Kathy Abbott

Kathy Abbott started her bookbinding career in 1989. She served a four-year apprenticeship and then gained a Higher National Diploma in Bookbinding and Conservation from the London College of Printing, London (UK) followed by a BA (Hons) degree in Bookbinding from Roehampton University, Surrey (UK). She taught advanced level Fine Binding at the City Literary Insitute, London for 17 years and conducts many workshops across the UK and overseas. Kathy opened her own bookbinding studio in London in 1997, where she specializes in Islamic book conservation, western book conservation and contemporary fine binding, and is also a partner in Benchmark Bindery, established in 2009 with Tracey Rowledge. She is a founder member of Tomorrow’s Past, an international bookbinding collective and is the author of Bookbinding: A step-by-step guide, published by the Crowood Press in 2010. Kathy was made a lifetime Patron of the Society of Bookbinders in 2024 in recognition of her contribution to bookbinding and bookbinding education. Her work is held in both private and public collections and her work is exhibited widely.