This October I got together with some friends to read through Macbeth, and used it as an excuse to try out book binding.
I’ve been wanting to try book binding, and something like Macbeth, which is in the public domain, seemed like a great place to start.
I downloaded the full text of the play from the Folger Shakespeare Library. They offer all kinds of formats, including pdf, doc, and html. I downloaded it as a doc file with line numbers, then uploaded it to google docs (I can’t justify a word subscription) and adjusted the font size and spacing. I knew I would be printing with the paper in landscape, and two pages per sheet, so the font couldn’t be too small.
Then I used this nifty tool to create a pdf that I could just print, fold, and sew together: https://momijizukamori.github.io/bookbinder-js/
The formatting tool conveniently tells you how many pages to stack in each folded bundle of pages (called a signature), and even adds flyleaf if desired.
I folded each sheet of paper, then nested each signature together. I also cut a piece of scrapbooking card stock (from Seattle Recreative) in half and stacked it up with the signatures, making sure the spine edges were lined up. I marked evenly spaced points along the signatures and covers, then used my very fancy awl (a push pin) to punch through the places I marked.
I used 3 strands of a red embroidery floss to do a coptic stitch. There are lots of tutorials, but I don’t remember which I used.
For my first time I did okay, though definitely not perfect. Now that I have the hang of it, I would do better next time—if that next time happens anytime soon, which it may or may not.
After the book was bound, I used a strategy of holding down the edge of the book with a ruler pressed down hard, and dragging an exacto knife down the length of the pages over and over to create a flat and even edge of the book. I did the same to the top and bottom of the book as well. It made it feel more like a book and less like a bunch of folded papers stuck together.
I really like how the covers turned out. The scrapbook paper had lines and the alphabet on the back side, and I like that it makes the inside of the book feel fancy. Unfortunately, based on how the paper was printed, the beginning of the alphabet is at the end of the book and the end of the alphabet is at the front of the book. At least it’s hidden on the inside!
I’m looking forward to another Shakespeare reading that I can use as an excuse to try another book binding style, possibly Japanese stab binding. I have dreams of a snowflake pattern for A Winter’s Tale, but I don’t know what the next play will be.
