To be completely honest, I hate deckled edges. I find them inconvenient, I don’t like how they look, there’s nothing about them that I find appealing. Until watching this video I couldn’t understand why anyone would like them, but now I have a far better understanding. Love this video! It was a great way to learn more about the design and production process of books 😁
I just found out about deckled edges thanks to a booktube tag. I'm Brazilian and here there is no such thing (not that I've seen). As a way to improve my english skills I sometimes import books and two came with decked edges. I thought that they came with some defect. It bugged me but it would be really complicated to complain and return. So I kep them since I was still able to read the stories. Now I finally understand and I'm happy it's not some production problem, but I'm still not used to them yet.
meu deus, a mesma coisa aconteceu comigo haha! Eu comprei dois livros importados da amazon (The Three Musketeers e Dubliners) e eu achei que tinham vindo com defeito, mas é muito complicado reclamar dessas coisas. Comecei a pesquisar sobre e acabei nesse video!
Também aconteceu comigo, nunca tinha visto. Fui ler os comentários sobre o livro que comprei (uma edição especial da penguin, the master and margarita, pela amazon) e então vi comentarem sobre. Bizarro não termos edições assim no Brasil. Acho que não existe mesmo
A yay from me! I loved deckled edges to a book, it gives it a nice rustic, "old fashion," and timely feel to it that I just adore. Personally, if a book has an option of deckled edges, I go for it! Makes it more interesting in comparison to a normally cut book.
My husband loves deckled edges on books. They drive me bonkers. Like you, I find them beautiful but terribly impractical. So mixed feelings here, I guess. 😬
I'm part of the camp that hates deckled edges. They're so irritating and impractical while reading, and I'm always annoyed when a book has them. I personally don't care for the aesthetic, either, but I couldn't tell you how much of that is tied to my irritation with them. That said, I enjoyed learning more about them from this video! I might have to check out that history of the book book that you mentioned, because it sounds so interesting.
It really is a wonderful book. Just make sure you take a note of the author's name - trying to find a book called 'Book' about books, without knowing the author is a near impossible task!
I don't particularly love the design of deckled edges, they just annoy me because they don't "fit the aesthetic" of the other books - especially if one book in a series is deckled and all others aren't. Not sure how it works for you, but I'll have zero indication that a book has deckled edges if I buy it online and it's quite disappointing when they show up like that if you don't enjoy the design. The other - more important - annoyance is, that I find them harder to read if the pages are deckled, since you have to "dig" more for the next page and that's just quite frustrating. I just can't really get used to that.
I have mixed feelings for deckled edges. I do think deckled edges do look nice; but, they are annoying to flip through. I own the Penguin deluxe trilogy of the Iliad, odyssey and Aeneid(Robert Fagles). And if I had known the pages where deckled, I would have bought another book or brand. Your explanation was very useful, keep up the good work.
One of my favorite books as a kid did a deckled edge in a way that I loved. The Tale of Despereaux is a Fairytale about a mouse and the book has a deckled edge, reminiscent of an older book, like a fairytale might be, as well as a rough texturing (like you demonstrated with the watercolor paper) making it feel like it was nibbled on by a mouse.
I personally really like both the look and feel of deckled edges, I think they add a bit of flavor to the overall design of the book - and often they come with high quality paper, which is possibly another reason I like them. I do find that they are harder to flip through, but this doesn't bother me much unless it's a coffee table type of book where you're often looking for a specific section in the middle of the book, whereas when you're reading a book cover to cover it's less of a problem as I find flipping just one page of deckled edges is less troublesome than scanning larger areas of the book. I love the nerdy book design videos!
I love a deckled edge because I'm able to experience the beauty, nostalgia, and tactility of an actual book bound book. A deckled edge book presents an experience not found within a handheld device.
So thats what it is called. I thought the book I bought was eaten by termites... I was planning to return it to protect my other books. But after Iv seen your video .. everything became clear. I like the design it feels like the medieval. But nay on the practical side. Im having a hard time opening it to my correct page. Book mark is so necessary.
Just found this video after recently buying a bunch of books with deckled edges. I do like the old fashioned look of them. I usually turn the pages at the top so the edges don’t particularly annoy me. On the other hand, I do also love books which are perfectly trimmed including most of my hardcovers. In short, it’s great to have books with different looks/feel, which is a major reason why I’m sticking to paper books when e-books are so prevalent (and much cheaper) today.
I'm all for it in "quaint" books one might bind. For making a book in an expedient manner (if one is artificially introducing deckled edges to the paper) just clean edges.
I think the deckled edge makes the process of reading more interesting since you are forced to pay attention to how many pages you are flipping; it makes one a bit more eager to continue reading and I love it. To top it all off, it gives the book a very unique look.
I'm just a little OCD with books, and strangely I love deckled edges because there is a disordered order to it, such that you can bang it up a little and would be none the wiser. Whereas if I have a pristinely cut book and I bang it up, it is always glaring and irksome. Not being able to smoothly flip through hasn't really bothered me. I just love deckled.
I had no idea what a deck led edge was until now. If I saw a book with it I just thought it was cheap binding. Now that I know what it is I appreciate it much more. And I do like it. Perhaps not in all books like textbooks where I’d be flipping to certain pages but in some applications. Thanx for the information.
I make books and really don’t have a way to cut the edges clean, so I must settle for the deckled edge. Thank you for educating me on the term “deckled edge” to make my Etsy sight more appealing.
I really like deckled edges, they look nice and are clearly a thing that a book was made with good quality paper (at least in my country). I am a lawyer and when I invest in a good book for work that I am going to open and use a lot during the years I always go for this hardback editions with this edges. They also remind me of old library books that I used at university.
I’m in the anti- deckled edge camp. I understand their appeal when it brings a major authenticity to the design (I have a historical fiction one with them, for instance, and understand why they made that choice, it contributes to the objet d’art feel of the book), but am not a fan. I would HATE it if, say, deckled edges became standard for modern novels, etc (partly bc I-here’s another controversial topic-fold down corners of pages I want to mark!! I don’t sticky note, or even underline anymore, but if something especially strikes me/is wonderfully well said/something I want to return to, I’ll fold down the top or bottom of the page. I can see those marked pages easily from the side by the little indentations. With deckled edges, I’d have to flip through everything. And I hate the added heft). There have been times when I’ve gone to the product page of a new book I was highly anticipating, noted a previously unseen notice that the pages will be deckled, and thought about waiting for the paperback version instead/at least until it isn’t full priced. As a book designer, have you been privy to discussions where higher-ups passionately debate whether to make a book’s edges deckled or not? I’m sure they’re aware how polarizing they can be, and it’s kind of funny (and yet makes perfect sense, in the well-we’ve-gotta-SELL-em kinda way) to think of long meetings dedicated to just that.
That's a good point! I don't tend to turn down corners myself, but that would be really annoying to have to flip through the whole book. I haven't been privy to any of those conversations. I think it's usually a discussion that the art director has with the production team, and hasn't anything to do with the cover designer. I didn't know the Garden Party would have deckled edges until I saw the finished copy.
Looks like the dystopian future you warn against has come to pass. I ordered a modern paperback from Amazon that came with thin recycled paper pages AND deckled edges. On the rare occasion I step into a bookstore these days, I see a ton of similar abominations. No paperback should be so violated.
Deckled Edges might have been quite hard to turn to its next page but if you can observe, it serves as bookmarks for each special pages that may found in each deckled page as it is like categorized already so you may find it much easy to memorize and turn to its desired page when you want to find something quite similar to you.
I can't the look or the feel of deckled edges! Rather pay more for an edition of a book 📙 without deckled edges ,I would only settle for deckled edges if I only have to .
Thanks for this video, I've just encountered this phenomenon in the process of expanding my library and at first I thought the book might be damaged lol. Not a fan of it although I can see why it was done.
I noticed when I was about 10 that my hardback Michael Crichton book pages were deckled, but I never paid much mind to it. For me, as long as the pages are not falling out, I don't care if they are flush or deckled. I have bigger things to worry about in life. I am jealous of people who have such simple lives that deckled edges are of concern to them.
I am not a fan of the decked edge. I find it hard to turn the pages and sometimes I end up turning more than one one or I have to go to the top or bottom edge to turn a single page. I don't really care for the aesthetic either. When I am looking forward to buying a new release and I find out it has decked edges, there is a small part of me that gets sad.
Great video. Thank you. I'm confused about the difference between deckle edges, as a byproduct of the paper-making process producing a rough edge, and the uneven edges that come when uncut signatures (or booklets) are bound together. It seems like they're different things, yet deckle edges seems to be used to refer to both of them. Does that make sense? You touch on this in your video. They would seem to be different things.
First, on cutting the watercolor paper, try wetting the line to separate with water and then use a straightedge and tear along it. The water should loosen the fibers allowing them to be pulled apart. I know this works with cotton papers if not too thick and with some Japanese papers. I believe that guillotining the edge was an additional binding cost and also caused some spoilage before more advanced machines were developed so perhaps aesthetics was not their first thought. I think non-natural deckled edges are an affectation and, like other modern trends such as pre-ripped jeans and faked leather patterns, I dislike them on principle. They are, as you say, hard to page through, although I have never seen a dictionary of any age with them. I have books where the pages were cut with a paper knife (and still contain some uncut leaves) and they are just as hard or harder to turn the pages. The phrase ragged edge would be more appropriate than deckled in some instances.
Yes, I've tried doing that too. You're right, it definitely helps! And you're right - back before it was cost-effective to guillotine the pages, all of the edges were ragged. Then it went out of fashion in favour of cut edges. After that it became a design choice, and a sign of a quality book, as the paper had to be a heavier weight. I agree that 'ragged edge' would make more sense. Thanks for your insight!
I have always wondered this! I found your channel recently and I wish I had found it sooner - specifically when I was at university studying photography! I was really interested in bookmaking and videos like these would have been amazing at that time! Keep up the good work! (Your fashion sense is also impeccable!)
Received my first book with deckled edges yesterday, was kind of shocked at the first glance. But after I have googled it and discovered it is actually made with intention, I don't mind. It is just, I did not see book like this before. You need to educate people about this.
if you like the deckled edge look on paper you can use a ruler and just rip them holding against the ruler and it’ll make a clean cut with a light deckled!! :)
I like deckled edges but they can get a little annoying especially if it's a book that more fast paced so I'm flipping the page often. I think I actually prefer them on paperbacks. I have a good number of the Penguin Classic Deluxe Editions and I love those! It looks really good with the french flaps, I think. And they look better on classics or classic looking editions.
I quite like deckled edges and don't mind practicality but they have to be on the book with some kind of design to go on with it. I saw just the normal standard book with these edges and it didn't look good. But for example Penguin Deluxe series look very good with overall design and deckled edges.
Nay. Yes, it looks interesting, but the books are stored with the pages turned to the back of the bookshelf and aren't shown, which means this little effect is waste. Also, I think it makes it a bit difficult to read the book, which defies the purpose of the book. Also, the paper is usually thicker than "normal", and I prefer thinner paper. Bibles have this nice thin paper... I'd prefer a book in Bible paper rather than a book with deckled edges :-D
I wouldn't recommend sanding them. The sanding action pushes the paper fibers back into the page. Eventually the foredge becomes thick with paper fibers and grows to be thicker than the spine. If you want them removed I would suggest a blade rather than sand.
I feel the classic appearance of deckled edges is worth the minor hassle with flipping through the book. How often are you actually trying to land on a specific page of a novel anyway? You always have recourse to use your thumb upon the upper or lower edge if you need to flip pages with accuracy.
I despise this gimmick. Deckled edges look and feel awful. I go out of my way to avoid them. Perhaps they were a sign of quality once, but now they are merely a pompous affectation. I wanted to buy Gaiman’s book of Norse myths and so many others, but couldn’t bring myself to allow a deckled abomination into my home. To the publishers: Some people love this crap, but I absolutely despise it on a visceral level. Can you meet me halfway and at least offer a non-deckled version too? I CANNOT buy deckled books. I can’t. You did this to the new hardcover Jared Diamond book, which I would have purchased. FFS.
@Filmdaze Just ordered China Miéville’s Perdido Street Station off Amazon (softcover). The damned thing has both thin recycled paper pages AND deckled edges. To be clear, I don’t mind the former, but both together constitute a cruel mockery of book design. Imagine deckling a pocket dictionary.
Strongly against. It's very much a matter of form over function, and for me books are primarily objects that serve a function, which is making the text within available to readers. That is not to say that I don't appreciate well-crafted books, but anything that impedes the function is a big no, for me. This includes not only deckles, but also bad/uneven contrast, glossy pages and books not able to lay flat on their back. Trying to make a glued book (already more likely to fall apart in the long term and less functional in some regards) appear more "premium" by making it harder to flip pages is a good way to make me incensed enough to write a comment to express my dismay. I encountered these in their modern form only a few years ago, when I bought a popular science book on physics. I sent it back, and I also sent the author a strongly worded letter that he'd approved something so silly.
Holly Dunn Design Yes, indeed I do. I love the feel on my fingers; to be immersed in a story or information and to have delightful paper and edges to run my fingers along as I do so (and not get a paper cut!)
This is my book fetish.... DECKLED EDGES. I have a lot of problems locating these. Amazon specified a deckled edge version (specified on Amazon) of THE MERMAID AND MRS. HANCOCK. Well, much to my disappointment I got the BORING PAGE EDITION. I wonder if they have different ISBN numbers.
Deckled edges annoy me; they manage to be shabby and pretentious at the same time, they feel, well, wrong and distract me while reading and I refuse to buy any book that has them.
I saw a book like this at the MIBF 2019 and I thought there was something wrong with it. I immediately put it down thinking why would they sell such an ugly book. Only now do I realize this is a thing. The book was Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology.
To be completely honest, I hate deckled edges. I find them inconvenient, I don’t like how they look, there’s nothing about them that I find appealing. Until watching this video I couldn’t understand why anyone would like them, but now I have a far better understanding. Love this video! It was a great way to learn more about the design and production process of books 😁
Yup, SO annoying when reading.
That's great to hear! Thanks for the feedback
Yeah. Not a fan. I am reading the master and margarita now and it has decked edges. Just why? I wish I had downloaded it on my kindle instead.
I just found out about deckled edges thanks to a booktube tag. I'm Brazilian and here there is no such thing (not that I've seen). As a way to improve my english skills I sometimes import books and two came with decked edges. I thought that they came with some defect. It bugged me but it would be really complicated to complain and return. So I kep them since I was still able to read the stories. Now I finally understand and I'm happy it's not some production problem, but I'm still not used to them yet.
That's a good point! They do look really different from what we're used to.
@@HollyDunnDesign Yep! And thanks for making videos that teach us more about book design!!
meu deus, a mesma coisa aconteceu comigo haha! Eu comprei dois livros importados da amazon (The Three Musketeers e Dubliners) e eu achei que tinham vindo com defeito, mas é muito complicado reclamar dessas coisas. Comecei a pesquisar sobre e acabei nesse video!
Também aconteceu comigo, nunca tinha visto. Fui ler os comentários sobre o livro que comprei (uma edição especial da penguin, the master and margarita, pela amazon) e então vi comentarem sobre. Bizarro não termos edições assim no Brasil. Acho que não existe mesmo
Gostei muito desse detalhe, inclusive. Parece que o livro ficou mais "suculento" hahahaha bem diferente, com um mistério a mais.
A yay from me! I loved deckled edges to a book, it gives it a nice rustic, "old fashion," and timely feel to it that I just adore. Personally, if a book has an option of deckled edges, I go for it! Makes it more interesting in comparison to a normally cut book.
My husband loves deckled edges on books. They drive me bonkers. Like you, I find them beautiful but terribly impractical. So mixed feelings here, I guess. 😬
So impractical! You can't get that lovely sound when you flip through the pages.
deckled edges and uncut are my favorite format
They look nice but I don’t enjoy reading with deckled edges as for some reason I find it harder to turn the page. Weird I know.
I think that's perfectly normal, from the feedback I've had on the subject :)
I'm part of the camp that hates deckled edges. They're so irritating and impractical while reading, and I'm always annoyed when a book has them. I personally don't care for the aesthetic, either, but I couldn't tell you how much of that is tied to my irritation with them.
That said, I enjoyed learning more about them from this video! I might have to check out that history of the book book that you mentioned, because it sounds so interesting.
It really is a wonderful book. Just make sure you take a note of the author's name - trying to find a book called 'Book' about books, without knowing the author is a near impossible task!
I don't particularly love the design of deckled edges, they just annoy me because they don't "fit the aesthetic" of the other books - especially if one book in a series is deckled and all others aren't.
Not sure how it works for you, but I'll have zero indication that a book has deckled edges if I buy it online and it's quite disappointing when they show up like that if you don't enjoy the design.
The other - more important - annoyance is, that I find them harder to read if the pages are deckled, since you have to "dig" more for the next page and that's just quite frustrating. I just can't really get used to that.
I love them, when I see a book with them I seriously geek over it. I don't know why, I've always loved them.
I have mixed feelings for deckled edges.
I do think deckled edges do look nice; but, they are annoying to flip through.
I own the Penguin deluxe trilogy of the Iliad, odyssey and Aeneid(Robert Fagles). And if I had known the pages where deckled, I would have bought another book or brand.
Your explanation was very useful, keep up the good work.
One of my favorite books as a kid did a deckled edge in a way that I loved. The Tale of Despereaux is a Fairytale about a mouse and the book has a deckled edge, reminiscent of an older book, like a fairytale might be, as well as a rough texturing (like you demonstrated with the watercolor paper) making it feel like it was nibbled on by a mouse.
I personally really like both the look and feel of deckled edges, I think they add a bit of flavor to the overall design of the book - and often they come with high quality paper, which is possibly another reason I like them. I do find that they are harder to flip through, but this doesn't bother me much unless it's a coffee table type of book where you're often looking for a specific section in the middle of the book, whereas when you're reading a book cover to cover it's less of a problem as I find flipping just one page of deckled edges is less troublesome than scanning larger areas of the book. I love the nerdy book design videos!
I'm so glad you love the nerdy videos! I love making them :)
I like both. I love old fashioned feel that deckled edges give. But I also enjoy the smooth edges. Turning pages isn't a problem for me😇
I love a deckled edge because I'm able to experience the beauty, nostalgia, and tactility of an actual book bound book. A deckled edge book presents an experience not found within a handheld device.
So thats what it is called. I thought the book I bought was eaten by termites... I was planning to return it to protect my other books. But after Iv seen your video
.. everything became clear.
I like the design it feels like the medieval.
But nay on the practical side.
Im having a hard time opening it to my correct page. Book mark is so necessary.
Yes, it does feel quite medieval doesn't it!
I'm getting serious about book cover design and yours is one of the few channels I found dedicated to it. Thank you, I love your content
I'm solidly in the pro-deckle camp! Aesthetics trumps convenience.
Fair enough!
I love French Flaps and Deckled Edges! When buying books to add to my library, the deckled edge book is choice every time.
Just found this video after recently buying a bunch of books with deckled edges. I do like the old fashioned look of them. I usually turn the pages at the top so the edges don’t particularly annoy me. On the other hand, I do also love books which are perfectly trimmed including most of my hardcovers. In short, it’s great to have books with different looks/feel, which is a major reason why I’m sticking to paper books when e-books are so prevalent (and much cheaper) today.
Love deckled edges...👍🏻📚🌺
They are very pretty :)
I'm all for it in "quaint" books one might bind. For making a book in an expedient manner (if one is artificially introducing deckled edges to the paper) just clean edges.
Hello. Not a fan of deckled edges and have returned a few on-line book purchases for such. Pages can be challenging to turn quickly.
I think the deckled edge makes the process of reading more interesting since you are forced to pay attention to how many pages you are flipping; it makes one a bit more eager to continue reading and I love it. To top it all off, it gives the book a very unique look.
I had never even THOUGHT about it...thanks Holly
I'm just a little OCD with books, and strangely I love deckled edges because there is a disordered order to it, such that you can bang it up a little and would be none the wiser. Whereas if I have a pristinely cut book and I bang it up, it is always glaring and irksome. Not being able to smoothly flip through hasn't really bothered me. I just love deckled.
I had no idea what a deck led edge was until now. If I saw a book with it I just thought it was cheap binding. Now that I know what it is I appreciate it much more. And I do like it. Perhaps not in all books like textbooks where I’d be flipping to certain pages but in some applications. Thanx for the information.
Yay. I love deckled edges -- much more authentic and "feel". I love the feel and the texture. Bonus? no paper cuts
I recently picked up a paperback copy of A Tale of Two Cities with deckle edges. Love it.
I make books and really don’t have a way to cut the edges clean, so I must settle for the deckled edge. Thank you for educating me on the term “deckled edge” to make my Etsy sight more appealing.
I really like deckled edges, they look nice and are clearly a thing that a book was made with good quality paper (at least in my country). I am a lawyer and when I invest in a good book for work that I am going to open and use a lot during the years I always go for this hardback editions with this edges. They also remind me of old library books that I used at university.
Yes! Actually, the book that I showed - If We Were Villains - is designed to look like an old university library book!
I’m in the anti- deckled edge camp. I understand their appeal when it brings a major authenticity to the design (I have a historical fiction one with them, for instance, and understand why they made that choice, it contributes to the objet d’art feel of the book), but am not a fan. I would HATE it if, say, deckled edges became standard for modern novels, etc (partly bc I-here’s another controversial topic-fold down corners of pages I want to mark!! I don’t sticky note, or even underline anymore, but if something especially strikes me/is wonderfully well said/something I want to return to, I’ll fold down the top or bottom of the page. I can see those marked pages easily from the side by the little indentations. With deckled edges, I’d have to flip through everything. And I hate the added heft). There have been times when I’ve gone to the product page of a new book I was highly anticipating, noted a previously unseen notice that the pages will be deckled, and thought about waiting for the paperback version instead/at least until it isn’t full priced.
As a book designer, have you been privy to discussions where higher-ups passionately debate whether to make a book’s edges deckled or not? I’m sure they’re aware how polarizing they can be, and it’s kind of funny (and yet makes perfect sense, in the well-we’ve-gotta-SELL-em kinda way) to think of long meetings dedicated to just that.
That's a good point! I don't tend to turn down corners myself, but that would be really annoying to have to flip through the whole book.
I haven't been privy to any of those conversations. I think it's usually a discussion that the art director has with the production team, and hasn't anything to do with the cover designer. I didn't know the Garden Party would have deckled edges until I saw the finished copy.
Looks like the dystopian future you warn against has come to pass. I ordered a modern paperback from Amazon that came with thin recycled paper pages AND deckled edges. On the rare occasion I step into a bookstore these days, I see a ton of similar abominations. No paperback should be so violated.
Deckled Edges might have been quite hard to turn to its next page but if you can observe, it serves as bookmarks for each special pages that may found in each deckled page as it is like categorized already so you may find it much easy to memorize and turn to its desired page when you want to find something quite similar to you.
I can't the look or the feel of deckled edges! Rather pay more for an edition of a book 📙 without deckled edges ,I would only settle for deckled edges if I only have to .
Thanks for this video, I've just encountered this phenomenon in the process of expanding my library and at first I thought the book might be damaged lol. Not a fan of it although I can see why it was done.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Deckled edges
They are pretty fancy!
I noticed when I was about 10 that my hardback Michael Crichton book pages were deckled, but I never paid much mind to it. For me, as long as the pages are not falling out, I don't care if they are flush or deckled. I have bigger things to worry about in life. I am jealous of people who have such simple lives that deckled edges are of concern to them.
I am not a fan of the decked edge. I find it hard to turn the pages and sometimes I end up turning more than one one or I have to go to the top or bottom edge to turn a single page. I don't really care for the aesthetic either. When I am looking forward to buying a new release and I find out it has decked edges, there is a small part of me that gets sad.
I know exactly what you mean!
Great video. Thank you. I'm confused about the difference between deckle edges, as a byproduct of the paper-making process producing a rough edge, and the uneven edges that come when uncut signatures (or booklets) are bound together. It seems like they're different things, yet deckle edges seems to be used to refer to both of them. Does that make sense? You touch on this in your video. They would seem to be different things.
First, on cutting the watercolor paper, try wetting the line to separate with water and then use a straightedge and tear along it. The water should loosen the fibers allowing them to be pulled apart. I know this works with cotton papers if not too thick and with some Japanese papers.
I believe that guillotining the edge was an additional binding cost and also caused some spoilage before more advanced machines were developed so perhaps aesthetics was not their first thought.
I think non-natural deckled edges are an affectation and, like other modern trends such as pre-ripped jeans and faked leather patterns, I dislike them on principle. They are, as you say, hard to page through, although I have never seen a dictionary of any age with them. I have books where the pages were cut with a paper knife (and still contain some uncut leaves) and they are just as hard or harder to turn the pages. The phrase ragged edge would be more appropriate than deckled in some instances.
Yes, I've tried doing that too. You're right, it definitely helps!
And you're right - back before it was cost-effective to guillotine the pages, all of the edges were ragged. Then it went out of fashion in favour of cut edges. After that it became a design choice, and a sign of a quality book, as the paper had to be a heavier weight.
I agree that 'ragged edge' would make more sense.
Thanks for your insight!
Wow. Thank you for this information. I purchased my first deckle edged book and was having mixed feelings about it ,like you.
I have always wondered this! I found your channel recently and I wish I had found it sooner - specifically when I was at university studying photography! I was really interested in bookmaking and videos like these would have been amazing at that time! Keep up the good work! (Your fashion sense is also impeccable!)
Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying the content xxx
Received my first book with deckled edges yesterday, was kind of shocked at the first glance. But after I have googled it and discovered it is actually made with intention, I don't mind. It is just, I did not see book like this before. You need to educate people about this.
I don't mind deckle edges. I do want to know who decides to deckle or not?
Probably the budget 😂
Anyone know where to get a deckled edge book printed? I only need a few copies.
love the deckled edge
if you like the deckled edge look on paper you can use a ruler and just rip them holding against the ruler and it’ll make a clean cut with a light deckled!! :)
That sounds time-consuming! But you definitely could!
I really thought that my book was a factory defect
I love your book design videos! ❤
Thank you so much xxx
I like deckled edges but they can get a little annoying especially if it's a book that more fast paced so I'm flipping the page often. I think I actually prefer them on paperbacks. I have a good number of the Penguin Classic Deluxe Editions and I love those! It looks really good with the french flaps, I think. And they look better on classics or classic looking editions.
That's a great way to put it. You've summed that up well!
Would you possibly have any information about what company may sell book binding machines that can handle deckled edge binding?
I'd love to be able to help, but I honestly have no idea! Sorry!
I love your videos, so interesting! I like both.
Thank you for the feedback! I have many more design videos planned :)
I quite like deckled edges and don't mind practicality but they have to be on the book with some kind of design to go on with it. I saw just the normal standard book with these edges and it didn't look good. But for example Penguin Deluxe series look very good with overall design and deckled edges.
I agree, it has to be for a particular type of book, with a clear reason behind the decision.
what about books that have a ripped edge look?
Stephen King Delores Claiborne has deckled edges. I like it.
Nay. Yes, it looks interesting, but the books are stored with the pages turned to the back of the bookshelf and aren't shown, which means this little effect is waste. Also, I think it makes it a bit difficult to read the book, which defies the purpose of the book. Also, the paper is usually thicker than "normal", and I prefer thinner paper. Bibles have this nice thin paper... I'd prefer a book in Bible paper rather than a book with deckled edges :-D
How do you clean decked edges can you just sand them
You'd probably need to get them professionally cut. I wouldn't trust myself to give you advice on this, sorry!
I wouldn't recommend sanding them. The sanding action pushes the paper fibers back into the page. Eventually the foredge becomes thick with paper fibers and grows to be thicker than the spine. If you want them removed I would suggest a blade rather than sand.
I feel the classic appearance of deckled edges is worth the minor hassle with flipping through the book. How often are you actually trying to land on a specific page of a novel anyway? You always have recourse to use your thumb upon the upper or lower edge if you need to flip pages with accuracy.
I hate them and will actively look for a different edition to avoid them. In modern books it's a false luxury.
Ok but what is a real luxury?
Doesn’t bother me either way. I rather like the deckled edge.
I'm afraid I don't like deckles edges on modern books and only tolerate them on old ones.
They are quite frustrating to read!
I despise this gimmick. Deckled edges look and feel awful. I go out of my way to avoid them. Perhaps they were a sign of quality once, but now they are merely a pompous affectation. I wanted to buy Gaiman’s book of Norse myths and so many others, but couldn’t bring myself to allow a deckled abomination into my home.
To the publishers: Some people love this crap, but I absolutely despise it on a visceral level. Can you meet me halfway and at least offer a non-deckled version too? I CANNOT buy deckled books. I can’t. You did this to the new hardcover Jared Diamond book, which I would have purchased. FFS.
Yeah, they're pretty frustrating to read! Thanks for your comment. It's such a divisive topic!
@Filmdaze Just ordered China Miéville’s Perdido Street Station off Amazon (softcover). The damned thing has both thin recycled paper pages AND deckled edges. To be clear, I don’t mind the former, but both together constitute a cruel mockery of book design. Imagine deckling a pocket dictionary.
Amen !
Strongly against. It's very much a matter of form over function, and for me books are primarily objects that serve a function, which is making the text within available to readers. That is not to say that I don't appreciate well-crafted books, but anything that impedes the function is a big no, for me. This includes not only deckles, but also bad/uneven contrast, glossy pages and books not able to lay flat on their back.
Trying to make a glued book (already more likely to fall apart in the long term and less functional in some regards) appear more "premium" by making it harder to flip pages is a good way to make me incensed enough to write a comment to express my dismay.
I encountered these in their modern form only a few years ago, when I bought a popular science book on physics. I sent it back, and I also sent the author a strongly worded letter that he'd approved something so silly.
I am all in for deckled edges and wish all my books were this way. But alas, tis not so.
How interesting! Do you enjoy the experience of reading them?
Holly Dunn Design Yes, indeed I do. I love the feel on my fingers; to be immersed in a story or information and to have delightful paper and edges to run my fingers along as I do so (and not get a paper cut!)
That's true! I hadn't thought of the paper cut risk!
This is my book fetish.... DECKLED EDGES. I have a lot of problems locating these. Amazon specified a deckled edge version (specified on Amazon) of THE MERMAID AND MRS. HANCOCK. Well, much to my disappointment I got the BORING PAGE EDITION. I wonder if they have different ISBN numbers.
Technically, they should have different ISBNs, but they don't always follow the rules :(
Holly Dunn Design I wish Publishers would make the option available. A website or catalog is needed for Special Editions ....for Collectors like me!
Same here, I'm in love with them. I think they make the book look so much more interesting.
One of my books arrived today and this is the first time I've heard of deckled edges style... and I don't like it 😔
Nay
Functionally they are terrible, as she points out. I don't care about the appearance.
I HATE them because they make the book look damaged
I don't like deckled edges at all. Neither find them practical nor asthetically pleasing. I always used to think it was a factory defect.
Deckled edges annoy me; they manage to be shabby and pretentious at the same time, they feel, well, wrong and distract me while reading and I refuse to buy any book that has them.
I cannot stand them, they feel AWFUL- I always thought it was lazy/cheap production
British...right?
Deckled edges are soooo annoying!
I saw a book like this at the MIBF 2019 and I thought there was something wrong with it. I immediately put it down thinking why would they sell such an ugly book. Only now do I realize this is a thing. The book was Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology.