Binding

Sewn through the fold or glued at the spine, in paper, boards or cloth: how a book is held together decides whether it opens flat, what it costs, and whether it survives being read twice.

A sewn text block before casing — Sewing comes first. The text block is a structure in its own right; the case is attached to a book that already exists.CreditMoussa Idrissi / Pexels

Entries in Binding

Filed by fold

Sewn and cased
Signatures sewn through the fold open flat and survive; the case is attached afterwards.
Signature Q
Binding
Perfect binding
Glue instead of thread — cheap, fast, and why some paperbacks shed pages.
Signature R
Binding
Boards and cloth
Publisher's cloth arrives in the 1820s and the binding stops being the buyer's job.
Signature S
Binding

Binding

Entries in Binding

Elsewhere in the register