Physically cut a book in two cheaply and make it last

knightsy

Hi all, I'm planning to learn a new programming language while commuting on the train but my textbook is 1500 pages!! Does anyone have a good technique (without using any expensive tools) to split a book in two and prevent it from falling apart?

An ebook isn't really viable as you really want the screen free while you follow steps and ideas. Thanks!

SailorSam

There you go, the instructions to see how it's done.
http://www.wikihow.com/Rip-a-Phonebook-in-Half

vivatifosi

Ok, can't promise this will work. I work in a library and spend a lot of my time trying to do the opposite, but I'll have a crack... We never knowingly damage books so this is as big a shot in the dark for me is it is for you. As I said, can't promise it will work and you do need to realise you're going to wreck your book.

It depends on how the book was bound to start with. Have a look at this close up pic:
http://cdn1.antonkusters.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/odo-book-binding-800x534.jpg
and check whether yours is similar. If it is, you should be able to very carefully split the book into two sections dividing it between the sections of pages and not within one of the sections. Be careful not to remove the glue and keep the remainder of the binding as intact as possible. You will need to be dexterous with a stanley knife to achieve this.

That will leave you with two half books. At this point I would take two pieces of stiff card, the sort that a paperback jacket would be made from, and fold this to the corner of the spine, where it meets the intact remaining part of the front jacket. You should now have half of a cover, that covers all of the spine (which should still have the original paperback cover on it) and the pages that no longer have a paperback cover. At this point I would use book repair tape, which is a stiff clear tape that is thicker and firmer than sellotape. I would tape on the outside cover so that the tape covers the part of the jacket that remains intact and then the new card jacket at the 90 degree angle as you turn the book (in effect the tape covers the back of the book and the card as it covers the spine). Then on the inside of the book and using the same tape, you will probably want to do the same, but it depends on the type of paper. Frontispiece paper is often much firmer, so take clues from the book and how it is already bound to achieve this.

If your book has each page glued in (as in a cheap mass market paperback), this will be much harder and I wouldn't recommend it and pages will always fall out once the spine is damaged.

I'm now going to go to bed and pretend I've never typed this. I feel guilty of vandalism by proxy.

ETA: This is for a paperback, not a hardback.

whitewing

Could you somehow take the spine apart and then hole punch it

maninthestreet

Is the book available as an ebook?

LittleMax

maninthestreet wrote: »

Is the book available as an ebook?

op says ebook not viable.

macman

Is it a sewn book or perfect bound (glued)?
Paperback or cased?

Biggles

LittleMax wrote: »

op says ebook not viable.

Not sure why. It would probably be easier to hold and read an ebook while following steps on a tablet than a physical book.

scottishblondie

Biggles wrote: »

Not sure why. It would probably be easier to hold and read an ebook while following steps on a tablet than a physical book.

I would hazard a guess based on their post that they do not have an ebook reader.

krlyr

scottishblondie wrote: »

I would hazard a guess based on their post that they do not have an ebook reader.

My interpretation of the original post would be that they have some kind of netbook/laptop with them but need to follow steps from the book on it. Therefore they don't want to be flicking from their screen to the ebook over and over.

OP, what about implementing some kind of split screen view on your computer, would that be possible?
Alternatively, get an ebook version and print out copies? You could try fitting two pages per A4 sheet to cut down the amount you need to carry with you.

Biggles

krlyr wrote: »

My interpretation of the original post would be that they have some kind of netbook/laptop with them but need to follow steps from the book on it. Therefore they don't want to be flicking from their screen to the ebook over and over.

That was my point, really. Flicking with an ereader and a tablet would be easier than fiddling with a book and a tablet, esp as there'd be no pages to turn.