Edith Hamilton's "Mythology" book question?

Question

No, this isn't homework. Baven't been in school for some time now so I'm not looking for homework help.

What I am looking for is a question concerning the book itself. Not the material in the book, but rather the condition. Has anyone else had a problem with the paperback falling apart? I had to read it in tenth grade and it was like virtually everyone's copy would fall apart. My english teacher didn't seem too phased by this, telling us to try and keep the pages togther (and you'd think a teacher would be upset by their students books falling apart).

I'd have just chalked it up to the books all being old, but I bought a brand new copy soon after graduating high school and within days of purchasing the book started falling apart. I've never even bent the spine and try to take as good care of it as possible, but it's like it's determined to fall apart.

Has anyone else experinced this problem, especially when their copy is brand new?

Sorry folks, I'm not asking how to fix the book, I'm asking if anyone else has experinced this problem with this particular book. It seems like every paperback copy I've either personally owned, been assigned for school, or seen outside of a bookstore just wants to fall apart no matter how careful one is with it. And I'm just wondering if this problem something others have experinced with the book often.

Answer 1

My paperback copy published by Penguin around 1982 is still in pretty good condition, all the pages are still attached. My mom has a copy, though, that I believe was published in the 60s or 70s and it IS losing its pages with a crumbling spine.

Answer 2

It all has to do with the materials used in the binding; some publishers use cheap glue. Sadly, books that self destruct from poor binding are all too common and it isn't limited to paperbacks.

Red unicorn's method is the approved one for new books to extend their usefulness. In the case of one that's already falling apart, take a paintbrush and brush a thin layer of white glue down the spine, put the pages back in and put a couple of rubber bands around the book. Be sure not to put too much glue or it'll squish out and stick pages together. You want the rubber bands to be tight enough to hold the spine to the pages but not tight enough to make it bow. Let it sit a couple of days and the pages should stay in.

I have an old copy of Edith Hamilton's Mythology but I've been lucky: it's stayed together. Great book! I'm partial to the Norse section.

Answer 3

I have been a librarian for many years. I started as a 4th grader. REALLY.

In 4th grade, it was my job to keep the classroom library in order. In 5th grade, the teacher taught me how to help take care of new books. You need to "stretch" the binding. It helps keep the pages in a book longer. Paperbacks are only glued along the spine.

You take the book and hold it so that the cover is touching the table but the pages are straight up. Then you gently press the cover on each side along the spine as if you were putting a credit card through a card reader. Then you take a "signature" or small group of pages on the right side and put them on the table. Press down along the spine. Repeat with a small group of pages on the left side. Continue a group of pages on each side of the book till all the pages are on the table. This gently stretches the book so that it is less likely to have the glue crack.

Paperbacks are more likely to crack than a hard cover which is why some libraries hate buying paperbacks.

Hope this helps!

Answer 4

i understand this in basic terms isn't great effectual, yet i wished to warn you that it is going to likely be extremely not straight forward to discover a quick precis of this e book. that's packed with a good number of distinctive memories, and you are going to have situation remembering what you could desire to keep in mind except you are trying examining it (or analyzing up on a ton of mythology some opposite direction). I truthfully experience such as you should do extra advantageous to examine it extremely quickly and danger forgetting some issues fairly than attempting to memorize somebody else's account of the questions... it sort of feels like the latter would be too confusing, yet that's in basic terms me. the two way, good success!