Hardcover books are more complex in their construction than most paperback books so the repairs can sometimes be more involved. I have listed here the techniques that are covered on this site and I do encourage you to seek the assistance of bookbinders if you are unsure of whether to repair your book or not.
There are many basic repair techniques listed in the Book Repair Basics section – if you can’t find what you need here, it may be listed there.
Reattaching a Single Text Page
Each book will accept a repaired or replaced page in a different way. Some pages will sit easily into the hinge ...
Rebacking – Constructing a Replacement Spine
Having prepared the spine area of your book (previous posts), we can now use Method One to Reback With Book ...
Rebacking – Preparing the Book
In this post and the next few, I will cover Rebacking a Hardcover Book - Method 1 (outside the original ...
Rebacking Method 2 – Attaching The Second Side of the New Book Cloth Spine
Cover the spine inlay with wax paper and blotters. Apply weight and let dry. When the spine inlay is dry, gently ...
Rebacking Method 2 – Choosing and Attaching One Side of the New Book Cloth Spine
Choose a piece of book cloth that is a close color match to the original book cloth. If a close color ...
Rebacking Method 2 – Lifting and Trimming the Original Book Cloth
Gently lift the book cloth away from the board by sliding a folder or dull knife under the book cloth on the ...
Rebacking Method 2 – Lifting the Endpapers
Support the book with another book or a stack of boards. Use an X-acto knife or scalpel and ruler to cut through ...
Rebacking Method 2 – Measuring the Text Block Spine
In this second method of rebacking a hardcover book, the new book cloth is under the original bbok cloth and ...
Rebacking Method 2 – Measuring the Width of the Joint
After the glue has set, use one of the following methods to mark the width of the joint. This gives the ...
Rebacking Method 2 – Mounting the Original Spine onto the New Book Cloth Spine
Peel as much of the original paper spine inlay from the original spine cloth as possible. If the paper is well adhered to ...
Rebacking Method 2 – Reinforcing the Spine
The spine area of the new spine cloth should be reinforced with an acid-free paper, or several layers of acid-free bond paper ...
Recasing – One Damaged Hinge
Examine both hinges very carefully to be sure only one hinge needs repair. If more than l/4 if the crash ...
Hardcover Book Repair Techniques
Tightening and Repairing Loose Book Hinges
