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Bookbinding is the actual process of physically assembling a book from a number of separate sheets or sections of paper or other material, including the addition of a cover which may be plain of a decorative nature

Popularity
Bookbinding is a specialist skill which seems to be diminishing in popularity due to cheap books and a lesser demand for quality binding on books. Master bookbinders and book restorers are in demand to maintain and repair older books

Location
Bookbinding can take place in the home - maybe it is a cottage industry, or even maybe a hobby. Also specialist restorers may have premises or be employed by libraries or even printers.

Ability
In Restoration hand binding, the pages and book covers are often times hundreds of years old and the handling of these pages has to be undertaken with great care.

Description
Books can be bound in many different materials, some of the more common materials being leather and cloth. When talking about bookbinding as a craft, hardbound books are most common. Any sewn book can be pulled apart and rebound into a hardbound book by adding a case. A hardcover or hardbound book has rigid covers and is stitched in the spine. A paperback or soft cover book consists of a number of signatures (group of pages) between covers of much heavier paper, glued together at the spine.

Dedication
The restorative binding process can extend a book?s life for many years, and is necessary in order to preserve some books that may be of extreme importance yet only a few copies remain. It is vitally urgent that such books are cared for in the most loving manner befitting the books? rarity and subject matter. This is the job of a bookbinder in a resotrative role. Patience and a keen eye for detail, as well as pride in the operation are all key features.

Potential
The processes of binding a book by hand are much the same as they were 500 years ago

Cost
The necessary equipment includes a sewing frame to hold the folded sheets while the sections are being sewed to the cords or tapes that run across the back. Also needed are two presses.

Level of Demand
The table below shows the maximum levels of demand that this activity requires. NOTE: These are not entry levels or levels of requirement and has nothing to do with ability.

Energy

Arms

Legs

Sight

Hearing

Speech

Learning

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