I've had my first printing core books since they were released, and they are in excellent condition. I was surprised to hear of them falling apart for some people, as no one I know has had a problem with them.
My d20 CoC book, on the other hand, is a bit wobbly.
Binding? What binding? I cut mine off and scanned the pages into my laptop. Did that for all the WoTC products I bought and with the Dragon magazines. Its nice to have my entire collection with me wherever I go and lightly!