Books, or sets of pages bound together, come in many different forms, some traditional and others not. Most books contain text, either printed or written in hand. (However, some books do not contain text. These "artist's books" are visual works of art in and of themselves. To see some, click here.)

While book pages may be separate pieces of paper bound together (in a stab bound book, for instance), most books contain folded pages grouped together into sets called signatures, which are bound together by sewing, gluing or stapling. The number of pages in a book with folded paper is always a multiple of four because each piece of folded paper makes four pages.

Traditional book forms include pamphlets or chapbooks, stab bindings and case .

Pamphlet or Chapbook
To make a simple pamphlet or chapbook, all you need is paper, thread and a needle. For instructions, go to A Single-Signature Pamphlet.

A Concertina or Accordion Fold Book
Like the instrument for which it is made, the accordion book opens out in a series of folds. For instructions, go to Accordion Book or Concertina Book Instructions.

Stab or Japanese Binding
This easy book form uses sheets of paper that do not necessarily have to be folded. For instructions, go to Bind It Fast or Five-stitch Bookbinding.

Case Bound Book
This is the traditional form most well known to readers since it is the form of the hardback book. Pages are sewn together and then glued into a case (made from binder's board covered with paper, fabric or leather). For instructions, refer to one of the classroom binding books or see Book Binding Techniques. Be warned: This is a labor-intensive form!

Other interesting book-related sites include Institute of Paper Science and Technology, Pop-Up Books and Science and the Artist's Book. Here's an interesting book factory tour that shows how books are made. A wonderful source of papers and biding materials is Hollander's. To see many different hand bound books, go to the McGehee Anthology Project web.