If you buy books for a school or library...

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...where do you buy them from?

Lately, I've found that the books I order (mostly from Amazon, but I imagine that it's the same issue even if I were to go to a book shop) seem to fall apart quite quickly. The pages often come away from the spine as I read them - my current one is Jane Eyre, published by Penguin Classics, so I would have expected it to be designed to be kept and re-read, not read once and discarded. The same thing happens with my DC's books - although they may not be particularly gentle with their books.

I would like my books to last longer (as my childhood books did) so please could you recommend a publisher or seller who produces sturdy, well-made books that can be read multiple times without the pages falling out?

Can't say I've ever had that happen from Amazon or any book shop. How odd if you've had it happen multiple times. I imagine the sturdiness of the binding is down to the publisher rather than the individual shop or online retailer you buy from?

I've honestly never had a book fall apart? I'm genuinely surprised you've had it happen once let alone multiple times?

Is it possible there's something you're doing that is leading to this problem? Maybe something you put on your hands is reacting to the adhesive? It seems much more likely that the common denominator is you than multiple publishers?

How odd.
I've never a book fall apart. I buy books that are all the usual publishers - Penguin/Puffin, Harper Collins etc.
If you are ordering American editions of children's books published by Scholastic they are sometimes a slightly less good quality paper than the UK editions but they don't fall apart unless you totally bent the spine over or something.

Oh dear, it must be me then! I do sometimes put my open book under my pillow before I go to sleep, if I can't find the bookmark. Perhaps this breaks the spine.

Thank you for your help!

I think it'll be the sleeping on them opened wide that's doing it! Also, do you read in the bath? The steam/ damp can soften the glue on the spine, and cause pages to fall out.

I do sometimes put my open book under my pillow before I go to sleep

Yikes the bookworm in me is having a heart attack at this revelation! This is almost certainly the cause of the problem. Although I suspect not the only cause but I'm almost afraid to ask what else you do to the books. 😂

Might I suggest a bookmark …?

Or even just folding down the corner of the page is less book torture......

Or if the OP must insist on leaving the book open why not just pop it on the bedside table? No need to have it crushed under the pillow...

Books are pretty standard quality.
I've bought books for various schools, and you can buy plastic covers for them, which does prolong their use, particularly for paperbacks. But in the end we felt it wasn't worth it, by the time you've paid the extra and spent time putting the covers on for hundreds of books, it's cheaper to replace them. But it might work for you, doing it for individual books. Of course, sizes are not standard, but you could use sticky-back plastic. Ot get your books on Kindle. Or be more careful😀

I haven't noticed a change either, but if you really want to stick with the older binding method/glue (if it has indeed changed), why not buy second hand? I buy ours from eBay mostly; many sellers offer a discount for buying several, even the 'satisfactory' books have been in pretty good nick, and the postage is usually free. And stop squishing them under your pillow!

Don't buy from Amazon. Support small booksellers. If there's none local to you you can order from here.

https://uk.bookshop.org/pages/bookstores

When we had a small bookshop here, the books cost a lot more than Amazon and often if you order online from them, they takes ages to arrive. That's not what most people want I'm afraid, things have moved on.

Things have moved on to empty shop fronts and abandoned town centres. I, and many, many, other people I know prefer to pay a pound or two more and wait an extra day than encourage the demise of the high street.

Things have moved on to empty shop fronts and abandoned town centres. I, and many, many, other people I know prefer to pay a pound or two more and wait an extra day than encourage the demise of the high street.

That's fine for you, but I get annoyed at you telling others to not shop at Amazon. People will do whatever suits them. The high street is dead because times have moved on and people now shop in a different way to what they did in 1980.

Yep it’s the leaving books open that breaks the spines, do you fold them back too?

having been on a group call with 7 local school library managers discussing book purchases recently, seems most order via Browns books, occasionally via Amazon for books they can’t get other places and one uses a local independent bookshop.

but you need books marks.

fyi - most libraries work on the assumption a paperback book will survive 20 separate borrowings. (So renewals for the same person doesn’t count in the 20). After that, the book will need to be replaced. It may show signs of wear and tear before that, but may be repairable.

You do what!!!!!! - clutches pearls.
Unfortunately you are breaking the spine of the book and therefore the pages fall out.
Buy some lovely bookmarks and all will be well.

Where do you buy from? Are you part of a consortium? Have you tried somewhere like Brown's Books for Schools, or one of the big retailers like Oasis/ProQuest?

I haven't worked in a library for a while (well, less than a year, anyway) but we used to buy from a specialist retailer, and often we would get them fully processed. There was a negotiated discount applied at checkout - Amazon really might not be the most cost-effective way to do this.

Apologies if you've already gone down this route - I know library life isn't easy at the moment. These just might provide the same shoddy options at least slightly cheaper!

You can be annoyed all you like. I can post what I want. Some people don't know bookshop.org exists and would like an alternative to giving their cash to Jeff Bezos.

That'll definitely be the issue! 😅

Stop telling people what to do. I but from Amazon as it's a lot cheaper and convenient. I bought my daughter 6 books recently and saved almost £40 by buying from Amazon.

I buy for a university library. We use Brown's quite a lot as it's usually both quicker and cheaper than Amazon, although that is because we have a library account. I avoid buying from Amazon unless I'm buying a second-hand book and really can't get it elsewhere. It doesn't matter which supplier you buy the books from though, the quality will be the same.

No. I will always tell people they have choices when it comes to buying books. I love bookshops. I love libraries.

A penguin classics book will have been printed by the publisher not by Amazon or Waterstones or an independent bookshop so that would have no bearing on the quality.

Books did used to be bound differently. I've been reading old childhood books to my son and noticed they were bound with thread rather than glue. I assume it's not something you'd find any more regardless of publisher.