The Craft of Bookbinding - how to bind books

History of Bookbinding

Development of writing

Writing originates in mesopotamia, modern Iraq and Syria, in 4000 BCE with the use of pictorial symbols on clay tokens representing individuals and goods, possible used in the distribution and trade of agricultural surpluses and other commodities. By 3000 BCE these forms evolved into cuneiform, markings engraved into soft clay tablets with a stylus, which used both the phonetic and concrete meanings of each symbol to any idea that could be expressed verbally.
The first writing appears in China around 2000 BCE with the appearance of tortoise oracles--turtle shells inscribed with symbols using heated rod, which would then be used to make predictions about the future.
While early writing systems were inscribed on clay tablets or carved into rock, the invention of papyrus and other types of paper allowed for the making of scrolls, which remained the main medium for written text until the invention of the first codices between 100 and 200 CE

The First Codices

A codice differs from a scroll in that it has pages, rather than being one long text, allowing texts to be made any length and greater ease finding specific passages within the text. The first codices were made of a single section of folded pages, stab-sewn, often with no cover.
By 800CE codices evolved into multi-section books with several sections of folded pages, called signatures, and began using more complex methods of sewing and cover boards made of wood. These codices evolved in christian monasteries, which after the fall of rome in the fifth century, housed the only literate individuals, and the only places of learning, in Europe.
Later books began using cover materials such as leather to cover the spine and boards, and began sewing the signatures onto bands of leather, enhancing the strength and structure of the book.

Invention of the modern book

Modern book developed in monasteries by monks who copied and recopies ancient and religious texts by hand onto vellum
Gutenberg press allowed printed text to become more available to people rather than just monks. Printed texts could be made cheaply, but binding and paper was still done by hand and remained rare except among the wealthy. The only book most families were likely to own was the bible, which would be passed down through the generations
Industrialization brought about a number of new ways to produce paper that were far cheaper than sheepskin vellum.
- In the eighteenth century it became common to produce paper from used clothing, which made for very strong and extremely long lasting paper
- Nineteenth century-invented paper made from wood pulp, which reduced the cost of paper to a fraction of what it was before, although wood pulp paper, the standard today, is actually far less durable than other types.
While the cost of paper and printing decreased dramatically by the eighteenth century—and increasing numbers outside the church became literate, especially in the American colonies—bookbinding had changed little, and remained extremely expensive. This lead to the proliferation of non-bound printed media, such as pamphlets, which were popular in the colonies, or weekly magazines, which were the main media for British writers such as charles dickens. In fact, aside from printed copies of the bible, most books produced by binderies were blank, intended as legers and record books for business men and government bureaucrats.

Industrialization and Paperback books

Industrialization of bookbinding began in the later half of the 19th century with the invention of the first book sewing machine in 1865 by David McConnell Smyth, from whom the term applied to the method of sewing pages in a book, smyth sewing, was borrowed. However, binding books by hand remained a common practice until the mid 1900s.
Perfect binding, the method of binding for paper back books was invented in 1895, and was adopted first by a german publisher Albatross books, then popularized by the then British publishing giant, penguin books, introducing their Penguin Classics.
While Penguin books launched the paper back revolution in the 1930s, these paperbacks were very low quality, degraded over time, and reserved only for backlist best sellers. New books were always produced in hard cover. By the 1950s the quality paperback revolution was underway, aided by the introduction of hot melt glues that made the bindings more durable, as well as superior paper coating and laminations, and declining cost of paper.
The quality paperback revolution also marked the rise of non-fiction in the book market. Whereas in the nineteenth century the majority of all books sold were novels, by the 1950s non-fiction surpassed fiction in overall sales, due both to the advent of the information age, requiring people to stay up to date, as well increased interest in fields such as history, possibly due to the experiences in the two world wars.

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