The Anatomy of the Perfect Hardback Book
In reading circles there exists an odd creature. They care only of quality, durability, and workmanship: they are the hardcover reader. These kinds of readers have a natural tendency, as opposed to their counterpart the paperback reader, to spend more on their books. All while trying to find the perfect balance between cost and quality, we have to decide what makes a perfect (affordable) Hardcover. What makes the perfect hardcover? In this edition of Generally Educated, we attempt to answer just that.
Smyth Sewn Bindings
When testing the quality of a hardcover there’s a simple, but effective trick. Lay the open book down, text up. If it closes, you have a glue-bound book; If it stays open, you have the mother of all pearl— the Smyth Sewn binding. The Smyth Sewn is the highest quality form of bookbinding found on the modern market, libraries around the world rely on its durability. Made by creating signatures, groupings of 16 to 24 pages, they can be sewn together with thread. These signatures are then attached together using thread again creating the bound paper section of the book. This is then reinforced by a flannel cloth and strong adhesives. This process of sewing the pages, instead of gluing, leads to beyond strong books. In addition, they give the second telltale sign of a Smyth Sewn Binding, the cloth line that sits at the top and bottom of each book.
Full Cloth Cover
Cloth covers scream fine bookmaking; they simply have an old-world class that never goes out of style. Instead of opting for more modern, colorful options cloth covers keep it simple and have a plain beauty to them. Texture plays a strong role; after all this is the part of the book you will be holding during your read. It also adds to the presentation of a book, as lines of cloth-covered books always fit well on a bookshelf, rarely clashing.
Being Part of a Larger Collection
What’s better than one perfect hardcover? An entire library of them. Buying books that are part of a collection, Everyman’s Library and Library of America for example, leads to a bookshelf that’s both beautiful and complementary. Which collection you chose is not the important part, it is the act of having all the books in one collection that makes a fantastic looking bookshelf.
Silk Page Marker
The older, classier cousin of the bookmark, that’s rare to find in a book today. These simple but useful additions to a book makes them more utilitarian and stops you from worrying about forgetting your bookmark.
Size and Proportion
The size of a book is an odd balancing act between science and art. Readers tend to prefer books around the 8 by 5-inch size, with publishers pushing the 9 by 6-inch size. Thickness is a worry too, while a thicker book looks impressive, it is also harder to keep a grip on while reading. An industry standard is to make books around a 2:3 ratio in proportion, allowing flexibility in its size.
Font Choice and Format
Font choice is one of the most important decisions an author and publishers have to make, as the words on the page are our gateway to their stories. Classics like Garamond and many other’s look great on paper and lead to a better reading experience. Formatting additionally adds to the look of a book, while many readers would not be able to put it in words — we notice when a book looks off. White space is luckily the new king of formatting and wider gutters help make the reading experience much more enjoyable.
Paper Quality
Cream is king. It makes reading under a light at night, next to the fireplace that much more enjoyable. It’s the thickness of a page that makes it that much more enjoyable to flip. The softness of good paper never gets enough credit. But buyer beware, an acid-free paper is not the only option for publishers and unless you want yellowed pages in your books: check the back of the title page.
A Homage to the Grand Hardcover
Maybe it was how we were spoiled by library bound books, or it’s our respect for quality workmanship. Many of us prefer the thump of the mighty hardcover book when it’s closed, or its natural beauty on the bookshelf. In its ranks are the book buyers who are willing to pay extra for a hardcover that will last an extraordinary amount of time. Oh hardcover, how you’ve done us well.
