MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - From The Economist: Deckle edge pbooks and changing times

Jeff L · 07-16-2012, 11:41 PM

There are actually two different items involved here as can be seen from the experience of the posters above.

True deckle edged paper is hand-made sheet by sheet, with "deckle" referring to the paper mould from which the paper is made.

Then there is the ragged edge of burst paper, that is, paper that has had its folds burst, either at the factory or by the user with a paper knife (a paper knife is distinguished from an ordinary knife in that its edge is duller, as a sharper knife will cut its own path and not follow the folded edge).

All this is because the signatures (set of paper sheets bound together) were folded in quarto (or octavo, etc) and the inner folds were left uncut. The uneven lengths you see at the edge comes from the fact that the paper on the inside of the folded signature extends farther than the paper at the outside. To see this effect, take a stack of paper of equal lengths and fold it. The edges will form a triangular shape. Look at the book edgewise and you'll see a series of these triangles.

The Fourdrinier process was up and running by the beginning of the 1800s so most of the books since that time were made from large volume paper sheets. So actual deckle edge books, which is to say, books made from hand-made sheets, were a minority.

So the word "deckle" is being used nowadays to refer to any ragged edge, whether genuinely deckle or not.

In any event, for modern "deckle" edged books, these are the books that publishers are most fond of printing. There are usually additional value-added attributes involved. You'll notice that the signatures are usually Smyth sewn to a fabric spine. In contrast, perfect binding glues collated (stacked) paper to a paper spine. I believe this is where "cracking the spine" comes from as a Smyth sewn fabric spine will not crack.

You'll also notice that the end paper of these books are usually superior as is the paper of the signatures themselves. The boards will often have fabric covers instead of paper (the origin of the term cloth-bound book as a synonym for hard cover).

All of this isn't just cosmetic. It's functional and, importantly for the publisher, more costly. The fact that they're spending more money on the book indicates the value they place on it. Clearly, if people don't even know what they're seeing, they aren't willing to pay more to get it. We have to remember that publishers are book people too. They're in the business because they love books, and these "deckle" edge books are a manifestation of that affection and not just an affectation.

07-16-2012, 11:41 PM	#25
Jeff L Zealot Posts: 117 Karma: 584308 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: San Francisco Device: Kindle	There are actually two different items involved here as can be seen from the experience of the posters above. True deckle edged paper is hand-made sheet by sheet, with "deckle" referring to the paper mould from which the paper is made. Then there is the ragged edge of burst paper, that is, paper that has had its folds burst, either at the factory or by the user with a paper knife (a paper knife is distinguished from an ordinary knife in that its edge is duller, as a sharper knife will cut its own path and not follow the folded edge). All this is because the signatures (set of paper sheets bound together) were folded in quarto (or octavo, etc) and the inner folds were left uncut. The uneven lengths you see at the edge comes from the fact that the paper on the inside of the folded signature extends farther than the paper at the outside. To see this effect, take a stack of paper of equal lengths and fold it. The edges will form a triangular shape. Look at the book edgewise and you'll see a series of these triangles. The Fourdrinier process was up and running by the beginning of the 1800s so most of the books since that time were made from large volume paper sheets. So actual deckle edge books, which is to say, books made from hand-made sheets, were a minority. So the word "deckle" is being used nowadays to refer to any ragged edge, whether genuinely deckle or not. In any event, for modern "deckle" edged books, these are the books that publishers are most fond of printing. There are usually additional value-added attributes involved. You'll notice that the signatures are usually Smyth sewn to a fabric spine. In contrast, perfect binding glues collated (stacked) paper to a paper spine. I believe this is where "cracking the spine" comes from as a Smyth sewn fabric spine will not crack. You'll also notice that the end paper of these books are usually superior as is the paper of the signatures themselves. The boards will often have fabric covers instead of paper (the origin of the term cloth-bound book as a synonym for hard cover). All of this isn't just cosmetic. It's functional and, importantly for the publisher, more costly. The fact that they're spending more money on the book indicates the value they place on it. Clearly, if people don't even know what they're seeing, they aren't willing to pay more to get it. We have to remember that publishers are book people too. They're in the business because they love books, and these "deckle" edge books are a manifestation of that affection and not just an affectation.