Profound Quotes from Unlikely Sources - A4-folded book

[keystonepublishing]

After my first bookbind, I wanted to continue ahead with a list of fics-to-bind already in my mind. But after seeing the scuffed results of said first bookbind, I sought to continue training myself before binding a fanfic.

During the pandemic and maybe even before (foggy memory), I was made known of a Google Doc where people added quotes, passages, or dialogue from social media or pop-culture. These range from Tumblr posts to Homestuck dialogue to YouTube series, but they all share a sense that led them to be placed in the document by unknown users: unexpected meaning.

An excellent choice for my second bookbind.

 

After my first bookbind, I decided to try and get some rudimentary equipment to make the labour easier. At my sister's urging, I ordered some cheap clamps online and bought two pairs of kitchen boards to help press my textblock into shape. Definitely beats having to lug around heavy books!

I also attempted to try and spruce up my textblock by paying more attention to stitching - which is to say, pulling the thread really hard till it concaved the spine. That took a lot of clamping and gluing to fix, although that did give me time to experiment with another new thing: fake endbands.

I bought a book of printed marbled patterns that were originally meant for wrapping gifts, but I used it to make endpapers instead and used some cutaway bits to roll into fake endbands, gluing them at the head and tail of the textblock.

  

For the covers, I used cardboard again. There were still some large pieces left over from my first bind. Waste not, want not! I didn't think the kitchen boards were heavy enough to press them onto the cover paper (a roll of wrapping paper I also bought from a hypermarket) so I used the heavy books instead.

But the kitchen boards and clamps came in really handy when it came to bringing the cover and textblock together. The preparation was a litle finicky and my inexperience will cause subpar results once I unclamped the book, but it was so nice to not carry around heavy tomes for the final pressing.

I did not think I would create a perfect book on my second attempt, but I thought I would be better than the first time. Sadly, once everything dried out and I unclamped the apparatus, I opened my new book to discover some serious defects.

 

The first were the endpapers and cover. I positioned the textblock too low, too crooked, and not centered to the covers, making the upper lip 'too big' and the bottom lip non-existant. Additionally, I thought I could conserve paper by only gluing a small sliver of cover paper at the back, only for the cardboard to 'peek through' in the back cover.

A harsh lesson was learned that day: do not skimp on gluing the cover paper/cloth onto the cover boards, especially at the back. Also, double-check textblock placement!

Additionally, I made my spine too large and that strained the cover paper at the hinges to tearing. I did not have bookcloth nor did I have the means to make one, so I thought a paper hinge could be of good use if I made it properly. Instead, the paper hinge teared up and the textblock slightly slid around the spine piece. Not good for long-term longevity.

Still, it was my second attempt at a book. One that made me cringe back then, but now I can look at with fond exasperation. Given the Google Doc that once housed these user-submitted quotes is now deleted, I might have the only printed copies of Profound Quotes from Unlikely Souces on hand. But in case you want to make your own, the Wayback Machine has thankfully preserved the document. Check them out!

Special thanks to thee creators of the Google Doc, and to everyone who submitted these passages!

P.S.: If you wonder why the title is 'Profound Quotes from Unlikely Sources' and not 'Powerful Quotes from Unlikely Sources'? I like Profound better.