Book Repair

Is your beloved family Bible falling apart? Or maybe the covers are coming off your favorite book. Get in touch, and let’s see how I can help you!

Those huge family Bibles and similar tomes are their own specialty, so they get a special page. Check out Bible Repair for info on that.

My primary focus is practical repair – if you need a book restored or treated for conservation, you need a professional in those areas. To try your hand at repairing your book yourself, check out SaveYourBooks.com where my friend and mentor Sophia Bogle offers online courses and book restoration services.

The repair services I offer include:

Reattaching or reinforcing loose cover boards
Reattaching loose pages
Straightening bent corners on hardcover books
Mending tears
Rebacking, in which the cover of the book is strengthened and the original outer covering is retained
Recasing, in which an entirely new cover is created for the book

I’m currently experimenting on my own with restoring old paperbacks whose glue is disintegrating. Most bookbinders seem to think they aren’t worth the trouble, but my family collected pulp sci-fi paperbacks once upon a time, and it kills me to see them falling apart.

How Does This Work?

Like so:

You contact me and tell me a little about your injured book.
We talk about what kind of repair work you’d like done to help your book look its best.
I give you an estimate (based on my hourly rate and how long I think the repairs will take). A few general estimates are below to give you an idea of what to expect.
You send me your book and half the estimated amount (if you’re in Portland, OR we may be able to set an appointment for in-person handoff!).
I do the repairs.
When the book is done, you send me the remaining balance and I send you your book, complete with insurance and tracking to make sure it gets to you safely.

How Much Will it Cost?

The exact cost will depend on the nature of the repairs, but here are some basic rates to give you an idea:

Repair torn pages	$5/page
Re-attach loose endpapers (includes minor tear repairs)	$10
Rebacking a book (see here for an example)	$80+
Rebinding book	$150+