Here the spines of the signatures, you need eagle eyes, but you can make out the tiny tiny numbers that help to get them into the correct sequence. Very useful, because besides the editors and the photographer, there's probably no one who can sequence the book by heart.
The first step to bind a book is: holes. Make a template the size of a spread, put it the most precise possible in the center of the folded signature on top of a foam board, and pinch an even number of holes, paying attention that you always use the template in the same direction. That's why I wrote SU on mine, means up in Italian. And yup, I keep all the templates I make for the various dummies and books. One day my kids will sell everything to a crazy collector and make lots of money.. or a big fire in the garden :)
Next: stitch! All you need is cotton thread, a long needle and a candle. Slide the thread along an edge of the candle wax, and the thread will go smoothly through the holes, without tearing up the paper. No worries, the copies of "The Middle of Somewhere" will have a more discreet thread colour, I picked green 'cause I already had it, I try to recycle material as much as possible.
Press the signatures when making the knot. You can take a brick, I prefer a book though. Here is Darcy Padilla's "Family Love", check it out, it's really worth it!
Stitch, and stitch some more. Carefully, tearing the thread as much as possible, but not too much either.
Then: SQUEEZE the heck out of it.
If you don't squeeze enough, the glue you're going to put along the spine will leak between the pages, and, trust me, you don't want this to happen!
Then: wait. And wait. And wait some more.
While you wait, proceed with glueing the endpapers to the cover. Or, depending on which kind of binding, glueing the inside cover to the outside cover. Like in this case.
See! Squeezing and waiting helps! Now our fat baby fits perfectly between our covers!
Did you already read the book details? If yes, you'll have noticed that there are handmade bits and pieces in "The Middle of Somewhere". This is one of them.
Once the body of the book is ready, it can be glued to the endpapers.. we're almost done!
The back end. Published by ceiba.*
Today is World Book Day! In honor of photobooks, we’re spending the day inside working on finishing up one copy of The Middle of Somewhere, a book by Sam Harris. We need to stitch and glue signatures and covers, while we’re still waiting for all the printed sheets to be folded, cut, bound and placed between each cover by the binder.
Check out the slideshow above to see photos of the making of. Hover over the pictures and read the adventure. It’s not difficult - if WE can do it, YOU can too!
(*all books will of course be trimmed by the binder, and will have rounded corners)
