Bookbinding

Bookbinding is the process of assembling written or printed pages into a finished book and providing a protective cover. Traditional binding involves attaching folded sheets, or signatures, together by stitching or layering, then attaching the block to a spine and enclosing it in a cover of boards, cloth, leather, or paper. The result is a durable object intended for handling and reading, with additional features such as endpapers, a headband, and a decorative spine.

Historically, bookbinding has roots in ancient civilizations and evolved through the medieval period with wooden boards and leather bindings. In the early modern era, larger libraries and the rise of print culture led to standardized bindings and the use of case bindings. Industrialization introduced machine-made cases, glue-based perfect bindings, and mass-produced covers.

Common binding types include saddle-stitch binding, where sheets are stapled along the spine; perfect binding, in which pages are glued at the spine; and case binding, in which the text block is sewn or glued and attached to a rigid outer case. Other methods such as spiral or comb bindings offer flexible spines for notebooks and manuals.

Materials used include paper quality, binding boards, cloth, leather, or paper covers, endpapers, thread for sewing, and glue for adhesion. Finishes may include gilding, foil stamping, edge painting, or decorative tooling.

Conservation and restoration address damage to bindings, using careful cleaning, resewing, spine repair, and resewing or re-backing as needed. Modern bindings balance durability with aesthetics, while handmade bindings remain a celebrated craft and collectible art.