Repair a Paperback Book

Do you have a trade paperback that has fallen on hard times? Are there loose pages? Did the cover come loose from the pages? It's fairly simple to resurrect the book for a few more years of good reading. A little glue might be all it takes to make your book as good as new.

Steps

If Missing One or Two Pages

  1. Open the book to the place where the pages belong.
  2. Place a thin bead of glue along the crack of the spine.
  3. Carefully place the torn page(s) back into place, taking care to align the edges of the page with the edges of adjacent pages. To prevent glue "ooze" from making the book hard to open, place a strip of waxed paper on each side of the glued section, at the glued edge.
  4. Close the book.
  5. Wipe away excess glue.
  6. Place the book under several heavier books to press it while it dries.
  7. Wait 3 or more hours for the glue to dry before opening the book.

If the Entire Cover is Separated From the Pages

  1. Open the cover and lay it on a flat surface.
  2. Use plastic glue[1] to wet the spine area.
  3. Carefully place the book's page spine edge into the glue.
  4. Close the covers.
  5. Wipe away any excess glue that squeezes out the end of the spine. Remember to ONLY wipe in from the pages towards the spine to prevent the pages becoming glued together. Turn the rag or tissue around to a clean area each time you wipe, to prevent the glue being wiped back onto the book and into the pages themselves.
  6. Place rubber bands over the whole book and press it under several heavier books to hold it together while the glue dries.
  7. Leave the book for at least 3 hours to allow it to dry. Overnight is best.

If One Cover is Torn Off

  1. 'Use tape to re-attach the cover.
  2. Place the tape parallel to the spine so that half of the tape sticks to the first page of the book.
  3. Bend and fold the tape back on itself.
  4. Carefully align the cover to the spine edge.
  5. Press it onto the sticky half of the tape.
  6. Follow the instructions in Cover a Paperback Book With Clear Plastic Film to reinforce the spine.
    • Alternatively, you could cover the spine edge with heavy duty clear tape. Librarian book repair tape works best, but packing tape would suffice for a year or two (after a year or so, packing tape will yellow, dry out and cause more problems).

If the Cover is Creased or Tattered

  1. Tack down all loose flaps or tears with plastic glue.
  2. Cover the book with plastic film once the glue has dried. Follow the instructions in Cover a Paperback Book With Clear Plastic Film or Make a Hard Cover for a Paperback Book to reinforce and/or protect the cover from further damage.

Tips

  • Plastic glue is not necessary to fix your fallen literary friends. Plain old Elmer's School Glue works for fixing tatters and separating covers. The only difference will be in flexibility. Elmer's dries stiff, Plastic glue dries flexible.
  • Patience is a virtue... Don't hurry this! Take your time and do a careful job. Hurrying only increases the likelihood that you will end up with an unsatisfactory result.

Things You Will Need

  • Helpful supplies to have on hand.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ Plastic Glue and Book Repair tape are available from Library Supply companies such as Brodart and DEMCO.
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