Overheard a librarian say something about endpapers that stuck with me

I was at the library last Saturday picking up a book on paper marbling and I heard one librarian tell another, "the endpapers are the handshake of the book." It got me thinking about how I always rush through that part when I'm binding. I mean, it's the first and last thing someone touches when they open a book. Do you guys put as much thought into your endpapers as the cover or spine?

3 comments

3 Comments

milestaylor1mo ago

Three bindings ago I was using this garish mustard yellow paper for my endpapers because I got it on sale and thought nobody would notice. Now I can't stop thinking about that handshake line because it's so true. The endpapers are literally binding the whole thing together and they set the mood before you even hit the title page. I redid a whole journal last week because the endpapers felt wrong against the cloth, like showing up to a handshake with a wet fish. Makes you wonder how many books we've all ruined without even realizing it.

joelwells1mo ago

Wait, you actually heard a librarian say something that profound out loud?

blair_dixon1mo ago

A couple years back I overheard a librarian at the local branch tell a kid that "the cover is just the front door, but the endpapers are the welcome mat." Stuck with me ever since. I actually took apart a cheap paperback last month just to test out some handmade endpapers I had been scared to use. Turned out they made the whole book feel way more special, like I had finally matched the right socks to the right shoes.