CHAPTER VI

BINDING BEFORE PURCHASE AND REINFORCING

One way of economizing in libraries is to buy books that have been bound in strong binding before they come to the library. It is not, however, a universal panacea which will reduce binding bills to a minimum. On the contrary, if not used with caution, this plan will result in the expenditure of large sums of money for which the library will never receive a return in actual wear of the books. Library binders who adopt this scheme buy books in the sheets from the publishers, put them into a strong binding and sell them directly to the library. Mr. Cedric Chivers of Bath, England, was the first to adopt this plan. Later he started a bindery in this country, and since then other binders have followed his practice. For the librarian there are several advantages in this method of buying books.

1. Books can be bound according to the library's special needs before they have received any wear, while the paper is fresh and clean. Books printed on very thick, spongy paper must be sewed very strongly and receive special reinforcements that are not necessary on paper which is more suitable for binding. If a good library binder buys the sheets from the publishers, he can test the paper to see what kind of treatment it should receive, and he can then bind it suitably for library wear. If the book is used in the original publishers' binding it deteriorates much more rapidly than when properly bound at the beginning.

2. The book can remain in circulation at the time when it is most needed. Formerly one of the greatest trials in public libraries was the necessity of withdrawing from the shelves practically all the copies of a popular novel in order to send them to the bindery where they remained from four to six weeks, the public meanwhile hurling anathemas at the librarian for not providing sufficient copies of the book. Not only were the books out of circulation when most needed, but much time was used in preparing them for the bindery, checking them up on return, putting on the library marks of ownership, making cards, marking pockets, etc., all of which added to the expense. Today, in the case of new novels which are sure to be popular, such troubles are unnecessary. Instead of buying the original publishers' binding, the wise librarian buys a sufficient number of copies bound from the sheets; if the binding is properly done, he need pay no more attention to them until they are worn out. He has done what he could to prevent the public from becoming dissatisfied, and he has saved the cost of the work required to send them to the bindery.

3. Not only has he served his public better and saved the time of assistants, but in most cases he has actually saved money on his binding bills. Let us suppose that he pays $1.50 for a book bound from the sheets; and suppose that he also buys a copy of the same book in the publisher's cover at a cost of $1.22, which, after it has been issued twenty times, has to be bound at a cost of 50 cents, making a total cost of $1.72. If they are issued the same number of times there is a clear saving of 22 cents in favor of the book bound from the sheets. As a matter of fact, however, statistics kept by the Wilmington Institute Free Library indicate that the first book will be issued 125 times before it is discarded, and the second 100 times--twenty before binding and eighty afterward. If this be true, it is clear that there is a further saving, provided that both have to be replaced when finally worn out.

While these advantages are well worth considering, the librarian should not necessarily get all his books in this form. It is a plan which is peculiarly advantageous in the case of fiction and those few other books which are in constant use. In the case of juvenile books one must be cautious. Juvenile books, particularly books for boys, become soiled so much more quickly than the adult books that they frequently have to be discarded because they are dirty rather than because they are worn out. If the books were bound before purchase the library may have lost money, because one can frequently buy a publisher's book and rebind it more cheaply than he can purchase the book bound from the sheets.

Most books in the classes should be purchased in the regular publisher's binding unless they are constantly used. In other words, the use a book is to receive is the test of whether it should be bound from the sheets before purchase. Having decided that the use of a book warrants binding from the sheets, it is well to consider other facts.

1. It may not always be wise to bind from the sheets all the copies of a new book by a well-known author whose works are always popular and likely to continue so for years. If ten copies are approximately sufficient for use during the first year, it is safe to say that in most cases they will be too many for the needs of the library during the second and third years. If they are bound in leather before purchase they will not wear out and during the third and succeeding years a number of them may be deadwood on the shelves. It is therefore wiser to buy a few copies in leather binding and the others either in a regular publishers' binding, or in some publisher's cover reinforced. When these volumes have come to the point where they need binding the period of greatest popularity may have passed and they may be withdrawn, thus saving the library the expense of binding.

2. When the book is finally worn out and must be withdrawn from circulation, the question always arises, must it be replaced with a new copy? The majority of fiction and juvenile books so replaced are books of wide popularity. Occasionally a book, such as Henry James' "Princess Casamassima," or W. D. Howells' "Modern instance," is replaced because the library must have it on the shelves, not because it is popular. But ordinarily the popularity of a book is the determining factor in replacing worn-out copies. The decision to replace carries with it the decision to keep a book on the shelves indefinitely. Since the book has proved its worth and is to receive hard wear, the reasons which prevailed against buying it in a strong binding when it was new no longer exist. The strongest binding that can be obtained suited to the strength of the paper is none too strong.

Perhaps the most vehement objection to books bound from the sheets comes from those librarians who have a strong sense of aesthetic values and who claim that these books are not so attractive to the eyes as the regular books in their bright and gay publishers' covers. The objection is valid. It must be admitted that the leather-covered books have the appearance of strength and serviceability, but not of beauty. If a reader knows that he wishes a particular book, he will not be prevented from taking it because of its appearance, but if it is bound in leather and he knows nothing about it, he will very likely pass it over and select some book which has a bright, attractive cover. This is true even of adults, while of children it is doubly true. A large part of the popularity of that well-known book, "Fighting a fire," is due to the attractive cover which almost always excites the interest of boys who happen to see it.

Although the first cost of books bound from the sheets is always greater than that of books in the regular publishers' covers, it is hoped that the economy of buying them under certain conditions has been made clear. There is, however, a cheaper way of buying some books which one would otherwise obtain in this form. Every year many copies of popular fiction and juvenile books find their way to the shelves of second-hand book dealers. Some of these copies show signs of wear, while some of them are in excellent condition. In any event it is always wise to submit a list of replacements to some large dealer in second-hand books; to buy such books as may be obtained from him (generally at considerably less than one-half the published price); and to send them at once to a good library binder for rebinding before placing upon the shelves of the library. In this way one should get from 25 per cent to 33-1/3 per cent of fiction replacements in a substantial binding at a cost much less than the cost of a book in the original publishers' binding.

REINFORCED BOOKS

For those who wish strong bindings, but who wish them attractive also, reinforced bindings can be recommended. Reinforced books are those which have been strengthened either by the publishers in the regular course of manufacture, or by some binder who takes the book as it comes from the publisher, removes the cover, strengthens the book and puts it back into the same cover. A reinforced book generally appears in the attractive publisher's cover, and it always appears in some form of cloth, never in leather.

Owing to the small number of times which books in the original publishers' binding were issued, the committee on binding of the American Library Association made an effort in 1906 to induce the publishers to issue a special edition for library use. As it was recognized that the publishers would not take kindly to elaborate specifications for stronger bindings, the improvements asked for were made as few in number as possible. They were the following:

1. Sewed on three tapes (very small books sewed on two tapes).

2. First and last signatures reinforced with muslin.

3. Cloth strip in joints pasted on fly leaf and sewed through.

4. Thin strong muslin over backs.

An attempt to demand hand-sewed books was abandoned when it was discovered that this stipulation added greatly to the cost of the binding without noticeably increasing its strength. The main strength of a book bound according to these specifications lay in the guarding of the first and last signatures.

The honor of issuing the first reinforced book for library use belongs to Charles Scribner's Sons Co., who in the summer of 1906 bound 1500 copies of F. Hopkinson Smith's "Tides of Barnegat." Their specifications, based on those submitted by the A. L. A. committee on binding, required that:

1. Signatures contain not more than sixteen pages;

2. First and last signatures be guarded with muslin before sewing;

3. First and last signatures be oversewed (actually they were run through a sewing machine);

4. Lining papers be guarded with strong drill and sewed through;

5. The book be sewed on two tapes;

6. Highest grade super be used for back-lining;

7. Books be glued to the back of the cover; making a tight back book;

8. Buckram be used for the covers instead of the regular publisher's cover.

The extra cost of the book was ten cents, and it was an excellent piece of work. In actual wear the books far exceeded the hopes of those who favored the plan, for they all went through the period of greatest popularity without being withdrawn from circulation. When they came to the point where they could no longer be circulated, most of them were discarded instead of being sent to the bindery.

The initial success of the plan induced other publishers to try the experiment. In 1908 one hundred and twenty different books could be obtained in reinforced bindings from seventeen publishers. Among these publishers were the firms of Century Company, Harper, Houghton, Little Brown & Company, McClurg, Putnam, Scribner's, Stokes, and Warne. Some of these books were well-bound, the publishers evidently making a conscientious effort to meet the demands of the committee; others were makeshifts not worth one-half the extra cost.

The success of "Tides of Barnegat" encouraged Charles Scribner's Sons to give the experiment further trial, and from time to time during a period of several months this firm issued books bound in this way. In no case, however, was the initial success repeated. After the experiments had been tried by the different publishers for several months the obstacles to the plan, several of which had been foreseen, grew greater rather than less, and in the end the publishers gave up the plan of providing special editions of new fiction and juvenile books for library use.

The main obstacle to the successful culmination of the plan lay in the inability of librarians to order books before publication, and in the inability of publishers to make special editions after the book had been published. The success of "Tides of Barnegat" was due largely to the fact that the author and book were well known in advance of publication. Librarians knew at once that they wanted the book and the orders were filed promptly. In the case of nearly every other book which Scribner published in this way librarians could not decide until they had actually seen the book, or at least had seen reviews of it. Quite naturally they sent in few orders for the books. On the other hand Scribner did not care to bind a large number of books in special binding unless they had some assurance that the books would be sold; and they could not at any time afford to manufacture a very small number. It seemed impossible to bridge this gap which existed between the publisher and the librarian.

Other reasons which worked against the success of the plan were:

(_a_) The apathy of the library world in general. In spite of efforts made both by publishers and by those librarians specially interested; in spite of the proved success and economy of the best reinforced bindings, librarians in general paid little attention to them.

(_b_) The opposition of booksellers. This opposition was not violent at any time; but a special edition for one class of buyers inevitably entailed more labor upon jobbers and booksellers with no financial return, since there was no discount on the 10c. extra cost. It followed that orders from librarians for the special library editions were filled by some jobbers with regular editions; and the time required to exchange the copy of a regular edition for one of a special edition was generally sufficient to prevent the librarian from returning the books. Had it been possible to have one central bureau to bunch orders and to distribute them, greater success might have resulted.

While the effort to induce publishers to issue special library editions and to keep them in stock was a failure, there were nevertheless good results from the venture. While most of the commercial bindings are no better to-day than they were ten years ago, yet the publishers know that something better is needed for library use. Small books which are used by children and receive hard usage are as a rule much stronger bound than formerly, and will last as long as they are needed. As one direct result of the agitation, the well-known Everyman's set can now be obtained in a library binding. Certain large reference books, such as Webster's and the Century dictionaries, U. S. Catalog, etc., have been put into the strongest possible binding. In these cases the publishers have tried to meet the demands of librarians.

When the publishers ceased to make special editions for libraries several library binders undertook to supply books in this form. Their method was to buy the books from the publishers, remove the covers, resew the books in the most approved library style and replace the books in the publisher's covers. When this cover wears out the sewing is so good that it is only necessary to recover either with a regular leather-back binder's cover, or with a home-made cloth cover. By this method the librarian is assured of a book in the same cover as the regular edition, the necessity of sending orders in advance of publication is obviated, and the publishers, jobbers and booksellers do not have to keep a stock of a special edition. In practice the plan works well.

Librarians for years have been annoyed because certain books, such as the Brownie books, have given such poor service no matter how they were bound. In the original boards they went to pieces very quickly and the paper was of such a character that they were hard to rebind. The strong leather bindings bound from the sheets were too strong because the paper wore out long before the binding. In 1912 books of this character, through the initiative of Mr. H. R. Huntting in Springfield, Massachusetts, were sewed by the Samson-back method, a strong machine sewing; they were then covered with cloth and the paper covers, so attractive to children, pasted on the outside. The cost of the books was much less than that of the leather-back binding and they were much more attractive. The Samson-back method of reinforcement therefore practically solved the problem of binding large thin books with wide margins at the back, precisely the books that had given librarians the most trouble.