e-books and book binding

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Timotheus
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e-books and book binding

Post by Timotheus »

I like to save money and I like to have hobbies.

One thing I like about computers and the internet is the ability to down load e-books. these are generally in a pdf format and therfore hard for me to reformat into an open office doc (I prefere openoffice.org over msword).

second i do not know how to set up an entire document into multiple booklets that can be sewn together to make a single bound book.

third I would like to learn how to do my own binding.

I have found some binding sites on the internet but as of yet I havn't bound anything yet.

my question is has any one bound books before? is this a realistic thing to do to save a dime or two? and any other thoughts people have would be great.

Amadeus
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Post by Amadeus »

One thing I like about computers and the internet is the ability to down load e-books. these are generally in a pdf format and therfore hard for me to reformat into an open office doc (I prefere openoffice.org over msword).
I download works from the latinlibrary.com and then format them using Latex (a complex typesetting program, to which I'm still getting used to) and then convert them into PDF. I prefer this approach because I have control over the page-size than if I just download a pre-formatted PDF.
my question is has any one bound books before? is this a realistic thing to do to save a dime or two? and any other thoughts people have would be great.
I haven't bound anything either, but I plan to soon. I believe it will save me some money, but if it doesn't, at least I'll have good quality hardbound books (with cardboard or even leather covers). Books, imho, are like trophies and one should be proud to display them to friends and acquaintances, but, alas, the reality is different and I try to keep my cheaply made books out of view, :oops: including my favourite latin textbook Lingua Latina Pars I. :x

So, I say, go for it... if you have the money, that is, because you'll need to buy expensive equipment like presses and knives and other contraptions.

Vale!

P.S.: Does anyone besides me doesn't like to write on the book's margin? Sure a mark here or there, but I've seen people cram every little white space with notes. :x
Lisa: Relax?! I can't relax! Nor can I yield, relent, or... Only two synonyms? Oh my God! I'm losing my perspicacity! Aaaaa!

Homer: Well it's always in the last place you look.

GlottalGreekGeek
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Post by GlottalGreekGeek »

I did amateur book binding using needle and thread back in middle school. I used stiching techniques I learned in a sowing class which I also took in middle school, but otherwise I was self-taught (or rather, taught by trial-and-error). There was a positive correlation between the time I invested in the binding and the qulity of the product, but I never was that good at it.

I actually like cheap books, as long as they are convinient to use and are not falling apart. I like the smell of yellow paper, and when a book shows a lot of wear and tear I think it shows character. I prefer paperbacks over hardbacks since they take up less space, are lighter, and are more portable. However, once a book enters my care, I am very protective of it, doing whatever I can to reduce wear and tear, and sometimes get upset when people to whom I loan books don't treat them as gently as I do.

Carola
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Post by Carola »

I just take the double side printed pages to my local printing shop and have them bound with those plastic comb things (not sure what the correct technical tems is!). You have probably seen them used for reports etc.
I ask for clear,thick plastic covers so I can see the front page. Not a work of art but certainly sturdy and they stay open at a page.
The cost is quite low - only about $US3 for a fairly thick folder.

Timotheus
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Post by Timotheus »

Carola wrote:I just take the double side printed pages to my local printing shop and have them bound with those plastic comb things.
I actually have one of these binders. It cost $200 US and I have used it to make a plethora of study guides and workbooks. 3 ring punch and bind as well.

I know my local printers do a spiral wire binding as well, but that is not what I am lookin for.

I like the pocket sized 4x6 inch hard bounds like Loebs.

I also have several soft cover and paper backs that are many years old and I would like to keep them for posterity. evensome of my older Hard bounds have deteriating spines.

I remember being a librarian's assistant in high school and she used to repair and re-bind the abused text we had. not like today where they just dispose of them.

the E-books are another thing. they only exist with electricity. where I live we loose power. then its propane camp lights and candles. Not only that having the book in my hands as an entity causes some emotional atachment that no e-book will ever have.

With these I would like to have good paper and well bound for shelf, beauty, and posterity.

edonnelly
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Post by edonnelly »

Timotheus wrote:I like the pocket sized 4x6 inch hard bounds like Loebs.
Upload your pdf's to a POD printer like Lulu. You might have to tweak the format a little, but basically printing pdf files into professional bound books is what they do.
The lists:
G'Oogle and the Internet Pharrchive - 1100 or so free Latin and Greek books.
DownLOEBables - Free books from the Loeb Classical Library

Carola
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Post by Carola »

The Lulu sytem looks good, but would a good second hand version of the book be about the same price? I bought a 2nd hand Loeb for a text we were studying at university and it was about 1/2 new price. Looks perfectly good with only a few slight wear marks on the dust jacket (which books get after you read them a few times).
My textbooks are for serious heavy-duty use, not looks, although I do love beautifully bound books. Having relatives who don't know what to buy you for birthdays etc is another good way of aquiring books! You write down the exact title, where to buy it and then just tell them to order it on-line! My husband has already ordered my carefully detailed list of CD's for Xmas - he hates shopping, so this is a great relief for him. :D

edonnelly
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Post by edonnelly »

Carola wrote:My husband has already ordered my carefully detailed list of CD's for Xmas - he hates shopping, so this is a great relief for him. :D
Bless you for doing this for him.
The lists:
G'Oogle and the Internet Pharrchive - 1100 or so free Latin and Greek books.
DownLOEBables - Free books from the Loeb Classical Library

Bardo de Saldo
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Post by Bardo de Saldo »

I'm not positive, but I think that to end up with a properly bound book you have to start with huge pieces of paper that get folded thrice, then cut and then sewn on the one uncut fold.

"Having relatives who don't know what to buy you for birthdays etc is another good way of aquiring books!" ---Carola

When I asked my father-in-law---a staunch Democrat---for a book by Pharr/Wright two Christmas ago he thought that I was pulling his leg!

Timotheus
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Post by Timotheus »

Bardo de Saldo wrote: When I asked my father-in-law---a staunch democrat---for a book by Pharr/Wright two Christmas ago he thought that I was pulling his leg!
True TEXTKIT comedy. :wink:

who said classics arn't fun??

I never heard of the three fold but I have 'googled' and found a few sites on the subject. I'll make a small attempt with blank drawing paper for a sketch pad then from there ... ?

It would be easier to observe and have it explained though.

Carola
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Post by Carola »

Bardo de Saldo wrote:
"Having relatives who don't know what to buy you for birthdays etc is another good way of aquiring books!" ---Carola

When I asked my father-in-law---a staunch Democrat---for a book by Pharr/Wright two Christmas ago he thought that I was pulling his leg!
Yes, I count myself very lucky that most of my relatives are lousy shoppers except for my sister and I (known as "the Shopping Sisters" in our family). As soon as you give them a fully prepared list of presents with part number/catalog numbers they are so relieved that they just order whatever you want without worrying about the cost. My mother has "surprised" me with saxophone mouthpieces, computer hardware and various other items - none of which she had any idea of exactly what she was buying!
Of course fathers-in-law don't have the advantage of carefully trained to buy you exactly what you want for Christmas!

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