If you have always wanted to open new paperbacks flat, without creasing their spines, don’t despair. It’s actually about knowing how the bindings work.
Let me show you how to do this. Instructions first, photographs after.
1. Get a new book.
2. Set it, spine down, on a flat surface.
3. Drop one cover to the surface, crease it open.
4. Pick it up and repeat with the other cover.
5. Segment about 10 pages, crease them open.
6. Pick the, up, repeat on the other side.
7. Do this until you hit the middle.
8. Watch your book flop open at any page you choose. Easy!
Now for the photographs!
You can see that the volume is very slightly fatter afterwards. That’s because you’ve breathed space into the binding.
Now it will flop open comfortably, and be easier to read as a result. And people will look at your library and assume you’re a poseur who collects (but doesn’t read) books.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to read my new book.
Let me know in a comment how you go!
Great instructions! This really helped. This is really funny to me because that is the exact book I am reading right now! Trying not to crease it was definitely a challenge but the book is really good so far. Thanks for the explanation! 🙂
Hey Diana! I’m stoked that you found them useful. How funny that you’re reading the exact same book right now. Really appreciate you letting me know the instructions were useful. ?
Seriously? Yeah, let’s see how far we can go until it creases. Makes sense, to avoid…… creases.
Yep, for real.