It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our founder, a mentor, an occasional curmudgeon, a friend, and a father, C. Allan “Skip” Carpenter. For the last 62 years he could be found in and about the Bindery, or as anyone who knew him can guess, in the car barn. Skip was born in 1932, in upstate New York, and spent his young life as an adventurer, a Navy man, a shop teacher, an American antiques dealer and early automobile restorer and later as a bookbinder. He founded the Bindery, more or less officially, in 1964 while still trading in early American furniture and housewares. He was 94 years old, and even earlier this year restoring yet another pre-WW1 Buick automobile to drive. A celebration of his life has been scheduled for The Green Dragon Bindery shall continue for another generation. We will miss Skip.
Gershom Wheelock house: The current site of the Green Dragon Bindery, circa 1930's. Route 140 was still a dirt road.
Green Dragon Bindery as it stands today.
Our original shop shingle that many mistook to mean we were a carpentry business. The name Green Dragon Bindery was added much later.
Title page from a publication printed at the Green Dragon in England 1642.
Our Story
The Green Dragon Bindery was established as a book bindery in 1964 by Allan “Skip” Carpenter Jr. and is located on an historic property in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. Gradually, what started as a hobby in the antique business, blossomed into a small family operation that now boasts over 150 years of combined bookbinding experience. Very early on, Skip had the good fortune to train with the famous English restoration binder Bernard Middleton and our shop became a regular haunt for marble paper historian and author Richard Wolfe. Today, the bindery is owned and operated by Skip's daughter Christine Carpenter with a loyal staff of talented artisans. Our services are wide and varied, ranging from the restoration of period correct book bindings (leather, cloth, vellum and paper),custom books and boxes of all kinds, the conservation of wall maps, atlas maps, prints, posters, documents, globes, scientific instruments and objects.
Our Name
We are often asked " why Green Dragon Bindery” ? Originally, Skip had been an antiques dealer, focusing on early American pieces, and he had acquired a beautiful watercolor of a green dragon. At the time he simply loved it, and it hung in the entrance way to the shop. Unfortunately, over the decades, this namesake piece of art was sold to a dealer that kept offering more money for it and so it no longer graces the walls. It does however live on in our stylized logo and sign. We like to think of ourselves as Book Dragons rather than Book Worms. It was much later that we learned of three interesting coincidences (or serendipity). The first is a bit of local history. The Green Dragon Tavern in Boston, Massachusetts was once a hotbed of secret gatherings. The tavern saw Masonic meetings, and down in the basement, the revolutionary Sons of Liberty which included Samuel Adams, Dr. Joseph Warren, Paul Revere, John Hancock, James Otis, and Benjamin Edes planned the first steps of rebellion there. The historic events surrounding the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Lexington and Concord and later the necessity of a Federal Constitution were originated at the Tavern. The original site of the tavern is just forty-five minutes from the Bindery. The second reference to the “Green Dragon” was Andrew Crooke of London, who published a variety of works from his shop At the Sign of the Green Dragon in St. Paul’s Churchyard between 1637 and 1674. Initially he partnered with William Cooke, but only until 1641. Like many small publishing concerns, Andrew Crooke was licensed as a stationer and could also sell books. We have one of his printed works in the shop as a curiosity. The third, and final reference is as any fan of J.R.R. Tolkien’s works knows, The Greene Dragon Inn outside Hobbiton.
Our Mission
Taking on a project, we account for all of the clients' concerns, be it originality, condition, budget or time constraints. We work with all manner of institutions, libraries, historical societies, dealers and collectors. The Green Dragon Bindery prides itself on meeting your challenges one project at a time. Within the realm of antiquarian book repair and paper restoration many things are possible, we look forward to working with you and surprising you with the results.
Our pricing is based on a fair hourly rate plus materials. Each project is unique and may have special circumstances. Therefore, each project is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. We strongly suggest that you call or visit for a personalized estimate. The general turn around time for most projects is 8-12 weeks.
