Thornwillow Press - Paper Binding

I was looking at a couple of books from the Thornwillow Press and was wondering if anyone had feedback on the paper bindings? Particularly Pride and Prejudice and Death on the Nile. Not interested in the cloth binding and the others are too expensive.

I splurged on a full leather binding for the Thornwillow P&P, and I have to say that I was equally impressed with the paper copy. It's the same paper and print quality, and the paper used for the binding is thick and hefty. It's very nice to leave as is, or rebind down the road.

>2 johnaba: Is it really the same Paper for the full leather and paper wrappter copy of P&P? Their previous publications had different paper for paper-wrapper/half-cloth editions than for half/full leather books.

>1 RRCBS: As the Death on the Nile is not yet available I can't tell you anything about that, but P&P is a really nice edition (I have the half-cloth version though). The only paper-wrapper Thornwillow I have ever seen was the Sherlock Hexalogy. It's not that exciting, but well made. If you are interested I can post some pictures after work.

Thanks. I guess my question is whether the paper boards for the paper version are actually like finished boards, for example Folio Society publishes books with paper boards, or whether you would only buy to rebind?

You can use them as a finished book, but they are not stiff boards. It is the textblock and a paper wrapper around it. It can easily be rebound, but you can also leave it as is.

I just found my old post with some pictures of the paper-wrapper Sherlock: https://www.librarything.com/topic/277093#6288833

I love to read Thornwillow Press's paper wrapped books, because they open flat very easily, unlike any other binding of the same book. The quality of sewing the pages together is the same as in other binding options. I read Pride and Prejudice in paper version, and the book held very well - after I finished the novel, there were no creases on the spine, as usual for cheap paperbacks. I think that the quality of the binding is good, and it is made to last, and the wrappers (essentially fancy dust jackets) seem to protect the book well.

I hope this helps.

Another option is repeating one of my previous postings:

Those among you who also bought the paper-wrapped Pride and Prejudice may be interested to know that the slipcase from the Folio Society's edition of In Trouble Again (an item that can be obtained cheaply) is a near perfect fit: very, very snug (especially vertically), but not so snug as to make the book hard to remove.

The green is also a close match for the green on the paper wrapping of Pride and Prejudice.

I went through my entire Folio collection to find a slipcase that could be repurposed, with a view to protecting Pride and Prejudice more affordably than having a custom slipcase made.

>6 booksforreading: The quality of sawing the pages together is the same as in other binding options,

We will assume you meant "sewing." *grin*

>8 Glacierman:
Thank you! I have just corrected it! :)
I really should check my grammar before submitting a post!

Sorry to revive an old thread, but I’m considering getting a few of the paper-bound Thornwillow books, and wanted to ask whether the consensus among those who have them still remains that they are durable enough to withstand regular handling and (re-)reading.

The half-leather bindings are the ones I’d love to have, design-wise, but for the price of one, I could buy all the Thornwillow titles I currently want. I know the half-cloths are considered the best value, but I also consistently find them the least exciting from the full lineup, in terms of design…

>10 BorisG: I ONLY have paper TW editions: Pride & Prejudice, Parable of the Sower, Song of Solomon, Portrait of a Free Man, The Great Gatsby, Inferno, and Ask Hafiz. Almost all have been read but none re-read as of yet. I love them. Great price-point, sturdy wrapper, well-sewn. I do put a bookjacket cover on my paperwrappers like I do every dust jacket.

I anticipate they will hold up very well to my rereading habit.

I have the Death in the Nile in paper wrapper and would much have preferred the half cloth because I have Song of Solomon.

>11 jveezer: Thanks, this is very good enabling :) what kind of book jacket covers do you use?

>12 ironjaw: From a structural point of view, I, too, would much prefer a hard bound book. It’s just that the pale colour palette on most of their half-cloths really doesn’t work for me. The half-leathers have saturated colours and gorgeous paste papers (just see Death on the Nile!), I love those and I wish I could afford them…

Even the recent Ulysses: I’m not in the market for it, but from an aesthetic point of view, I much prefer the deluxe paper bindings to the half-cloth option.

>13 BorisG: Brodart archival covers.

I wonder if they print themselves the paper for the binding or if it is available from elsewhere?

>15 Maretzo: They definitely print the paper themselves. All of the patterns are original. Same for the decorative papers, they are all made in house.

In my opinion, the paper editions are fantastic and a super bargain. Everyone says that the cloth editions are the best value, but I actually think the paper wrapper editions are even more remarkable valuewise. They are letterpress printed, have sewn bindings, and interesting designs. They are certainly durable (though I agree with the comments above that a protective cover is a good idea). Honestly, if the paper wrapper editions were $200 and the cloth editions $400, they would both still be worth the price. Compare to a cloth edition from Arion or a paper wrapper edition from Tallone, Thornwillow's prices are amazing. You can't go wrong.

All this being said, I still prefer the half and full leather editions... and since they bring out only a few titles per year, I gravitate in that direction... but for accessibility, the paper and cloth are amazing.

Lot of (mostly) paper wrapper Thornwillow books is up on eBay right now – in instant collection.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/154878648007?hash=item240f7c9ec7:g:W1gAAOSwGHJiH5Sn