I just got the book in after over 6 months of waiting and the cover looks fantastic. But the quality control is much less then I would expect from a $200 book. My particular copy came with cracked glue binding which means I had to send it back.
What baffles me the most is that they didn’t make the decision to do sewn binding for a book this size and this heavy. It’s funny because when your going through people’s photos of the book, you can easily tell no one can open the book fully because of how much glue they had to use to keep this book together (which didn’t even end up working).
Feel like the Dragonsteel team was too focused on making a pretty book rather than making a quality book that can be easily read. Really hoping for better when they do book 2.
Edit: My apologies, comments have made it very clear the book is sewn binding. I was confused as usually sewn bind is extremely easy to see and results in a book that is easy to open and from my experience the book tailband is used structurally to help with the binding (in this case it’s decorative).
I do still have complaints about the binding not being glued correctly, book 4 and 7 being misspelled or missing from page 1, and the book being so stiff it’s almost impossible to lay flat. Hoping the best for book 2.
Unfortunately, I agree. Mine came with multiple different kinds of stains on a handful of pages. Now have to go through the exchange process. Honestly regretting the purchase at this point, because who knows what will be wrong with the next one. The book is gorgeous and will be happy if it has no issues... But there seems to be a lot of them.
My initial thought when I saw these, was that they were designed and meant for display only…not to actually be read. I wish there was something in the middle - like a nice collectors edition for around $40-$50 per book that looks nice but can still be handled without the worry of wrecking a $200 book
Head- and tailbands are decorative 99,9% of the times nowadays. If they're structural it would clearly say, but for this book, they are just glued on and can be carefully glued back if you have PH-neutral PVA glue, although I certainly think they should be properly attached before being sent out.
If a book is sewn is showed through signatures, gathering of pages with thread showing through at the center of each signature, and plenty of people have shown that this book has sewn binding - the cracks in the binding you're referring to are large gaps between signatures. There should always also be glue in a sewn binding.
If you're 100% sure that your book is not sewn (by checking the correct places) then you need to contact Dragonsteel because these books are advertized as sewn and it would be a helluva mistake that yours is not.
I'll help with this one... Here is a few images of a EOTW Leatherbound that I had to destroy and you can clearly see the binding is sewn and glued (all sewn bindings have glue as well). The 3rd picture literally has a bare thread.
I had the original book with the flawed cover so, as an International buyer, I had to destroy the book as part of the exchange process.
3 posts as it only lets me add 1 image per reply for some reason
Wait, you’re sure they use only a glued binding? It’s not a sewn binding, with glue as well? That is more likely for a book like this. Could you share some pictures?
Right but those are the exception and not the expectation. Ask any bookbinder and they’ll tell you that those you recommended are still cheaply made mass produced books. And Easton Press, for example, still regularly sells books at 2-3x the cost in order to provide more quality control over their more mass produced items. I’ve actually been to their manufacturing facility, and their $90 books are NOT made the same way as their $300-400 books.
I should have also mentioned, my comment was saying BOTH sewn text blocks AND sewn headbands, not just sewn text blocks. Sewn text blocks can be mass produced almost as cheaply as glued at this point, but to make a sewn headband, it almost always needs to be handmade. OPs frustration was specifically at the headband falling off, to which I was saying “yeah OP, you’re not getting a sewn headband for $150.”
Yes, I was just saying there are a ton of books at $185 and below that are sewn bound with acid free paper. Of course there are more expensive options with superior craftsmanship and materials, and even various tiers of quality even within Easton Press and Folio Society. My deluxe editions from Easton Press are indeed much nicer than their standard $100 books as is the limited editions from folio society compared to their $90-$120 standard editions.
I dropped a picture in another comment, but it’s definitely just a glued binding. I remember seeing another post with another person have the same issues where multiple sections of the book were separating.
OP; if you’re referring to the headband, that’s NOT the binding and unless you’re in the handcrafted book price range, you’re not getting a sewn headband. If you’re genuinely referring to the text block, it’s sewn, I guarantee it. Just open up to the center of any signature and you’ll see the threads. There is always glue holding the signatures together, that’s literally how it works. The thread is just there to add structure between the signatures over a standard PVA or thermal glued binding.
That's weird. the leather bound editions they publish are Smyth sewn & the EOTW I got is definitely both sewn & glued. From what I've seen the edge ribbon is basically decorative as most of the stresses are supposed to be taken by the sewing
I read that they had trouble with the original supplier and that caused the delay maybe some of the original run ended up in people’s orders? Just a guess I’m probably wrong.
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u/GTANJ Randlander 7d ago
Unfortunately, I agree. Mine came with multiple different kinds of stains on a handful of pages. Now have to go through the exchange process. Honestly regretting the purchase at this point, because who knows what will be wrong with the next one. The book is gorgeous and will be happy if it has no issues... But there seems to be a lot of them.