{"id":4535,"date":"2018-02-03T10:46:51","date_gmt":"2018-02-03T09:46:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/?p=4535"},"modified":"2026-01-06T15:12:57","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T14:12:57","slug":"pimp-my-book-buecher-aufbereiten-fuer-den-kleinen-geldbeutel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/2018\/02\/pimp-my-book-preparing-books-for-the-small-purse\/","title":{"rendered":"Pimp my book: Preparing books for the small purse"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

For the perfect reading experience, I also need a beautiful edition that feels good in my hands and has an appealing design. I usually prefer elegant hardcover editions and tend to avoid shabby, old, or plain books. Unfortunately, it\u2019s often unavoidable that some less attractive books end up on the unread pile \u2014 after all, the content is what truly matters. My twelve-volume complete edition of Honor\u00e9 de Balzac, edited by Ernst Sander, is a borderline case. In this post, I\u2019ll tell you how I managed to spruce up these books on a small budget.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

If you\u2019re not familiar with Balzac, I recommend this post<\/a> of mine, in which I introduce the great master of literature. After devouring a whole stack of Balzac\u2019s books, I quickly realized that it wasn\u2019t worth buying all of his works individually. Balzac\u2019s La Com\u00e9die humaine<\/em> consists of over 90 novels, which he himself constantly reordered and reclassified. So I began searching for a complete edition, which unfortunately is now only available second-hand (a telling sign of the intellectual state of this country). In the end, I chose the edition published by Goldmann Verlag, compiled by Ernst Sander, which turned out to be perfect. With numerous annotations, contextual information on each work, summaries of key characters, and high-quality translations, it offers top-notch quality. I eagerly devoured several volumes and knew that they deserved a permanent place of honor on my bookshelf.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

As far as the print and binding of these over 40-year-old books are concerned, they\u2019re in excellent condition. However, the dust jackets, the faux-leather bindings \u2014 which have cracked at the joints between cover and spine \u2014 and the missing ribbon bookmarks left much to be desired. So I headed out to Schwabing in Munich and asked a few traditional bookbinders what it would cost to have all twelve books rebound in fine linen with two ribbon markers each. The quotes were sobering: between 350 and 450 euros in total. Considering the materials and craftsmanship that go into rebinding, that\u2019s perfectly understandable. But since the existing bindings were still intact and the leather covers actually looked quite nice, I decided against it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Still, it bothered me, so I decided to upgrade the books myself \u2014 and I\u2019m very happy with the results. But first, here\u2019s a photo of what they used to look like:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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The Dust Jackets<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

After just one read, the already brittle dust jackets were completely ruined, as you can see in the photo above. Their design wasn\u2019t exactly a knockout either. I\u2019ve always admired the classic editions from Hanser Verlag, especially their edition of War and Peace<\/em><\/a>. They did everything right with those, and I wanted my new Balzac dust jackets to look similar. So I got myself a desktop publishing program and designed jackets inspired by War and Peace<\/em>. Microsoft Word or Adobe Photoshop wouldn\u2019t really cut it for this, since the dimensions need to be exact \u2014 and as each book has a different thickness, you have to measure carefully to ensure the printed result fits perfectly. That\u2019s no problem with software like the free Scribus<\/a> or professional tools like QuarkXPress<\/a> or Adobe InDesign. Anyone with a bit of tech affinity will get the hang of these quickly, and for a one-time project, even a trial version is more than enough.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The next question was which images to use for the covers. Since La Com\u00e9die humaine<\/em> is set during the Restoration period in France \u2014 the first half of the 19th century \u2014 the covers should reflect that. Balzac wrote about all levels of society, but I find his novels about the aristocracy and their intrigues the most fascinating. Of course, high-resolution images are needed for dust jackets, so small photos or paintings from the web weren\u2019t sufficient. After some searching, I discovered Google Arts & Culture<\/a>, which lets you browse museum collections by institution and location. The Palace of Versailles Museum<\/a> became my main treasure trove. You can\u2019t download the images directly from Google, but by searching the artwork titles, you can easily find high-resolution versions on Wikipedia. It\u2019s a bit anachronistic, admittedly \u2014 the Ancien R\u00e9gime<\/em> is a recurring theme and starting point for Balzac, but his novels actually take place some fifty years later. Still, I found the paintings very fitting and visually appealing. I tried to choose artwork that matched each book\u2019s content \u2014 for example, for Splendeurs et mis\u00e8res des courtisanes<\/em> (Scenes from a Courtesan\u2019s Life<\/em>), which includes the story of Marie-Antoinette\u2019s attempted escape from the Conciergerie, I used her image; for the rural scenes, I chose pastoral paintings. Finding the right paintings took more effort than the design itself.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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In the end, I had six PDF files, each with two jackets formatted for A2 printing. I then went back to Munich to a highly rated copy shop to have them printed. The result was just what I expected \u2014 and what often happens when you go into a physical store. The unmotivated employee only offered me an A2 poster print for 17 euros per sheet, which wasn\u2019t the right paper type at all. So I went home, searched online again, and eventually found a much better option.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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At Digitaldruck Fabrik<\/a>, you can get prints on matte MaxiSilk 250 g paper for about two euros per A2 sheet. According to their site, the printing is eco-friendly, high-resolution, and UV- and weather-resistant for up to six months. It sounded too good to be true for that price \u2014 but the results were excellent. The paper feels premium, the paintings have superb sharpness and detail, the colors are vivid, and the dust jackets look truly high-quality.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Now the question was: how durable are these jackets? After carrying one book with me on the train for two weeks, the cover still looked great. Even small water droplets didn\u2019t affect the colors. The only issue I noticed was a bit of rubbing when shelving the books \u2014 the front edge of one cover slightly transferred color to the back of the next.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Since that was on an unprinted white area, I was able to remove it easily with a baby wipe (it happened to be within reach). I\u2019ll need to keep an eye on this behavior, but so far the long-term durability seems promising \u2014 the prints look very robust and well-made.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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The Binding<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The books are bound in simple faux leather. They look quite nice, but on the first three volumes \u2014 which had clearly been read before \u2014 the binding cracked where the book opens, and the spine detached completely. The glued binding itself, however, held up well. So I ordered a roll of Tesa fabric tape<\/a> from Amazon for \u20ac1.85. Unfortunately, it wasn\u2019t available in the same deep burgundy as the covers, but the brown tone blended in nicely and adhered perfectly. It was a bit too wide, so I had to cut it lengthwise \u2014 ideally a two-person job. The result turned out great.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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The Ribbon Bookmarks<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The missing ribbon bookmarks really bothered me. Each volume contains several novels, each followed by notes and a character index, which I often refer to. Two bookmarks would make flipping back and forth much easier. Eventually, I started using sticky notes, but that wasn\u2019t ideal either. So, I decided on two ribbons: one red, matching the leather cover, and one blue, matching the subtle accent color on the spine titles of my new dust jackets.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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You can order ready-made bookmarks online at lesebaendchen.com<\/a>. The idea is clever: each ribbon has an adhesive strip on one end that you stick between the spine and the text block. They make for a nice gift, but in the end, they\u2019re just regular silk ribbons you can buy cheaply at any craft store. With a bit of tape, you can easily make them yourself. However, I wasn\u2019t fond of the look of the silk ribbons \u2014 I wanted the same braided style used in hardcover books. I soon found specialized bookbinding shops selling them, though only in large quantities and with steep shipping costs. Eventually, I found the right colors at The Solution Shop<\/a> and ordered two rolls for \u20ac26 including shipping. I only used a fraction, so I could easily add ribbons to many more books \u2014 and I probably will, since it\u2019s so easy to do.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Just like the ready-made ones, I attached two ribbons side by side onto a strip of double-sided tape, inserted it between the spine and the text block, and pressed it down firmly. We had some strong crafting tape at home, and it worked perfectly. The ribbons hold securely, and I honestly wouldn\u2019t have expected it to work so easily. Visually, there\u2019s no difference from factory-bound books with ribbons \u2014 even where they emerge above the headband.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Conclusion<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

If you have cherished books with a few cosmetic flaws, you can fix quite a lot with a modest budget and some effort. I was pleasantly surprised by how affordable it is to print custom dust jackets and to retrofit ribbon bookmarks. Now, I have a truly beautiful edition that I enjoy holding even more than before.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Perhaps these tips will help you restore your own beloved books \u2014 those that are no longer available to buy or whose editions you\u2019ve grown attached to. To everyone who has ever done their own book repairs: Do you have any advice for me on what else can be done? I\u2019d love to hear your feedback on the topic.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Update 01.10.2021:<\/strong> Several years have passed now, and the bindings have stood the test of time. Three of the twelve books remain unread, but all the covers still look great, even after being carried around a lot (on the train, etc.). They definitely hold up as well as any standard dust jacket.<\/p>\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For the perfect reading experience, I also need a beautiful edition that feels good in my hands and has an appealing design. I usually prefer elegant hardcover editions and tend to avoid shabby, old, or plain books. Unfortunately, it\u2019s often unavoidable that some less attractive books end up on the unread pile \u2014 after all, … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Pimp my book: Preparing books for the small purse”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6970,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"Pimp my book: B\u00fccher aufbereiten f\u00fcr den kleinen Geldbeutel - lesestunden","description":"Zum perfekten Leseerlebnis geh\u00f6rt f\u00fcr mich auch immer eine sch\u00f6ne Ausgabe, die gut in der Hand liegt und ansprechend gestaltet ist. Eigentlich gebe ich schicken"},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[101],"tags":[96],"class_list":["post-4535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-art","tag-honore-de-balzac"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/pimp_balzac_beitrag_neu.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4535"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4535\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11406,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4535\/revisions\/11406"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6970"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}