practices in the industry. Success can be shared and the biggest difference will be the one made as a collective.

At Slate Publishing House, our handcrafted books are made with FSC-accredited paper and we continue to make environmentally-conscious decisions when selecting resources and organising distribution.

We are committed to paving small steps of change that we hope one day will have a greater overall impact 💭

30/11/2022

Have you heard of Abibliophobia? 😱

Abibliophobia is the fear of running out of reading material 📚

It may sound pretty crazy but in fact, many people experience milder forms of this condition every day.

For example, if you are a voracious reader and you commence a long journey only to realise you accidentally left behind your book, you will experience a mild form of abibliophobia ✈️

Or as you reach the final pages of an engaging novel and story you do not want to end, that feeling of dread may be abibliophobia too 📖

And you will always recognise the abibliophobic personality at a breakfast table as they momentarily panic when there is no newspaper or magazine at hand to read. Instead, they will probably proceed to read the contents of the cereal box 🥣

For the full definition, swipe left 👉

29/11/2022

Spoken word poetry is one of the most popular subgenres of poetry today 🗣

And it’s easy to see why spoken word has become so loved:

Since its beginning, spoken word has given a voice to the oppressed, the silenced and the misunderstood, allowing them to speak their truths and tell their stories in their own words 💭

Many listeners and fans of the craft have cited the form’s diversity and accessibility, seeing spoken word as a way to introduce poetry to new generations.

Yet despite its recent boost, spoken word poetry’s origins go back a lot further than many people realise.

Let's take a look at some of the most influential pioneers of spoken word, as well as today’s modern and innovative voices that are well worth discovering 👉

28/11/2022

The festive season can be a difficult time for many families and individuals 🎄

If you're looking for a little extra support this Christmas, our wonderful community in the South of Devon has lots of helpful resources to share 💭

Here are four worth saving:

🧸 The Toy Recycle Project: on Saturday 3rd December, the United Reformed Church is holding a free pop-up event for anyone who is worried about the affordability of gift giving.

🍓 Based in the Oasis Project, Plymouth Foodbank is on hand to provide support, food parcels and resources for anyone in need.

🏡 Age UK Plymouth is assisting individuals of pension age with practical energy-saving items, white goods and vouchers to help keep energy costs low.

🌤 Plymouth's Online Directory have an interactive map of all open, warm and welcoming spaces for anyone who may need a safe space this winter.

If you'd like further details of any of the above, please drop us a message 📱

We will continue to share free and accessible Christmas resources throughout this holiday season ✨

24/11/2022

Did you know only 6% of published writers in the UK are black?

At Slate Publishing, we celebrate the literary underdog: the marginalised voices that deserve more recognition 🤝

Here are 10 books written by black authors that you need to start reading now and finish in 2023 ⤵️

📖 Recitatif: A Story, by Toni Morrison

📖 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou

📖 The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois, by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

📖 Sister Outsider, by Audre Lorde

📖 The Color Purple, by Alice Walker

📖 The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story, by Nikole Hannah-Jones

📖 We Should All Be Feminists, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

📖 The Sweetness of Water, by Nathan Harris

📖 Moon Witch, Spider King, by Marlon James

📖 Somebody's Daughter: A Memoir, by Ashley C. Ford

Have you read any of the above? Or do you have another striking title to add to the list? Let us know in the comment below 👇

23/11/2022

Book binding tells a story of craftsmanship 📚

A binding tells us as much, if not more, about a book’s provenance than an owner’s signature or bookplate 🧍‍♀️

It assists librarians and historians to date and place a work 🗝️

It provides insight into an owner’s economic and social standing 👑

It imparts information about the spread of ideas, customs, technologies and artistic tastes of the time 🎨

It reflects the perceived significance of the book’s content and, importantly, it tells us exactly how a book was intended to be used and how it was actually used 🤲

From forwarding to finishing, and all of the steps in between, at Slate Publishing House we celebrate traditional techniques and methods of book craft 📖