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Grain—The direction in which the fibers are aligned in the paper. When grain direction runs parallel to the spine, the paper folds will be straighter and stronger and the pages will lie flat.
Head—The top of the book.
Hinge—Inside the book cover, this is the thin, flexible line where the pastedown and flyleaf meet and is the most easily damaged part of the book.
Joint—Outside the book at the point between the edge of the spine and the hard cover that corresponds with the inside hinge. Its flexibility allows the book to open and close.
Linen tapes—Strips of linen sewn onto the signatures and used to hold the signatures together. The tapes run perpendicular across the spine edge and are pasted down between the cover boards and the endsheets.
Pastedown—See Endsheets.
Signature—A gathering of papers that are folded and sewn to make up the textblock or the pages of a book.
Spine—The back edge of a book, where the pages are sewn and glued.
Swell—Term that indicates the way paper lies after folding. Generally, the folded edges of a stack of paper will be thicker than the outer edges. Consolidating and rounding the textblock will reduce swell and allow the book to lie flat and even.
Tail—The bottom of the book, where it rests when shelved upright.
Textblock—The sections of paper sheets or signatures sewn through the fold onto linen tapes.
OTHER BOOKBINDING TERMS
Conservation—The care and preservation of books, often at a total resource level—that is, a library or the archives of an institution. Conservators will take into consideration the damaging effects of age, use, and environment (including light, heat, humidity, and other natural enemies of paper, cloth, and leather) and strive to apply their knowledge of bookbinding, restoration, chemistry, and technology to the restoration and protection of the collection under their care.
Consolidation—Once the textblock is sewn and pressed, the spine should be consolidated (that is, compressed, in a press) and coated with adhesive (PVA). When consolidation is completed (the glue is dry), the texblock is rounded by pushing and pounding against the sections, first one side, then the other, with a bookbinders hammer.
Kettle—The kettle actually refers to the first and last holes (usually found at each end of the page) where the stitching together of the signature pages begins and ends (or reverses back to the begi
Restoration—The process of returning a book to as close to its original condition as possible. A book restoration specialist will pay close attention to the materials and techniques in use at the time the book was first made, and will attempt to follow those guidelines in terms of resewing, rebinding, and reconstructing the book. This is in contrast to book repair, which does not encompass restoration or conservation but focuses strictly on bringing a book back to its basic functional level (which may or may not involve duct tape).
Rounding—The process of hammering or manipulating the textblock spine into a curved shape after gluing and before backing. Rounding diminishes the effect of swelling and helps to keep a book standing upright on a shelf.
SOME BASIC BOOKMAKING TOOLS
Awl—Used for punching sewing holes in folded paper.
Bone folder—A tool used for making sharp creases in folded paper and smoothing out surfaces that have been glued. It is generally made of bone and is shaped like a wooden tongue depressor.
Bookbinders hammer—Used for rounding the spine of a book, a bookbinders hammer is smaller and lighter than a carpenter’s hammer, with a large, flat, polished pounding surface.
Book press—There are various types. One small type of wood press can be used to hold the textblock while gluing. With a newly finished book, a large brass press will help strengthen, straighten, and fuse the book together.
Punching jig or Punching cradle—A V-shaped piece of equipment with a slim opening at the bottom for cradling signatures in order to punch holes in them.
PVA (polyvinyl acetate)—Preferred adhesive in bookbinding, it is liquid and flexible and results in a permanent bond. It dries colorless and is pH neutral, so it is recommended for archival work.
Turn the page for a sneak peek at Brooklyn Wainwright’s next mystery adventure in
Murder Under Cover
the fourth Bibliophile Mystery, available from Obsidian in May 2011.
“You’re having sex!” my best friend, Robin, cried as soon as I opened the door. “I mean, not currently, thank God, but recently. Oh, I’m so happy for you!”
“Say it a little louder, why don’t you?” I yanked her into my apartment and quickly shut the door behind her. “I don’t think they heard you in Petaluma.”
She dropped her bags on my worktable and pulled me into a hug. “Your closest neighbors are two gay guys. Do you really think they care?”
“It’s nobody’s business,” I grumbled. “I’m not even going to ask how you can tell.”
“It’s a gift.” She patted my cheek. “Besides, just look at you. You’re glowing.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I said, feeling my cheeks warm up. So maybe she was right—maybe I was glowing. But did she have to point it out to the world?
Robin Tully had been my BFF for years, ever since we were eight years old and our parents joined the same spiritual commune in the hills of Sonoma County. We first bonded over Barbie dolls, Joh
Robin gri
“I ordered pizza,” I said, leading the way down the short hall to my living area.
“I’d kill for pizza.”
“No need. I’ll share.” I pulled two wineglasses from the kitchen shelf and set them on the smooth wood surface of the bar that separated my kitchen from the living room. “I missed you a lot. How was India?”
“India was exotic and wonderful and smoggy, and I missed you, too.” She pulled a bottle of wine from one of her bags and handed it to me to open. “And I missed showers. And ice cream. And hamburgers.”
“The pizza’s got sausage and pepperoni.”
“Oh, God, meat.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “It sounds like heaven.”
“I have ice cream, too.”
“I love you—have I told you lately?”
With a laugh, I poured the wine and handed her the glass. “Welcome home.”
“Thanks.” We clinked glasses, and she took a good long drink. “You have no idea how happy I am to be back.”
The doorbell rang, and I ran to pay the pizza delivery-man. After piling pizza and salad onto plates and pouring more wine, we sat in the living room to eat.
Besides Robin’s work as a sculptor, she owned a small travel company that specialized in tours of sacred destinations all over the world. Stone circles, pyramids, Gothic cathedrals, harmonic power centers. Her tours catered to the adventurous seeker of esoteric knowledge who had tons of cash to throw her way. She had just returned from a three-week tour of India.
So for three long weeks I’d been gnashing my teeth, unable to share my exciting news—specifically, the news about me and my mysterious British boyfriend—with my closest friend. And Robin had guessed it the very first second she saw me. I supposed that’s what the whole BFF thing was all about.