Binding and spine
How a paperback differs from a hardback, how sections are sewn together, and why some spines crack while others last for years.
Collections
Collections
Collections help you read the guide in order. Each one gathers several pieces around a single idea, whether craft, history or a first introduction to the subject, and suggests where to go next.
You do not need to know the history of printing to love books. But once you do, every page looks a little more interesting.
How this section works: a collection leads you through sections of the guide and contains no lists of books to buy or must-read titles.
By craft
For those curious about how a book is physically built.
Paper and type
How the weight and shade of a sheet work with the design of letters, and why the same page looks different on different paper.
Book professions
Who makes the decisions at each stage, from the first edit of the manuscript to the choice of printing and binding methods.
By history
For those who want to understand where familiar details came from.
A chronicle of printing
Paper, movable type, the Gutenberg Bible and the Moscow Apostol: key dates with explanations.
Illustration in old books
Engraving and lithography in general terms: how images were transferred to the page and how to recognise the technique from traces in the print.
Where imprint details came from
How information about an edition became a required part of the book, and why it came to need an international number, the ISBN.
Imprint pages (in Russian)
For beginners
A short route if this is your first visit to the guide.
Five minutes with a book
A simple order for examining any volume: binding, endpapers, title page, imprint details, type and margins.
Who makes a book
A note on roles and professions, and on where to look for information about the people who worked on an edition.
Who makes a book (in Russian)
Your first close reading
A step-by-step look at book design using a hypothetical example, to learn to see the intent and not just the picture.
Read next
- Articles
The main topics of the guide and a catalogue of standalone articles for English-language readers.
- Events
The kinds of book fairs, exhibitions and printing museums there are, and how to prepare for a visit.
- History
A short chronicle: paper in the 2nd century, Gutenberg's type and his Bible around 1455, the Moscow Apostol of 1564, the ISBN since 1970.
Sources
- Reference works on the history of the book and of printing
- International standard ISO 2108 (ISBN)
Historical information is based on reference literature on the history of the book and of printing. Details of exhibitions, museums and fairs change, so please confirm them with the organisers.