If you like covering your books in plastic
I stopped covering my books in plastic when I realized that one, the humidity causes the plastic to stick to the book cover, and two, the plastic shrinks over the years. However I miss the compulsive nerdiness of book-covering, and sometimes when I pass a rolled-up sheet of plastic my fingers itch to cover something.
At the bookstore last week I spotted this.
It’s a self-adhesive book cover; you don’t have to use scotch tape (which leads to the fingerprint issue) or double-sided tape (Ted’s solution. My own book-covering technique rejects tape altogether: I weigh down the covered but untaped book under a volume of the Encyclopedia Britannica.)
The paper side has a grid so it’s easy to cut the plastic to fit your book.
A small roll that cost P52 covered these five books. It was a more finicky and nerve-wracking process than I would like. If you make a mistake the adhesive easily peels away from the book cover without taking paper with it (though it still worries me). However, you have to be very careful in attaching the paper or there will be bubbles or grooves left.
The result I’m not too happy with. Note the little air pocket at the bottom of the cover. I peeled the cover off and reattached it several times but I couldn’t get rid of the lump.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
December 3rd, 2009 at 02:36
Ayyyy, gusto ko ring mabasa ‘yang Scary Fairy Tales after I read the review on NYT (I think)! Is it available at National?
December 3rd, 2009 at 04:15
I think, like any other skill, it just takes trial & error and practice.
December 3rd, 2009 at 09:05
if you have an air pocket, just prick it with a pin, and push the air out. you can then smooth down the plastic, and the pinhole won’t be noticeable.
December 3rd, 2009 at 11:26
Too pleasurably nerdy to pass up on… Just use your credit card. Constantly slide it over the plastic as you incrementally lay it down to ensure no air pockets. Needless to say, don’t remove the backing all at the same time, but do it per side. Thus, one side can anchor for the other to get that snug fit. Then when done, swipe the card over the cover edges several times to make sure the plastic folds are crisp and won’t be puffy. Hope that helps.
If the adhesive’s not as sticky as you say, you can still probably redo that side :)
December 3rd, 2009 at 12:49
Hubby introduced me to this sort of plastic cover 10 years ago. It was a pain in the backside to use it then, and still a pain to use it now! I just can’t develop the knack for getting rid of the air bubbles, and it’s not for lack of trying. I can just about get away w/ my soft bound books but it’s my boys’ workbooks that are a nightmare! They are as wide as our ‘ Let Us Write This Way’ books but the covers are made of paper, so you have to be precise before you stick the sticky part or you rip the whole thing off when you try to undo it to get rid of the lumps.
December 3rd, 2009 at 12:52
I use a ruler instead of a credit card, as van suggests. Works perfectly for me.
December 3rd, 2009 at 14:12
ugh! i used tha long ago and only used it once. hated it. i’d still go for the old-fashioned plastic cover, squeezed between heavy, big books so you save on tape.
December 3rd, 2009 at 20:40
Awesome.
I think the issue with Scary Fairy Tales is the book cover itself.
December 4th, 2009 at 02:58
if its like putting screen guard on your phone’s LCD, then damn that’s gonna be too tasky
December 4th, 2009 at 06:26
I will be buying that Scary Fairy Tales book, most especially now that I’m so loaded.
December 4th, 2009 at 08:21
Pray tell where can I buy the book-covering tape? Is it from NBS? One object of affection of my OCD is covering my books. Now I also have to hunt for the Scary Fairy Tales and I’m already juggling three books.
December 11th, 2009 at 02:55
i used to do the same… cover all my books and put a couple of volumes of encyclopedia on top of it before taping up the flaps. i like the grids, before i use rulers to make sure i cut the plastic cover straight. i even laid all the books out in our tile covered kitchen to make sure everything is real neat.
January 6th, 2011 at 12:42
how about this?
Selling a Book by Its Cover
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/06/garden/06books.html?_r=1
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/01/05/garden/20110106-BOOKS.html