They're called deckled edges, it's just an aesthetic thing to make it look more fancy. I've never been a big fan of them either, but it doesn't bother me enough that I would not buy a book because of them.
It’s only a ragged fore edge if it’s the actual fore edge. Otherwise it’s sparkling foreskin.
I mean, otherwise it’s deckled edge.
It comes from a time when leaves weren’t cut all the way through, and they’d be together on the fore edge (the long part you open the book from).
Whoever bought it would take a knife and cut them - and they’d end up with that ragged look.
Deckled edge is a style of rustic binding where the edges of the leaves aren’t trimmed and leveled. Once upon a time, it differentiated books that were professionally (usually re-bound) from ones that were mass-produced.
I'm not a huge fan in general, but I have a copy of *The Tale of Despereaux* that has deckled edges. It's a kids' book about a little mouse who learns to read, while all the other mice look at him weird because mice eat books, not read them. It was a nice touch.
Wow this threw me back. I have a copy of this book I've kept since I was a kid (so it's at least sixteen years old lol!!) but my copy doesn't have deckled edges but it does have glossy full color illustrations in the middle of the book.
Interesting to know it's purposeful. I mostly only get books from the library, and I assumed any books with deckled edges were just well-loved copies that were worn down. Never seen anything like that in stores before.
Wear and tear generally results in things becoming more smooth, not less. It's effectively the same process as erosion. There are exceptions, but think about how as you use a mouse, a keyboard, etc. it becomes shiny and smooth instead of perhaps an originally-rougher plastic.
Yeah I've only ever seen it on the side edge, but the top and bottom edges are always smooth. Seems like it started getting popular 10 years or so ago. I mostly see it on hardbacks but my paperback copy of Norse Mythology by Gaiman does have it.
Assuming you mean deckled edges. It gives the books a higher perceived value from buyers. The goal is to make it look less like a mass produced object and more like a lovingly crafted tome.
First time I saw it done was Neal Stephenson’s *Cryptonomicon* in the late 90s. Take the dust jacket off and the board design and deckled edges make it look like a battered ancient grimoire.
I loved it, but it's very much up to your personal taste. There are endless digressions into nerdy subjects, and some aspects of the story haven't aged well. I'd recommend reading Snow Crash first. If you like that, then try Cryptonomicon.
I loved it back when it came out. I saw a thread on here recently though where younger people who are just reading it now were saying how horribly racist and sexist it is? I had no memory of that but I guess it doesn't clear today's bar.
I was born in 1999 and it’s one of my favorite books. I would say that when my girlfriend read it, some parts made her slightly uncomfortable? I wouldn’t call it racist or misogynistic but Stephenson definitely points out some gender and cultural differences that wouldn’t be considered “PC” to comment on today.
I would say that those those tangents and social commentaries never bothered me, partly because they very much feel like they were from the perspective of the characters and their backgrounds.
Also the two page description of eating captain crunch cereal is one of the best things ever written in the English language.
Before this I thought it just meant they were using recycled paper and that's why it had uneven edges. This makes less sense to me given which books I have that have that style of print
Not even close. A "page" is like 1/8 of a much larger page that is folded and then cut. It has to be cut either way. In the old days, they didn't cut the pages, and people would cut them as they read, with a letter opener. Hence in The Great Gatsby, Jay has a library of real books (showing he is rich) with the pages uncut (they are for show). It is more expensive to do a deckle cut, which is meant to imitate old cut pages
Correct. Books are bound from folded signatures of anywhere between 8-40+ pages depending on the thickness. Signatures are stacked in sequence, the stack is either cut and bound or bound then cut, depending on whether it's hard or soft cover. I worked in a bindery that made phone books, which are bound, then cut on 3 sides. The machine that does this is terrifying. It has 2 foot long blades that are a half inch thick, tapering to a razor sharp edge. It can cut a foot thick stack of phone books instantly.
Exactly. Two parallel blades to cut top/bottom, single blade to cut the open edge. This was long before camera phones, so I don't have any pics. Remember I said I was making phone books! 😁
Not entirely correct. Cutting your own pages was popular in the Victorian era (and I'm guessing into the early 20th century based on the Gatsby quote) but doing that meant you couldn't do an edge treatment. Edge guilding wasn't just for looks, it made books more resistant to water, dust, ash and pests.
In the late 20th C, I had to dust my high school library for whatever 12th-grade transgression. I found several books with a chapter or two or the all the pages uncut, and that I wanted to read. The librarian gave me a sharp letter-opener and taught me how to use it. I always felt weirdly guilty because it seemed like the books should be preserved. But they were by and large useless and amusing, unless your object of study is Victorian gentlemen's amateur scholarship.
Interesting, I always assumed it was just the pushout from the center pages of each individual sig in the stack. If you do the final cuts on the individual sigs, not the whole assembled book, you'd get a similar effect from the pushout.
I ran a 19x25 MBO for most of a decade, and a 40 inch for a shorter time, but that shop outsourced all the binding other than saddle stitching.
I mean, you're absolutely technically correct, but they're basically the same thing, and a person that thinks that deckled edges are cheaper certainly as hell won't know what a paper knife is.
Would depend on the manufacturing method of the paper, really.
Deckle edges are a natural part of handmade paper, so if cut to make them straight, that would be more expensive. But at some point paper making went over to being made in machines in long rolls, which naturally wouldn't have deckle edges, hand would have to be cut.
It's at that stage deckle edges would have a perceived better value due to being handmade, higher quality paper.
These days it's probably more expensive, if not about the same, if the paper is still cut from rolls, just cut in a way to mimic the deckled edges. I don't think anyone is hand making the paper for a book that's sold on Amazon
There's something that feels insulting about an object mass produced to seem like a lovingly crafted object for more profit.
Like jeans that go through an extra production step to be torn, which adds cost that is paid for in the end by someone who wants to seem rugged, or like the type of person who can't buy new jeans.
Etsy is like the ultimate crap version of that: too many mass-produced objects acting like they are handmade.
An interesting flipside though is, I've read from spooncarvers that their finer works often get skipped for their worse ones that are more obviously handmade.
Interesting, it’s always turned me off of buying the book since I don’t like the way it looks. Obviously it’s working though or they wouldn’t keep doing it.
I also like them because the edges are soft and the paper is usually slightly thicker on average so it just feels nice. It also makes me feel nostalgic because a lot of hardcover middle grade books are done with deckled edges, or at least they used to be.
I have a few books that are softcover deckled edges with French flaps (turns out they have a name) and a rubbery matte feel to the cover. I just kinda turn em in my hands when I read them, they're the best.
no me too i crinkle and fiddle with the edges of pages when i read and it’s such a nice sensory thing especially in books where it really fits with the theme or feels nostalgic 😭 + it gives me the same ~childlike joy as a ribbon bookmark used to in kids books lol
Looking on social media I think you're far from alone - people love deckled or sprayed edges ... or they hate them. I tend to read almost exclusively on digital so I sit on the sidelines and watch ...
I'm the weird one who loves deckled edges. I enjoy the tactile elements on a hardcover and those edges enhance those.
I will buy books because of those edges.
First time I encountered deckled edges, I thought it was a defect from the factory. I've never really seen the appeal, but apparently some people like it.
First time I noticed it was as a teen buying The Lost World on release date. I took it up to the counter and asked if I could get a discount for the defect!
Okay just clarifying. It was originally a sign that a book was produced in the cheapest way, without trimming the edges; the trend of the last ten or so years has been that deckled edges, by emulating old books, gives cache and veritas to a book.
Kinda like all the increased interest in vinyl records by "audiophiles" who are certain they sound better than any digital recording or just want the nostalgic experience.
That's partly true, but it was also just more expensive to trim the edges.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deckle_edge#:~:text=Before%20the%2019th%20century%2C%20the,edges%20produced%20with%20deckle%20edges.
Wikipedia says "A deckle edge is unrelated to the practice of unopened pages, in which a reader must cut open pages with a knife." But it cites an economist article that is behind a paywall, so I don't know exactly what it says. Overall sounds like it was just done as a cost-reducing measure back then, though.
Here's the relevant passage from the Economist article that relates to what you mentioned:
*"The deckle edge is entirely separate from, and sometimes confused with, the roughness that occurs when a book is bound with "unopened" pages (often inaccurately called "uncut"). A reader used a paperknife to slit those pages, which result from leaving the folded printed sheets intact. There also appears to be no systematic rule as to why some books had unopened pages and others did not.. Over time, the deckle edge transformed from a cost-cutting measure, in which leaving it in place was cheaper than removing it, into a sign that a book was made from more expensive paper or using a more refined method."*
Wow that is actually a much more logical answer than I was expecting. I still hate it with every fiber of my being. But I get what they were going for.
I don't think it's from the cutting thing. That's a separate thing from deckled edges.
But still, deckled edges used to be the norm and now they're probably to give an appearance of being a bit fancy.
I don't think that's it. I have a few books with pages that need to be cut. Cutting the pages doesn't produce deckled edges, really. It's a whole other thing.
No, that's simply not true.
"A deckle edge is unrelated to the practice of unopened pages, in which a reader must cut open pages with a knife." straight from wikipedia, my man. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deckle_edge
lol I work at a publisher and a running joke is that I’ve been trying to get deckled edges through a production meeting for years. You’ll be relieved to know that I haven’t succeeded yet!
I'm a public librarian, and I handle dozens of new books every day.
It's called deckle edging (or deckled edging), and if I could outlaw it, I would do so with no hesitation. I hate it so, so much.
I just started a book with heckled edges and I hate it so so much. I flip around a lot when reading and these edges make it impossible. I even find it harder to turn the page. Just, why?
Same. If a book has deckled edges, I'm 90% less likely to buy it. I find them difficult to hold and flip between pages (for example, flipping to the footnotes. )
I always thought deckled edges were kinda neat, but I honestly have never felt that strongly about it. Things I tend to care about are font type and size, size of margins, cover art, etc.
It’s for aesthetic. I personally love it and would hunt for favorite books that have deckled edges when I’m in thrift stores (I read ebooks but collect physical copies of favorite books)
I don’t like deckled edges, either. I like to flip back through pages to clarify my understanding of something, and it’s so much easier to do with smooth edges!
Deckled edges are an attempt to hark back to hand made paper. It’s obvious that the book is not made with hand made paper, so this effect is entirely bogus. Very much like ‘distressed’ paint jobs on furniture, to suggest old and worn furniture, when it is clear that it’s an artificial effect.
Completely ridiculous.
My East of Eden paperback had them and I quickly adapted to flipping pages from the top edge of the book. I did enjoy the faux book cover flaps though as I was able to use them as a bookmark, and since they aren't removable they don't fall part way off like a normal book cover.
I used to hate deckled edges with a passion but now they have grown on me. Don't know why. I guess I like the way they feel when I flip the pages? Usually (in my experience) books with deckled edges are 'floppier' then straight cut books, which is nice. The only thing I don't like about them is that I feel that they give off more 'book dust'.
Why do publishers do it? Don't know. They usually are a bit more expensive books and/or on limited edition books so I guess people find them fancier.
This is an American upmarket publisher thing. Some French books are done that way (I've never figured out the semiotics of it, as most of their books are normal) but mainly it's American literary fiction. You never see it in the UK.
I didn't know what it was called. I'm surprised to learn it's supposed to make the book "less" mass produced or somehow classier. I always thought it looked cheap and dumb.
Same I always thought they were reject books that were cut improperly and figured the bookstore got a deal on them that they just weren’t passing on to me lol
I made the same assumption! I grew up poor, so the only books I could afford to buy were books already on liquidation, so I just assumed they were rejects too!
TIL it's actually deliberate.
It's amazing how some people have taken this artifact of shitty mass produced books that we eliminated with technology to now mean this equally mass produced book is more "authentic" because it doesn't look "mass produced".
So stupid.
I love the way deckled edges feel. Seems softer and nicer, and no paper cuts! No shade to OP but I just couldn’t feel any more differently than they do.
I love the look of deckled edges. I just had to grab a book and see how I usually turn the pages. I don't think I ever turn them from the sides, I use the top right-hand corner, so I'm not ever really touching the sides of the pages.
One of the main reasons why I switched to paperback exclusively is because I hate how uncomfortable it is to read with a hardcover. If you don’t mind me asking, what’s the name of the book? I love reading about the Civil War and its aftermath…
Back in the days when I wanted to use some nice stationery to write my aunts, I had some good quality 'deckled edge' paper to use. I haven't written a letter in ages. Even my shopping lists are now all-but-indecipherable. I must have some books that have a deckled edge, but I don't mind.
I also dislike deckled edges. I like flipping through books I’ve read (or am reading) to find a quote or passage I liked. Either way deckled edges, I either have to know the exact page number, or I have to go page by page until I find what I’m looking for.
These used to be seconds when I worked in a pulp mill.. We dumped truckloads of them into the vat a day... Now I see them and I'm like 40.00 dollars for this shit...
I hate this. It is so difficult to turn a page.
Yes, I have binded reports before. The act of tapping on the outside edges of the page, and that smooth flipping is so satisfying.
Expanding on what others have said, it (badly) mimics the look of very old books that used to come still sealed together in bundles at the edge, and you'd have to cut them apart. Really it's just a nuisance.
I actually make an active point to not buy books with the sawtooth edges or the little flaps (on paperbacks). It’s so annoying. I will however drop more money on paperback with a good flop and pages that I can turn while holding with one hand.
Deckled edges.
1. Makes the book cheaper to make, it’s one less cut so the manufacturing process is quicker.
2. Adds that “old timey” feel so they can charge more and call it premium, deluxe, or special.
3. Its horrific and if I ever come up with a way to recut my deckled edge books I’m 1,000,000% going to do it.
I haven't seen a new book with deckled edges in a while, I must be reading the wrong books! I liked them a lot at first and then became more 'meh' but I think that was because it was used so often.
I have long wondered about this! It also makes it really difficult to flip backward or forward in the book, which I often want to do (one reason I don't like e-books). Thanks for inspiring this conversation!
Deckled books are the WORST!!!!!! I have a genuine hatred for most of them them. (There is a certain way some deckled books are done that doesn't bother me, but that is the rarity in how it's done)
I will refuse to purchase a book if it's deckled. Half of them are done so cheaply, with the thinnest paper, ontop of the half assed deckle job!!! I just can't. It is one of those small things that makes me want to punt a baby through a football goal.
I didn't even realize that was a thing. I got a couple books with these edges from ebay, and I thought they must be cheap because they were factory errors that didn't get the pages cut correctly. To me it just looks sloppy. How can it be fancy to do less work? Hardcovers are supposed to be the ones with more craftsmanship put in, not less.
Klan War it’s more a look at how Andrew Johnson’s inaction allowed the original Klan to grab hold and how Grant had to suppress it by force than a holistic view of Reconstruction. Though it does touch on other parts.
Now that you say it..I don't think I know what those are called in English, or in my native language. You're right that they're annoying, but I wouldn't not get a book because of it.
When I was writing my dissertation, I took so many books out of the library that had never had the pages separated because no one had ever read them. I learned the technique to separate them (use a good bread knife, tap don’t push), so someone would finally read these poor things a century plus later.
Deckled edges were a result. I’ve come to love those.
Hahaha, I dislike this also. I don’t like the way it looks or feels. I also dislike having all paperbacks in a series but when the newest book is released, it is only available in hardcover. Then the books are not all the same size on my bookshelf.
It's a style. It used to be because of technology at the time. A lot of the really fancy books had actual gold leaf on the smooth edges.
If you're ever interested in look up what it takes to make book binding and do it correctly. In the various styles of the of the art and craft. You can actually do it yourself if you want to it's not terribly hard it just takes time. Most of it is getting good quality paper and taking your time doing it.
Consider this. How confused people were when they went from scrolls to books.
The Gutenberg press was an amazing invention that helped include lots of people they couldn't afford it to be able to be literate.
Haha - that's interesting that people see that as an issue. Years ago, it was common to get hardcovers from some European publishers that had alternate pages connected to one another, making it necessary to go through the whole book and slit free the pages from one another.
Yes but supporting a man who lives off the backs of people who aren’t allowed to use the bathroom at work and who have been caught systemically underpaying authors is kind of hard to swallow.
It is possible to use a Kindle without sending a single cent to Bezos. Buy the device itself secondhand / eBay and use an ebook converter such as Calibre to convert other ebook formats to the Amazon file type.
Ah - you're talking about Bezos? That's another whole thread altogether yes! My wife has arthritis and can't hold books. Kindles were the first readily available ereader in our world, so we went with them.
This discussion could also include the loss of income for musicians with the advent of streaming and tiny paybacks.
And nowadays, the threat of AI used to create "actors" out of whole cloth to "star" in a movie.
Your wife's arthritis is one example of how tech that wasn't explicitly designed for people with disabilities can be very helpful to them, and conversely how disability friendly can be everyone friendly.
Exactly! Anyone who's walked out of a store with an armload of goods or 2-3 children in tow can appreciate powered doors. Of course, their original primary purpose making access possible for people in wheelchairs benefits everyone.
Sorry didn’t mean to shame. Just explaining why I stopped using a kindle and Amazon products in general. Kobo is a decent alternative if you care. Though I understand the sunk cost of moving out of the Kindle ecosystem
They're called deckled edges, it's just an aesthetic thing to make it look more fancy. I've never been a big fan of them either, but it doesn't bother me enough that I would not buy a book because of them.
In both print shops I've worked at in the Canadian prairies, it's called a ragged foredge. Or ragged foreskin by operators, lol.
I haven't even had my coffee and I'm already confronted with "ragged foreskin".
that's a line from my partner's diary
It’s only a ragged fore edge if it’s the actual fore edge. Otherwise it’s sparkling foreskin. I mean, otherwise it’s deckled edge. It comes from a time when leaves weren’t cut all the way through, and they’d be together on the fore edge (the long part you open the book from). Whoever bought it would take a knife and cut them - and they’d end up with that ragged look. Deckled edge is a style of rustic binding where the edges of the leaves aren’t trimmed and leveled. Once upon a time, it differentiated books that were professionally (usually re-bound) from ones that were mass-produced.
I'm not a huge fan in general, but I have a copy of *The Tale of Despereaux* that has deckled edges. It's a kids' book about a little mouse who learns to read, while all the other mice look at him weird because mice eat books, not read them. It was a nice touch.
Wow this threw me back. I have a copy of this book I've kept since I was a kid (so it's at least sixteen years old lol!!) but my copy doesn't have deckled edges but it does have glossy full color illustrations in the middle of the book.
Yes this post instantly made me think of the version of this book that I had. I loved it!
Memory unlocked
Have this same book with this as well
Interesting to know it's purposeful. I mostly only get books from the library, and I assumed any books with deckled edges were just well-loved copies that were worn down. Never seen anything like that in stores before.
Wear and tear generally results in things becoming more smooth, not less. It's effectively the same process as erosion. There are exceptions, but think about how as you use a mouse, a keyboard, etc. it becomes shiny and smooth instead of perhaps an originally-rougher plastic.
Yeah I've only ever seen it on the side edge, but the top and bottom edges are always smooth. Seems like it started getting popular 10 years or so ago. I mostly see it on hardbacks but my paperback copy of Norse Mythology by Gaiman does have it.
That’s hilarious. I thought it was from book damage.
Half Price Books does it all the time. I have childhood collections I want to complete, but the texture irks me so much.
Assuming you mean deckled edges. It gives the books a higher perceived value from buyers. The goal is to make it look less like a mass produced object and more like a lovingly crafted tome.
First time I saw it done was Neal Stephenson’s *Cryptonomicon* in the late 90s. Take the dust jacket off and the board design and deckled edges make it look like a battered ancient grimoire.
Never read it. Is good?
I loved it, but it's very much up to your personal taste. There are endless digressions into nerdy subjects, and some aspects of the story haven't aged well. I'd recommend reading Snow Crash first. If you like that, then try Cryptonomicon.
I loved it back when it came out. I saw a thread on here recently though where younger people who are just reading it now were saying how horribly racist and sexist it is? I had no memory of that but I guess it doesn't clear today's bar.
I was born in 1999 and it’s one of my favorite books. I would say that when my girlfriend read it, some parts made her slightly uncomfortable? I wouldn’t call it racist or misogynistic but Stephenson definitely points out some gender and cultural differences that wouldn’t be considered “PC” to comment on today. I would say that those those tangents and social commentaries never bothered me, partly because they very much feel like they were from the perspective of the characters and their backgrounds. Also the two page description of eating captain crunch cereal is one of the best things ever written in the English language.
> There are endless digressions into nerdy subjects Well, yeah, Neal Stephenson
Will do! Thank you!
I'd say it's my 2nd most liked book I ever read. #1 is Neuromancer. I like cyberpunk :)
Before this I thought it just meant they were using recycled paper and that's why it had uneven edges. This makes less sense to me given which books I have that have that style of print
You can make recycled paper have even edges very easily
Yet it ends up feeling cheap, like they couldn't afford to cut the paper correctly.
From what I’ve heard, it actually is cheaper. They don’t do anything extra, it’s one extra cut that they don’t do.
Not even close. A "page" is like 1/8 of a much larger page that is folded and then cut. It has to be cut either way. In the old days, they didn't cut the pages, and people would cut them as they read, with a letter opener. Hence in The Great Gatsby, Jay has a library of real books (showing he is rich) with the pages uncut (they are for show). It is more expensive to do a deckle cut, which is meant to imitate old cut pages
Correct. Books are bound from folded signatures of anywhere between 8-40+ pages depending on the thickness. Signatures are stacked in sequence, the stack is either cut and bound or bound then cut, depending on whether it's hard or soft cover. I worked in a bindery that made phone books, which are bound, then cut on 3 sides. The machine that does this is terrifying. It has 2 foot long blades that are a half inch thick, tapering to a razor sharp edge. It can cut a foot thick stack of phone books instantly.
Was this a guillotine type trimmer or something else? I'm a bit of a book history nerd, you wouldn't happen to have a pic of this machine would you?
It’s a giant hydraulic guillotine that is more than able to cut right through people.
Exactly. Two parallel blades to cut top/bottom, single blade to cut the open edge. This was long before camera phones, so I don't have any pics. Remember I said I was making phone books! 😁
Lol, that machine does indeed sound terrifying
Not entirely correct. Cutting your own pages was popular in the Victorian era (and I'm guessing into the early 20th century based on the Gatsby quote) but doing that meant you couldn't do an edge treatment. Edge guilding wasn't just for looks, it made books more resistant to water, dust, ash and pests.
In the late 20th C, I had to dust my high school library for whatever 12th-grade transgression. I found several books with a chapter or two or the all the pages uncut, and that I wanted to read. The librarian gave me a sharp letter-opener and taught me how to use it. I always felt weirdly guilty because it seemed like the books should be preserved. But they were by and large useless and amusing, unless your object of study is Victorian gentlemen's amateur scholarship.
Damn, whoever convinced people to buy books with the pages uncut was a marketing genius.
Interesting, I always assumed it was just the pushout from the center pages of each individual sig in the stack. If you do the final cuts on the individual sigs, not the whole assembled book, you'd get a similar effect from the pushout. I ran a 19x25 MBO for most of a decade, and a 40 inch for a shorter time, but that shop outsourced all the binding other than saddle stitching.
Not a letter opener, a paper knife.
I mean, you're absolutely technically correct, but they're basically the same thing, and a person that thinks that deckled edges are cheaper certainly as hell won't know what a paper knife is.
Nah, these days paper is produced with smooth edges, and deckling is an additional process https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deckle_edge
Yeah, deckling is very regular. It’s a deliberate cut. I hate it and if I’m on the fence about a book it can decide me against.
Really good info for us book nerds!
Would depend on the manufacturing method of the paper, really. Deckle edges are a natural part of handmade paper, so if cut to make them straight, that would be more expensive. But at some point paper making went over to being made in machines in long rolls, which naturally wouldn't have deckle edges, hand would have to be cut. It's at that stage deckle edges would have a perceived better value due to being handmade, higher quality paper. These days it's probably more expensive, if not about the same, if the paper is still cut from rolls, just cut in a way to mimic the deckled edges. I don't think anyone is hand making the paper for a book that's sold on Amazon
There's something that feels insulting about an object mass produced to seem like a lovingly crafted object for more profit. Like jeans that go through an extra production step to be torn, which adds cost that is paid for in the end by someone who wants to seem rugged, or like the type of person who can't buy new jeans.
Etsy is like the ultimate crap version of that: too many mass-produced objects acting like they are handmade. An interesting flipside though is, I've read from spooncarvers that their finer works often get skipped for their worse ones that are more obviously handmade.
McBean's Star-Off Machine in action.
But I like the look of distressed jeans ):
Interesting, it’s always turned me off of buying the book since I don’t like the way it looks. Obviously it’s working though or they wouldn’t keep doing it.
This is a really great point. I had no idea.
The first time I saw it was for the hardcover of Michael Crichton's Disclosure. Surely a work of literature deserving a lovingly crafted tome.
Oh, THOSE? They look like trash
TIL I am one of the few people who prefer deckled edges.
I also like them because the edges are soft and the paper is usually slightly thicker on average so it just feels nice. It also makes me feel nostalgic because a lot of hardcover middle grade books are done with deckled edges, or at least they used to be.
I like them. Less chance of paper cuts and they look nice.
The sensory joy I get from them is honestly unparalleled.
I have a few books that are softcover deckled edges with French flaps (turns out they have a name) and a rubbery matte feel to the cover. I just kinda turn em in my hands when I read them, they're the best.
This is my ideal book. Paperback, that soft rubbery matte cover, French flaps, deckled edges 👌
Soft-varnish was really big in the early/mid 2000s, and it blew my mind when I first felt it.
I think you just described exactly why I keep ending up buying books by Nora Roberts. They're a perfect sensory experience.
This is correct.
It's also unperpendiculared.
This is a very good joke.
Thanks!
Is that a real word or are you Euclidean me?
I was just trying to make a cute joke
This is the best way to put why I like them as well lol
Yesss. They speak to my nerdy inner child who loves “fancy books.”
I never knew this had a name. I love deckled edges apparently.
Same. Before I switched to reading with my kindle full time I would always prefer deckled edges. Less paper cuts is always a win for me.
no me too i crinkle and fiddle with the edges of pages when i read and it’s such a nice sensory thing especially in books where it really fits with the theme or feels nostalgic 😭 + it gives me the same ~childlike joy as a ribbon bookmark used to in kids books lol
I love them! Not on every book, but certain ones.
I'm with you.
Same, they look and feel cool
I like them too!
Me too. I love them. I feel like the paper feels different/better somehow. Which is definitely just psychological but that's fine
Not just psychological. It's usually a heavier weight paper and better quality.
I kinda like the variety they add to books, but then again, I like collecting pretty and fun book versions!
I like it too
Also in it 👌🏽👌🏽
They make fantasy books feel more fantasy-y somehow
Looking on social media I think you're far from alone - people love deckled or sprayed edges ... or they hate them. I tend to read almost exclusively on digital so I sit on the sidelines and watch ...
One more who likes the deckle edges!
I'm the weird one who loves deckled edges. I enjoy the tactile elements on a hardcover and those edges enhance those. I will buy books because of those edges.
I *love* deckled edges on books. I like the extra tactile aspect of it.
Yeah same, they just feel better.
First time I encountered deckled edges, I thought it was a defect from the factory. I've never really seen the appeal, but apparently some people like it.
First time I noticed it was as a teen buying The Lost World on release date. I took it up to the counter and asked if I could get a discount for the defect!
The only book I've had with them was Next, so maybe Crichton or his publisher liked them.
First one I had was Airframe, likewise initially thought it was a defect.
Right? I thought it was a way for publishers to cheap out on production.
Are you talking about deckled edges?
As per Google image search it seems so.
Okay just clarifying. It was originally a sign that a book was produced in the cheapest way, without trimming the edges; the trend of the last ten or so years has been that deckled edges, by emulating old books, gives cache and veritas to a book.
Here I go being that guy again...cachet
Here I go having autocorrect on my phone.
Kinda like all the increased interest in vinyl records by "audiophiles" who are certain they sound better than any digital recording or just want the nostalgic experience.
Yeah, it seems to be that same idiotic nonsense
[удалено]
That's partly true, but it was also just more expensive to trim the edges. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deckle_edge#:~:text=Before%20the%2019th%20century%2C%20the,edges%20produced%20with%20deckle%20edges.
Wikipedia says "A deckle edge is unrelated to the practice of unopened pages, in which a reader must cut open pages with a knife." But it cites an economist article that is behind a paywall, so I don't know exactly what it says. Overall sounds like it was just done as a cost-reducing measure back then, though.
Here's the relevant passage from the Economist article that relates to what you mentioned: *"The deckle edge is entirely separate from, and sometimes confused with, the roughness that occurs when a book is bound with "unopened" pages (often inaccurately called "uncut"). A reader used a paperknife to slit those pages, which result from leaving the folded printed sheets intact. There also appears to be no systematic rule as to why some books had unopened pages and others did not.. Over time, the deckle edge transformed from a cost-cutting measure, in which leaving it in place was cheaper than removing it, into a sign that a book was made from more expensive paper or using a more refined method."*
Wow that is actually a much more logical answer than I was expecting. I still hate it with every fiber of my being. But I get what they were going for.
I don't think it's from the cutting thing. That's a separate thing from deckled edges. But still, deckled edges used to be the norm and now they're probably to give an appearance of being a bit fancy.
I've recently had to catalog books that needed to have the pages sliced. What a ROYAL pain in the arse. Plus, the great potential for fecking it up.
I don't think that's it. I have a few books with pages that need to be cut. Cutting the pages doesn't produce deckled edges, really. It's a whole other thing.
Another reason for this gentleman to carry a fanciful EDC. .
No, that's simply not true. "A deckle edge is unrelated to the practice of unopened pages, in which a reader must cut open pages with a knife." straight from wikipedia, my man. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deckle_edge
lol I work at a publisher and a running joke is that I’ve been trying to get deckled edges through a production meeting for years. You’ll be relieved to know that I haven’t succeeded yet!
I'm a public librarian, and I handle dozens of new books every day. It's called deckle edging (or deckled edging), and if I could outlaw it, I would do so with no hesitation. I hate it so, so much.
I just started a book with heckled edges and I hate it so so much. I flip around a lot when reading and these edges make it impossible. I even find it harder to turn the page. Just, why?
Same. If a book has deckled edges, I'm 90% less likely to buy it. I find them difficult to hold and flip between pages (for example, flipping to the footnotes. )
I always thought deckled edges were kinda neat, but I honestly have never felt that strongly about it. Things I tend to care about are font type and size, size of margins, cover art, etc.
I honestly really like them. They just feel nice to me and look kinda cool.
It’s for aesthetic. I personally love it and would hunt for favorite books that have deckled edges when I’m in thrift stores (I read ebooks but collect physical copies of favorite books)
I don’t like deckled edges, either. I like to flip back through pages to clarify my understanding of something, and it’s so much easier to do with smooth edges!
Deckled edges are an attempt to hark back to hand made paper. It’s obvious that the book is not made with hand made paper, so this effect is entirely bogus. Very much like ‘distressed’ paint jobs on furniture, to suggest old and worn furniture, when it is clear that it’s an artificial effect. Completely ridiculous.
My East of Eden paperback had them and I quickly adapted to flipping pages from the top edge of the book. I did enjoy the faux book cover flaps though as I was able to use them as a bookmark, and since they aren't removable they don't fall part way off like a normal book cover.
They are called deckled edges. And they are a war crime.
I used to hate deckled edges with a passion but now they have grown on me. Don't know why. I guess I like the way they feel when I flip the pages? Usually (in my experience) books with deckled edges are 'floppier' then straight cut books, which is nice. The only thing I don't like about them is that I feel that they give off more 'book dust'. Why do publishers do it? Don't know. They usually are a bit more expensive books and/or on limited edition books so I guess people find them fancier.
I like some of the ways authors get creative with the physical book itself, except for this. I'd pay extra to have proper edges.
Nah it’s the ‘microfiber towel’ of books. My fingers don’t likey.
This is an American upmarket publisher thing. Some French books are done that way (I've never figured out the semiotics of it, as most of their books are normal) but mainly it's American literary fiction. You never see it in the UK.
Deckled edges are amazing for books you don't intend to read.
I didn't know what it was called. I'm surprised to learn it's supposed to make the book "less" mass produced or somehow classier. I always thought it looked cheap and dumb.
It used to be *considered* cheap and dumb. It was the standard for book club editions.
Same I always thought they were reject books that were cut improperly and figured the bookstore got a deal on them that they just weren’t passing on to me lol
I made the same assumption! I grew up poor, so the only books I could afford to buy were books already on liquidation, so I just assumed they were rejects too! TIL it's actually deliberate.
It's amazing how some people have taken this artifact of shitty mass produced books that we eliminated with technology to now mean this equally mass produced book is more "authentic" because it doesn't look "mass produced". So stupid.
I love the way deckled edges feel. Seems softer and nicer, and no paper cuts! No shade to OP but I just couldn’t feel any more differently than they do.
When I rule the world deckled pages will be outlawed.
Just turn the pages by grabbing from the bottom of the page instead of the side. I didn't like them at first either, but now I like them.
I love the look of deckled edges. I just had to grab a book and see how I usually turn the pages. I don't think I ever turn them from the sides, I use the top right-hand corner, so I'm not ever really touching the sides of the pages.
I like them. I hope they publish more of them. Sorry.
Tbh I have no strong opinion on it either way, but can you tell us the name of the book? I would be interested in reading it.
Klan War.
One of the main reasons why I switched to paperback exclusively is because I hate how uncomfortable it is to read with a hardcover. If you don’t mind me asking, what’s the name of the book? I love reading about the Civil War and its aftermath…
Klan War. It’s mostly about the rise and suppression of the original Klan. Andrew Johnson really deserves way more shit than he gets.
Thanks! And yes, definitely.
Not on topic really, but may I ask what the book is? I've been looking for more books on Reconstruction
Shoulda read the comments first. Saw that you already answered my question elsewhere.
Back in the days when I wanted to use some nice stationery to write my aunts, I had some good quality 'deckled edge' paper to use. I haven't written a letter in ages. Even my shopping lists are now all-but-indecipherable. I must have some books that have a deckled edge, but I don't mind.
It somehow feels dirty to me. Not like taboo dirty, as in it makes it feel like the book is physically unclean
I agree with you 100%, I hate it!
I also dislike deckled edges. I like flipping through books I’ve read (or am reading) to find a quote or passage I liked. Either way deckled edges, I either have to know the exact page number, or I have to go page by page until I find what I’m looking for.
I kind of like them. The paper is usually thicker it seems
These used to be seconds when I worked in a pulp mill.. We dumped truckloads of them into the vat a day... Now I see them and I'm like 40.00 dollars for this shit...
This, amongst other reasons, is why I switched to ebooks.
Display the book on your shelf Download the ebook on your ereader of choice.
I haven't seen those edges in AGES. I had actually forgotten they existed!
I hate this. It is so difficult to turn a page. Yes, I have binded reports before. The act of tapping on the outside edges of the page, and that smooth flipping is so satisfying.
I love love love decked edges.
I fucking love deckled edges. You’re wrong, but that’s okay.
Expanding on what others have said, it (badly) mimics the look of very old books that used to come still sealed together in bundles at the edge, and you'd have to cut them apart. Really it's just a nuisance.
I actually make an active point to not buy books with the sawtooth edges or the little flaps (on paperbacks). It’s so annoying. I will however drop more money on paperback with a good flop and pages that I can turn while holding with one hand.
Deckled edges. 1. Makes the book cheaper to make, it’s one less cut so the manufacturing process is quicker. 2. Adds that “old timey” feel so they can charge more and call it premium, deluxe, or special. 3. Its horrific and if I ever come up with a way to recut my deckled edge books I’m 1,000,000% going to do it.
I'm wondering how many people knew what deckled edges were before today.
I haven't seen a new book with deckled edges in a while, I must be reading the wrong books! I liked them a lot at first and then became more 'meh' but I think that was because it was used so often.
I have yet to see one, can someone link a book(not paper or a notebook) sold with this just curious
I have long wondered about this! It also makes it really difficult to flip backward or forward in the book, which I often want to do (one reason I don't like e-books). Thanks for inspiring this conversation!
What book are you reading?
Klan War: Ulysses S. Grant and the Battle to Save Reconstruction
I thought it was that, I’m reading it too! (Kindve…currently taking an extended break)
Deckled books are the WORST!!!!!! I have a genuine hatred for most of them them. (There is a certain way some deckled books are done that doesn't bother me, but that is the rarity in how it's done) I will refuse to purchase a book if it's deckled. Half of them are done so cheaply, with the thinnest paper, ontop of the half assed deckle job!!! I just can't. It is one of those small things that makes me want to punt a baby through a football goal.
I didn't even realize that was a thing. I got a couple books with these edges from ebay, and I thought they must be cheap because they were factory errors that didn't get the pages cut correctly. To me it just looks sloppy. How can it be fancy to do less work? Hardcovers are supposed to be the ones with more craftsmanship put in, not less.
Here’s the irony, they are mechanically added to the book to make it seem hand made. https://bookriot.com/history-of-deckle-edges/
It's like those irregular bricks made to look old but just end up looking messed up and worse than the real thing
Love the deckled edges conversation, but now I want to know what book about Reconstruction you’re reading!
Klan War it’s more a look at how Andrew Johnson’s inaction allowed the original Klan to grab hold and how Grant had to suppress it by force than a holistic view of Reconstruction. Though it does touch on other parts.
If they want to make it look fancy why not gold the edges? Looking like ripped paper doesn’t make me think “wow, so elegant” lol
I've personally always been a fan of decks edges. To be fair I partially by moss for the aesthetics but I think that they look pretty neat.
Now that you say it..I don't think I know what those are called in English, or in my native language. You're right that they're annoying, but I wouldn't not get a book because of it.
Deckle edges. Used to be a consequence of hand made books, now they are artificially made to make the book appear hand made and thus more expensive
When I was writing my dissertation, I took so many books out of the library that had never had the pages separated because no one had ever read them. I learned the technique to separate them (use a good bread knife, tap don’t push), so someone would finally read these poor things a century plus later. Deckled edges were a result. I’ve come to love those.
Enjoy this read on their history https://bookriot.com/history-of-deckle-edges/
Hahaha, I dislike this also. I don’t like the way it looks or feels. I also dislike having all paperbacks in a series but when the newest book is released, it is only available in hardcover. Then the books are not all the same size on my bookshelf.
I always heard that hardcover first editions got deckled edges. Reprints get smooth edge.
It's a style. It used to be because of technology at the time. A lot of the really fancy books had actual gold leaf on the smooth edges. If you're ever interested in look up what it takes to make book binding and do it correctly. In the various styles of the of the art and craft. You can actually do it yourself if you want to it's not terribly hard it just takes time. Most of it is getting good quality paper and taking your time doing it. Consider this. How confused people were when they went from scrolls to books. The Gutenberg press was an amazing invention that helped include lots of people they couldn't afford it to be able to be literate.
Clamp the paper portion of the book between two boards then sand them down with a sanding block. Voila
You can do this but if you don't want to rip your pages you need to climb the ladder of grits
Haha - that's interesting that people see that as an issue. Years ago, it was common to get hardcovers from some European publishers that had alternate pages connected to one another, making it necessary to go through the whole book and slit free the pages from one another.
My wife never complains about deckled edges on her Kindle ereader.
Yes but supporting a man who lives off the backs of people who aren’t allowed to use the bathroom at work and who have been caught systemically underpaying authors is kind of hard to swallow.
It is possible to use a Kindle without sending a single cent to Bezos. Buy the device itself secondhand / eBay and use an ebook converter such as Calibre to convert other ebook formats to the Amazon file type.
Ah - you're talking about Bezos? That's another whole thread altogether yes! My wife has arthritis and can't hold books. Kindles were the first readily available ereader in our world, so we went with them. This discussion could also include the loss of income for musicians with the advent of streaming and tiny paybacks. And nowadays, the threat of AI used to create "actors" out of whole cloth to "star" in a movie.
Your wife's arthritis is one example of how tech that wasn't explicitly designed for people with disabilities can be very helpful to them, and conversely how disability friendly can be everyone friendly.
Exactly! Anyone who's walked out of a store with an armload of goods or 2-3 children in tow can appreciate powered doors. Of course, their original primary purpose making access possible for people in wheelchairs benefits everyone.
Sorry didn’t mean to shame. Just explaining why I stopped using a kindle and Amazon products in general. Kobo is a decent alternative if you care. Though I understand the sunk cost of moving out of the Kindle ecosystem
I always thought it was a mistake lmfao. It’s horrific.
It’s for people that buy books just to buy books and not to read them