Anyone who has perused print or online booksellers' catalogs for any length of time will have encountered not a few descriptions where a title is described as being in a library binding. Many book collectors will not collect such books, especially if the titles actually saw use in a library (and thus also carry shelf marks on the spine, library stamps on the title or half-title, etc.). Others avoid them in the belief that such titles are not "true" First Editions (a big mistake if, e.g., one collects H. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series).
Other book collectors actually prefer books published in a library binding (assuming they have not been "desecrated" by stamps, as above) for reasons that should be obvious from the following definition taken from the excellent Hain's Glossary:
A book bound for, or upon the request of, a library in a binding material with greater strength & durability than the binding used by the publisher for general retail distribution (called Publisher's Binding). Library bindings are characterized by the use of a strong Buckram, strengthen[ed] endpapers, muslin-reinforced end signatures, use of 4-cord thread in the sewing, & reinforcement (backlining) of the spine with fabric. Some books are issued in both a publisher's binding & a library binding when the publisher anticipates a book will be heavily purchased by libraries. Other books are rebound by a library before circulation due to their fragility, or in an effort to restore or preserve a valuable book not easily replaced. Library bindings are also found on bound periodical, pamphlets, and other printed material in need of preservation.
Library bindings are not at all uncommon on true First Editions, especially where titles are expected to encounter rugged use, such as juvenile literature. A case in point is the true First Edition of the first title in the much-beloved Curious George series. Issued in both a regular publisher's binding and a library binding, novice collectors can easily mistake the fact that these are not in fact the same binding. While both bindings are red, the library binding is slightly larger. The publisher's binding carries the following imprint: Lithographed in the U.S.A. by William C. D. Glaser, New York. The library binding, though, carries this imprint: Lithographed in the U.S.A. Such distinctions are why we continually stress the importance of bibliographies, especially if you are collecting First Editions or other costly titles (the copy below is the true First Edition in the publisher's binding and the extremely rare First Edition dustjacket):
Publishers issuing books in library bindings are subject to rigorous standards to insure that such bindings can in fact withstand prolonged abuse. Not a bad binding to have on a book, especially if you expect your book to be subjected to young hands....
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