Bookbinding fail!

[wildmaven]

Just got this book and look at how uneven the pages are! Harper Perennial dropped the ball on this

[📚 Dianne 📚]

I've seen books cut like that before. I never knew that it was a mistake tho. Did you get it from Amazon?

[Former Member]

 OOPS

[Chris]

vjbooks.com said:

You are here: Home > Resources > Ask John! > Book Features > Why does my book have uneven page edges?

Dear John: The pages of my book are un-evenly bound and look pretty ragged. Why? Thanks, Abe (Texas) John responds: The type of binding your are referring to is intentional, and called "deckled" edges. They are common and even desirable, to make the books look old and more valuable. Until the 19th Century all books were printed this way on hand-made paper. See John's response to a similar question here. John Here's an example of "deckle edge" paper: Ask John at: [e-mail]  Read articles about book collecting  Read John's answers to book collecting questions  Receive our Book Collecting PDFs and newsletters  Follow us on Twitter  Follow us on Facebook  Watch our Videos

[bigballofyarn]

A lot of books are cut that way intentionally. My dad used to claim it was so the pages were easier to turn, but I felt that his reasoning was incorrect. I own many books like this and I've seen them in both expensive book stores and discount book stores.

[vank]

Not a mistake. I see it all the time

[Derek‽]

Back in the days of handmade paper, the paper/pulp used to get caught in the edges of the mold ("deckle"), giving sheets rough edges. The binder/publisher would, of course, cut these edges off and trim the pages back so that the book looked more professionally produced. Eventually, books became collectors' items and rough edges on old books became sought after because it showed that the book was in original condition (read: not trimmed).

The pages were often trimmed back so far that the margins were too small to fake the deckled edges without damaging the written or illustrated contents. Books with wider margins and rough edges signaled that the book was authentic, which made it more valuable, and thus collectors sought books with rough, uneven pages.

Today it's entirely an aesthetic choice on the part of the publisher, based on the perception of value from collectors. The edges are faked and in no way authentic. It's the literary equivalent of selling $300 "distressed" jeans with holes and worn legs.