Pendragon's Binding

What's so different about Hand Sewn book Binding?

...this is a lost art dating back to the 2nd century AD.

Ever pulled back the cover of a book, wondering how it's all held together? Well, now a'days, that magic stuff is simply called Glue... and tons of it.

But, in the old days? Folded paper was sewn with needle and thread. The books were broken down into small gatherings of pages, called Signatures. Each signature is literally sewn onto the next, binding them all together with linen thread. Only afterward would the beautiful hard bound cover be added, hiding the hand sewn work from sight.

And, here at Pendragon's Book Binding, the old way is exactly how it's done. Preserving a lost art, one stitch at a time.

What about Paper Grain?

An interesting binding fact: Did you know paper has a grain? Like trees, grain runs through each page... and in only one direction. So what? What difference does it make? Well, when your book starts taking on moisture from the environment, it'll be obvious if it's wrong.

In standard printing paper, the grain runs up and down. If this paper were folded and sewn into a journal, the grain would then be side to side, stacking on top of each other like little logs in a cabin. So, what happens when these logs get wet?

The two pages in the picture are a half sheet of normal printing paper (log grains) and a half sheet of our binding paper that has been cut with the grain going the opposite direction.

I wet both pieces on one side (under the sink). I then leaned them against the couch just as they would be bound in a journal. The computer paper easily rolls up on itself because having the grains stacked like logs let them curl around each other. We want to prevent this from happening to the ends of your book as much as possible... so, we're grain conscious. :) It should always run in the same direction as your spine--making them more like tiny supported flagpoles. Having the spine in the same direction helps keep them more flat, strong, and less like the shape of curly fries.

Straight from the Professional's Text:

"bookbinding ... began with the protection of parchment manuscripts with boards. Papyrus had originally been produced in rolls, but sheets of parchment came to be folded and fastened together with sewing by the 2d cent. AD In the Middle Ages the practice of making fine bindings for these sewn volumes rose to great heights; books were rare and precious articles, and many were treated with exquisite bindings: they were gilded, jeweled, fashioned of ivory, wood, leather, or brass. The techniques of folding and sewing together sheets in small lots, combining those lots with tapes, and sewing and fastening boards on the outside as protection changed but little from the medieval monastery to the modern book bindery. The invention of printing greatly increased the demand for the bookbinder's work, establishing it as a business. The finest binding is still done by hand."