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Unusual Book Bindings

By Rain Noe - March 4, 2011

in Object Culture

Two minutes ago the FedEx guy pounded on my door, dropping off a really rare book I've been seeking and recently scored on eBay. It has the most unusual binding system I've ever seen, check it out:

I've never seen such a system before; this is like the bibliographic version of a dual-monitor set-up.

I did a web search for unusual book bindings and did not turn anything up related to my new book, though I did stumble across a rare bookseller called Abe Books, which has a page showing 40 books skinned with unusual materials: Ivory, wood, silver, copper, various animal skins like python and eel, and classics like the plastic-skinned Andy Warhol's Index.

But yeah, with asking prices in the thousands, I'll not be buying any of those.

By the bye, the book I've acquired, "Electric Motor Repair," was written in 1946 by Brooklyn high school teacher Robert Rosenberg. The out-of-print book was a best-seller and has subsequently become the Bible of the titular subject matter, typically going for $100-$200. I'll be using it to repair some old Singer sewing machine motors.

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Cliff N. Hansen

13 years ago

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I think McSweeney's did a book with this style. I used a book like this once and didn't actually like it since the bridge in the middle between the two bodies was awkward and weak. Still, it's nice to see bindings off the beaten path!
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Jim Taylor, CPE, CPMM

13 years ago

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I have a copy of that book. Never thought it was valuable.
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