There are two quick ways.
First, check towards the edge of the spine where the pages end. If you can see individual signatures (little bundles of pages all stacked on top of one another), then it’s sewn. See below:
Another way to determine if it is sewn is to open the book and look deep into the pages and see if you can see little points or holes. This is where the threads are passed to through to stitch the signatures together. See below:
If your book has a glued binding, you will not see those individual signatures near the spine. See below:
And again, looking into the pages as before, you will not notice those little holes, just a smooth edge where the pages meet This is a sign of a glued binding. See below:
This is just a quick method of determining what sort of bindings you have on your bookshelf.
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August 10, 2008 at 1:56 am
My thought on our bibles and how we interact with them. « the foolish galatian
[...] How to determine if you have a glued or sewn binding. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)ESV Single Column Reference Bible ReviewHE IS CALLING YOUHE IS CALLING YOUR NAMEWhy and How do you read the Bible? [...]
October 26, 2008 at 4:56 am
Erik
I have always wondered while looking at various Bibles in various bookstores whether or not I was holding a sewn or glued Bible. Your photos have solved my dilemma. Thanks for enlightening me. By the way, I am really enjoying your blog. Keep up these very insightful posts!
-Erik
October 26, 2008 at 5:32 pm
dogbarber
Thank you for your kind words Erik! I’m glad the post helped you.
June 9, 2009 at 9:36 pm
Tom
I can’t really tell if my Bible is sewn or glued. When I look, sometimes it seems like there are threads passing through the pages but when I look on top, it looks like it’s glued.
Perhaps, since you have reviewed many Crossway/ESV things before, you would know. I use the ESV Personal Size Reference Bible.
If a Bible has a glued binding, could that prevent it from laying flat at the very beginning and end of the Bible? [My ESV will only start laying flat part way through Exodus!]
June 9, 2009 at 11:27 pm
dogbarber
If you have a “genuine leather” binding, it’s sewn: any other it’s glued.
June 19, 2009 at 8:07 pm
Allen Mitchell
> If you have a “genuine leather” binding, it’s sewn: any other it’s glued.
This is not entirely accurate. There are editions of the Personal Size Reference and the Classic Reference that are TruTone and have sewn bindings. Also the Deluxe Compact editions in TruTone are sewn. I have personally seen one of these (the Classic Reference one with the Eternity design) and it does indeed have a sewn binding.
New covers in 2008 with sewn bindings:
http://www.esv.org/blog/2008/05/summer-2008-esvs/
Deluxe Compat information:
http://www.esv.org/blog/2008/05/deluxe-compact-available/
June 22, 2009 at 9:03 pm
Allen Mitchell
Hi! I wrote to Crossway inquiring about the Classic Reference in Trutone before I posted here the other day and I just got a response from them about sewn bindings. If I had seen this blog first, I would have asked a more general question. For the Classic Ref., they have transitioned to sewn bindings on all of them, and I suspect they are doing the same on the Personal Size Ref. editions, but someone would need to check on this. I think this is a good thing overall! Also, all of the ESV Study Bibles have sewn bindings.
From Crossway:
Thank you for your kind attention to this matter.
In regards to your inquiry, there are other Reference Bibles with a sewn binding such as the TruTone Brown Cordovan portfolio (ISBN: 9781581347692). All of the newly produced Classic Reference Bibles come with sewn binding. Due to the fact that this has been recent change in production there are still Bibles with glued bindings that are still available. Each Bible for now would need to be assessed on a case by case basis. The Classic Reference Bibles that are on their 7th printing are most like to have sewn binding. If you look at the copyright page of the ESV Bible on the very last line there are many numbers. The last number indicates what number printing it comes from.
The following Bibles most likely have sewn binding:
Bible Type
ISBN
ESV Classic Reference Bible (Bonded Leather, Black)
1581343183
ESV Classic Reference Bible (TruTone, Chestnut, Eternity Design, Red Letter)
9781433502330
ESV Classic Reference Bible (TruTone, Brown/Cordovan, Portfolio Design, Red Letter)
1581347693
ESV Classic Reference Bible: Genuine Leather, Black, Red Letter
1581343175
ESV Classic Reference Bible (TruTone, Charcoal, Celtic Cross Design, Red Letter)
1581347707
I hope this information is helpful to you. Please feel free to contact us with any future inquiries.
September 19, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Ron Cassell
I recently purchased a Bible that was bound in genuine leather, according to the box. However, the Bible had a stamp on the back that read “bonded leather.” The book store owner said that he could tell that the Bible was truly genuine leather by the feel. (It was still kind of stiff, but maybe not as stiff as some bonded leather Bibles I have seen.) However, I am wondering how I can determine whether the Bible truly is genuine leather or bonded leather.
Thanks
September 22, 2009 at 4:15 am
Allen Mitchell
You can’t tell the difference by the ‘feel’. I have a genuine leather Bible from the 1960’s that feels completely different from one made today. Unfortunately, most ‘Genuine Leather’ Bibles today have very thin bindings while in the past they were much thicker. Basically, bonded leather Bibles will not be as durable as genuine leather, and only through use will you know for certain. About the only way for a layman to know if a genuine leather is truly genuine and not bonded is if it has a natural grain. This is impossible for bonded leather since it is made from scraps. An imprint is put into all bonded leathers and nearly all of today’s genuine leathers, so it’s pretty hard to tell the difference.
In my opinion, Crossway’s ‘Genuine Leather’ Bibles don’t have a nice feel at all and are disappointing. Our family has a Calfskin Large Print from them that is exceptional and also a Cordovan Calfskin that is wonderful. Those are premium leathers and the difference from their genuine and bonded leathers is striking.
If the Bible has ‘Bonded Leather’ stamped into, it more than likely is just that.