During this workshop, you will work with pre-printed paper and parchment to create a replica of a 1425 almanac called the ‘Kalendarium Perpetual’.

This almanac documented lunar eclipses from 1425 to 1462 and included illustrations of moon cycles. The almanac was designed as a ‘pouch-book’ or ‘belt-book’, making it convenient to carry by attaching it to a belt. Notably, the booklet’s pages are folded three times, resulting in a larger page surface. The content is written on one side, and the folded pages are bound at the top with a narrow tapered vellum cover.

Aaldert de Lange’s upbringing was steeped in a passion for books and bookbinding. By age 11, he was already assisting his parents in selling books at their antiquarian bookshop. Observing that his father’s book repairs using Bison sealant often hindered the books from opening, Aaldert began learning the art of bookbinding. In addition to conducting workshops and offering bookbinding materials and tools, he executes book repairs at the Bookbinding Centre in Echten.

Tanja Rakic has actively engaged in offering courses and workshops in the field of bookbinding for more than 20 years. Additionally, she enjoys arranging bookbinding-related events and trips, including organizing a workshop at Berne Abbey and participating in the Bookbinding Fair in Sint-Niklaas (B).

Boektotaal is a bookbinding and restoration workshop located in the Bookbinding Centre in Echten (Dr.). Boektotaal specializes in giving various bookbinding-related workshops and courses (also on location), and sells everything in the field of manual bookbinding, such as various tools, decorative paper, folding legs, bookbinding glue, and linen for covering a book.