Illustrated lectures and workshops have been commissioned by a number of Societies and Institutes:
 

DESIGNER BINDERS at the Guild of Art Workers in London
CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY
THE GALLEY CLUB in London
GUILD of BOOK WORKERS at Kater Crafts Bookbinders, California
GUILD of BOOK WORKERS at The Boston Athenaeum, Boston
GUILD of BOOK WORKERS at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia    
INDIANA UNIVERSITY   
JOHN HOPKINS UNIVERSITY in Baltimore
NORTH BENNET St SCHOOL, Boston
SOCIETY OF BOOKBINDERS, in London
ST MARY'S HOUSE, Bramber, England
PACIFIC CENTRE for the BOOK in San Francisco
WASHINGTON CONSERVATION GUILD at The Hillwood Museum
WISCONSIN UNIVERSITY, in Stevens Point
WEST SUSSEX LIBRARIES, Worthing, England
WYNKEN DE WORDE SOCIETY, England
ZUKOR & NOENNIG Conservation in Oaklands, California

Enquiries for future appearances and private tuition are welcomed.

Emily Jacobson,  Paper and Photographic Materials Conservator, US Holocaust Memorial in Washington wrote recently …

 … British book artist Martin Frost began his lecture here in Washington by describing what ‘secret’ fore-edge paintings are and, trust me, they are absolutely amazing.
    Martin then described the history of decorated book edges. Edge decoration in its simplest form began in the 10th century in Europe. By the 15th century, the titles of books were written along the un-fanned edges of books. The earliest decorated vanishing fore-edges date back to the 17th century and include coats of arms and flower motifs. Edwards of Halifax, an English bindery, progressed the art with many finely executed landscapes and depictions of ancestral homes and are today much sought after by collectors.
    Although fore-edge paintings tend to be unsigned, we do know of a number of artists such as Bartholomew Frye and John T. Beer, a figurative edge-painter from Liverpool. Miss C.B. Curry working for Henry Sotheran & Co  of London who painted miniatures and fore-edges. Joseph Clayton Clarke who also worked in London in the early 1900’s  and Don Noble towards the end of the century. In the last 33 years Martin Frost has painting many thousands of books, consistently monogramming his work.
    Coming from an artistic family; his father was a portrait painter and his mother managing an art store. He trained in Theatre Design, working on large-scale backdrops and costumes, then to graphics in the newspaper trade, but eventually found his niche when his friend Don Noble showed him the techniques.
    Along with over 100 slides, Martin also brought numerous examples of his work and displayed them in his specially designed book clamp. He showed how he prefers to choose designs based on the subject of the book: a Bible will get a biblical scene; a William Morris title is given a Pre-Raphaelite image; a London title is painted a view along the Thames.
    Most of his business is commissioned by booksellers, who have old gilt-edged books with beautiful bindings, but often on subjects that have little appeal to today’s collectors. A painted fore-edge adds to the value and interest in these old forgotten books. It was a pleasure to hear and learn about this little known book art form.

See also:

Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries
British Book Artist Teaches the Art of Fore-edge Painting

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