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As a writer I worry about words. The books I write normally appear with what the bookbiz
calls 'perfect' bindings.
But my bookshelves are full of lovely old books, where the
folios have been stitched and stuck before having a clever cover attached which
can flex and has survived for a generation or more.
So why do we call a cover that is glued to the pages,
'perfect'?
I will have to use another word for the traditional binding, which is why I
am calling this 'Proper Binding'.
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Proper Binding
Work starts for the binders when the folded folios are delivered from the
printer.
| These sections derive from an earlier printing process where
the pages were printed on large sheets, know as folios.
These machines (left and right) stitch these sections together.
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| Next, the stitched sections are carefully assembled,
gathered and the end
papers attached. These will bond the text to the cover. Then a backing tape
is attached to hold the pages together as a block.
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| Then, the whole text block is trimmed to its final size.
Now it is ready to meet the cover. (It is possible and practical to attach a
variety of cloth and card covers to a book that is not stitched) |
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| The cover has five components.(right) Covers can have a flat or round spine. The shape tends to be a function of the size of the number of pages.
A rounded spine works and looks better for fatter books while a flat spine
is better suited to thin books.
The text and cover can be glued together by hand or in one of the range
of fine machines that can also accurately align and glue the two components
together. (below)
And then there is the title and author to be printed onto the cover using
a letterpress and metal foil. (below right) |
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Many thanks to Kemp Hall Bindery in Oxford, UK.
The hands belong to Tony Tanner, the Chairman, who very kindly showed me
around
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 Some
of the presses that are on hand where a bit of brute force is require to get
the book ready for a century in the hand and on the bookshelf. |
To contact them maltbysoxford@aol.com
or visit their website
www.maltbysbookbinders.com
See a modern, perfect book line in action
Book sizes
The sizes we can print
International paper sizes
Traditional type setting
© Chas Jones 2008
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