Author Archive
Bookbinding History and Systems
by Craig Bevish on Nov.08, 2009, under Miscellaneous
There are few hobbies or skills out there that combine the feeling of the white collar knowledge with the blue collar skills in the way that bookbinding does. Not only does this hobby or trade allow you to work with books (sometimes very old books if you’re repairing), but bookbinding also forces you to become skilled with your hands in order to work the stitching or binding as needed.
Some people first get into bookbinding to repair old books that have damaged spines. Others start from scratch because they want to put something original together. Whatever the reason or the way, there are many ways for people to start out with bookbinding.
Many people self teach themselves when it comes to bookbinding. With a good guide or how to book, the proper bookbinding supplies, and a little bit of practice almost anyone can teach themselves over time to become a good bookbinder. Like many hobbies, it’s all about practice.
If you want to go back in history, the first type of bookbinding was Coptic bookbinding. This was named after the Coptic Christians in Egypt as far back as the 2nd century. This was done by taking sections of parchment, making small folds on each page, and stitching together through the folds. This method of bookbinding was used for nearly a full millennium.
Long stitch bookbinding came next, and is a method that is still used today. It’s important to note that “long stitch” methods of bookbinding don’t refer to just one practice, but can include a wide variety of methods, all of which have the one common element of stitching that goes through a slotted cover, reducing the need for any glue.
One of the most common methods of bookbinding that is popular today is the one mentioned earlier, which is spiral bookbinding. This is sometimes also referred to as plastic coil bookbinding and is what you get when you often see office reports or manifestos. Many local cookbooks also appear in this form.
These are just a few of the styles and methods that are available when it comes to bookbinding. Do a little research, find a good how to book or a mentor, and dive in! You might find that this is the hobby you’ve been looking for all along.
If you want to learn more about book binding, please have a look at this page covering a wide range of topics, including book binding instruction.
