Bookbinding can be traced back to ancient times when stone tablets were used to record important events. Information was transcribed onto these tablets and then placed between other tablets to protect the vital information from being lost due to damage from particles in the air, or dust. These tablets were then bound together using various materials that also made it possible to transport these tablets from one area to another much easier. These same principles are behind todays bookbinding, whether they are employed for publishing paperback and hardcover books for sale to consumers, to protect important legal and personal documents, or used to preserve special photographs and papers in a scrapbook keepsake memory book.
Bookbinding is a term used to describe the various methods of securing or binding together of loose pages into a book. The binding can be accomplished by using stitching, staples, wire, plastic, tape, or glue. Bookbinding can be a labor-intensive project for the do-it-yourselfer, depending upon the methods chosen and the number of loose pages to be bound. However, there are many options available to the crafty and the not-so-crafty person, that can make...