Hot take: That antique store find taught me about cloth hinges

I stopped by this old bookshop in Portland last weekend and found a 1920s novel with the binding completely wrecked. The cloth hinge was split right down the spine, but the sewing was still solid. Made me realize I've been overthinking repairs on modern books with synthetic materials. Has anyone else dealt with rebacking an old cloth case binding?

3 comments

3 Comments

wrenwilson19d ago

Honestly, did you find the old cloth was way easier to work with than the modern stuff? I had a similar thing with a 1910s novel I picked up at a flea market in Nebraska. The cloth hinge was hanging on by a thread but the sewing was rock solid. I used some bookbinding glue and a strip of japanese tissue to re-back it, and it turned out way better than I expected. Tbh, those old cloth cases are a pain but they also teach you a lot about how the book was actually put together. Ngl, I kinda prefer working on them now over all the glued modern bindings.

ninas7019d ago

Hmm, I actually totally get that but I'm kinda the opposite haha. Those old cloth deals feel like they're held together with hopes and prayers half the time, and I always worry I'm gonna tear the whole thing just opening it up.

sage_lewis1015d ago

Oh yeah, try a little wheat paste on the hinge next time. Holds way better than glue.