[PADG:1027] Re: Paperback Preferred Question

[Shannon Zachary <szachary@xxxxxxxxx>]

I have now recommended paperback preferred to a number of selectors.

First, recent surveys have shown me that the great majority of books 
published in the US/Canada, Western Europe, Israel, and Japan are now on 
alkaline-processed paper. I have contacted several scholarly publishers 
individually; all respond that the *only* difference between the paper and 
the hardcover versions is the binding. The difference in price, however, 
often far exceeds what I know is the cost of the binding for the 
publisher--and exceeds our cost to have the library binder rebind the 
paperback.

Next, my observation has been that publishers' hardcover bindings have 
been getting shoddier and shoddier over the past twenty years, what with 
paper covering materials, burst-bind leaf attachment, and those wretched 
stiff spine pieces. Meanwhile, paperback bindings have tended to become 
sturdier and sturdier. It now makes sense to me to buy paperback and bind 
if and when the paperback circulates. (Oversize, thin, landscape, and 
spiral-bound paperbacks I prefer to bind upfront--these structures tend to 
get destroyed just sitting on the shelf.)

I now have options to ask our library binder to bind paperbacks with the 
original cover over boards or with the original cover hinged in. Usually 
the same information that appears on the hardcover dust jacket is printed 
on the paperback cover. I'm not allowed (in most instances) to save the 
dust jackets, but I do have options for saving the paperback covers. The 
libraries and patrons love it.

Shannon Zachary, Head, Preservation and Conservation
University Library
The University of Michigan
837 Greene St. / 3202 Buhr Bldg.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-1048
Phone: 734/763-6980 Fax: 734/763-7886
email: szachary@xxxxxxxxx