Visited that big Library of Congress bindery last week...

Everyone raves about their hand finishing work but I was mostly just impressed by the simple double-fan adhesive binders they have running. Saw one operator do 80 books an hour with zero skips. Anybody else think we overcomplicate this stuff with too much hand stitching?

2 comments

2 Comments

anthony_lane5516d ago

I read somewhere that double-fan binding is underrated by purists.

anthony98915d ago

Man I feel that. I got a beat up old copy of "Blood Meridian" from a used bookstore in Amarillo, and the binding is so shot the pages are literally falling out in sections. It's been taped up with duct tape more times than I can count. A proper double-fan binding would probably let me actually read the thing without playing 52 pickup every time I hit Chapter 5. The purists can keep their fancy stitched spines, I just want my book to stay together on the passenger seat of my truck.