Follett Bound Sewn, Bound to Stay Bound, PermaBound, Penworthy, and a few
others have covers that are guaranteed to last and are definitely worth it. In
some cases, especially with backlist titles, they may actually cost less.
Students in my early childhood school are learning the conventions of print and
how to take care of books, and they are hard on them. Hardcover books don't
usually last more than 10 circulations or so. If you define value as cost
divided by the number of uses, you will find you will actually save money on
quality bindings.
I order most of my books from Follett and BTSB and am very satisfied with
the appearance and quality of both. My specifications with Follett include
having them do mylar book covers on publishers' hardcovers, which adds to their
durability, though I hesitate before ordering them in the first place. I think
Follett Bound Sewn books are quite attractive. BTSB has made huge
improvements in the appearance of their covers in the last five years or so, and
they
are now very colorful and appealing -- nothing like the worn old books of 30
years ago. And if you don't like the BTSB covers, they usually send you the
dust jackets so you can put mylar covers on them yourself, if you have time and
the inclination (I usually only do this if the book has an award medal,
because my students think they're cool).
I like these two companies slightly better than PermaBound, mostly because
PB's picture book spines are small, rounded and all black&white, causing them
to disappear when shelved. PB is another fine company, though, with great
sales reps. I haven't used Turtle Bound.
I only buy hardcovers if it's a really good deal, or discount, or free (as
in book fair profits). Inevitably, they are the first ones to fall apart.
Publishers' so-called library bindings seem to be a little more durable, but they
are not guaranteed as are the rebinding companies'. Go with the guarantee.
Julie Dahlhauser, librarian
Anderson Early Childhood Center
620 West Main Street
Brownsville, Tennessee USA 38012
JulDahl@aol.com
dahlhauserj@k12tn.net
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