Question on Book Bindings

[Greatwyrm]

I seem to be having some trouble with the bindings in several of my hardback books. Maybe it's just me.

Anyway, if you open up a hardback, there's a little strip of something that looks like cardboard with a tiny strip of cloth at the top and bottom in the spine of the book. It's usually attached to the pages themselves. This strip keeps working it's way loose in several of my books.

I've got a couple that now look like the pages are just held in because they are glued to that last page that is completely glued to the inside cover.

Is it common for books to kind of come apart like this now? Am I just too rough with my books? Can this be fixed? Is it anything to be concerned about?

Thanks.

 

[Ranger REG]

Well, I have to know what kind of abuse you subjected your book to, and what is the exact condition of your book now.

 

[Greatwyrm]

I keep my books on a nice bookshelf. I transport them in a backpack. I read them from time to time. Other than that, I'm pretty careful with them.

I don't throw them. Don't use them for coasters or home defense.

In fact, other than the binding thing, they're all still in like-new condition.

 

[Harlock]

Well, I have to know what kind of abuse you subjected your book to, and what is the exact condition of your book now.

Depending on the publisher, I can relate to the original poster whether there was abuse or not. My S&SS books almost all have binding issues one is like you describe, where the glue spearated from the cloth strip. You can even see the little indentions where the sections of pages would normally be setting. Just a set of grooves now. I had a friend suggest good old Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Glue and it does work. You'll need a long tube (plastic straw or something) to get the glue way down in suh a narrow space. I have another S&SS book that is only being held together by the paper glued over the inside of the front and back covers as it separated from the spine completely. This isn't because of abuse either, this happened shortly after I got the books on the initial read throughs. If it were any other company than S&SS I might stop buying them, but oh well, the glue thing works well enough, just make sure you do not get it on the sides of the pages or something and glue the books shut.

 

[Greatwyrm]

So far I've seen this on at least two of my SSS books, 3 or 4 from Fantasty Flight, and IIRC my WotC Monster Manual I.

 

[Emerald]

Me and my husbands PHB had the same problem. We finally cut the pages out with a razor, punched holes in them and put them in a three ring binder. In someways it is better, now we have dividers before each chapter and it is faster to find things.

 

[Holy Bovine]

The glue down the spine does work but you have to be careful not to get glue on the pages. If you can get it use Lepage's #6 glue - I have repaired several very old books using this glue and it works very well. With a long necked glue bottle you can get the glue down into the spine quite easily. Then close the book and have a damp cloth handy to wipe up any over spill immediately.




Cut up your PHB??!?!?!!

Hmmm that's not a bad idea.

 

[Buttercup]

The other thing you can use to get the glue into the spine is a bamboo skewer or thin gauge knitting needle. Dip the skewer into the glue, stick it down the spine, and repeat until you have enough glue in there. Then leave the book to dry with a brick sitting on it for 24 hours. Of course, be careful not to get glue on the pages.

If the binding is cracked, so that when you open to a certain page you can see into the spine, then you can put glue in there, and protect the pages with a sheet of wax paper. Use the brick in this instance too.

 

[handforged]

it sucks to have something like this happen in a utility book, but it is not a bad thing necessarily as long as you take care of the book from now on. Many hardcover books are bound with only the end pages holding the pages to the cover. As long as you don't over-stress the creases of the end pages(like twisting the book while open), you should be fine.

~hf

 

[Psion]

Depending on the publisher, I can relate to the original poster whether there was abuse or not. My S&SS books almost all have binding issues one is like you describe, where the glue spearated from the cloth strip.

I wouldn't say all of mine, but I have noticed this sort of proplem with S&S logo stuff more than any other. My R&R2, Divine & Defeated, SLCS and Necropolis are pretty solid, by my R&R1 and ToH fell apart promptly (and my replacement ToH did, too.)

I had a friend suggest good old Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Glue and it does work.

Go to a craft store (such as Michael's in the US) and get Allene's Tacky Glue. I used Elmers to fix my R&R and Allene's to fix my ToH, and Allene's works much better because it is more flexible after drying. My R&R spine is sort of "crunchy", whereas you wouldn't know that there was ever a problem with my ToH.