Splay: its causes and prevention

[@GoldSayaProductions]

A difficult lesson but one I needed to hear

[@iamrubenmes]

Top notch knowledge to have for us bibliophiles ❤

[@georgewhitehead8185]

Excellent video. I shall take your advice, and make it the way I shelve my books. Also, I really liked the saying on your "T" shirt. Doctor George Whitehead

[@haywoco2]

Some Easton Press books splay simply from poor binding. Milton's Paradise Lost is a well-known example of this...EP outsourced the binding.

[@PatricksRareBooks]

That’s unfortunate-and good to know. Thanks.

[@michaeldrinkard678]

Excellent and educational video! Glad I found this, and I am now subscribed. 🙂

[@Ljosa122]

WOW that library looks nice

[@Nashvillain10SE]

...with all the spines aligned! 😂

[@-johnny-deep-]

Nice trick. So how do you prevent sagging of the text block in the back of the shelf (the front edge of the book) that results in the top of the binding getting flatter and the bottom getting more rounded?

[@BreakerofHorses1]

You can't if they're upright. Maybe shelf horizontally if it's a big deal

[@jedigreyson93]

I actually do a version of this with a lot of my books (especially the oversize books) which is to organize them by size and *then* align them by the open ends. Of course this doesn't work for all books, especially when it comes to books in a series or a group of books by the same author where all the books are of different sizes/editions, but generally it's served me pretty well.

[@groove2519]

I thought splay could be cased by airflow or humidity. I've noticed it after a new book has been laid on its side awhile (on a flat surface, waiting to be read), not yet shelved. Trying to understand why it's occurred, I assumed that airflow from a fan or window was causing the outer surface to dry out and therefore curl. It's a mystery to me though. In that regard, shelving a book is probably better than leaving it out, but sometimes a lack of shelf space necessitates other solutions. The other phenomenon that drives me nuts with new books (hardcovers) is wavy pages at the top edge.

[@sherlock1895]

Very interesting. I did not know that. Cheers!

[@NickBR57]

Seems more likely to me that the cover binding covers the whole outside and only a margin on the inside. Drying and shrinkage is then greater on the outside than the inside and causes the cover to bow.

[@theofficialxcel]

Keep feathering it

[@yaminadhib3875]

Thank you

[@Ashley-1090]

So not too packed, but with the foredges aligned. I assume this shouldn't be done by just pushing them to the back of the bookshelf? Because then I would expect you would lose airflow to the books?

[@stevewalter4552]

If the main issue is the books being packed too tightly, would spine alignment with a looser packing prevent the issue? If so, that would be the best option for both aesthetics & to prevent long term damage to your books.

[@syts77]

I thought I was too obsessed with order and look of my books, but you guys are nuts.

[@dragonmartijn]

Thanks for your call to sanity.

[@bobdouglas262]

Too thin paper boards, along with improper shelving, contributes to splay

[@user-w8jhtre23]

Awsome.

[@justsomebody1171]

One should never shelf books to tight! Most people take a book of the shelve by hooking their finger over the spine. If the book is shelved to tight this can cause the top to rip. I was though this when I started working at a local public library, but I think is also a good practice for a home library.

[@JadeStone8]

Thank you, thank you, thanks so much!!

[@BKNeifert]

Thanks, bro. Didn't even know I was doing it the right way. I always thought that was how everyone shelved books, because it's just natural for me to push them the whole way back Also, I instantly knew you were a Theology nerd. I've seen shelves like that with those kinds of books from famous preachers like Paul Washer and stuff. Nice rare book collection, too. I do also stack them vertically, on their sides on my one shelf. Similarly, they rest against the backboard. Is that safe?

[@juanitaseguin4371]

did you notice what was written on his shirt?

[@AUTUMN-DARK]

I wish I hadn't watched this 😂.... I am wrestling with the idea of pushing books back on the shelf but aesthetically it's so much nicer to have them at the edge flush... I will think on it

[@captainlengthwidth6692]

Mice love that long thin space in the back of books shelved like that. Mice eat books.

[@bite-sizedshorts9635]

I thought it was humidity. That would cause the free edge to swell, but not the spine, as the spine is attached and not free to swell. The best cure for that is a climate-controlled library. I have thousands of books, all with their spines even at the front of the shelf, without this problem. My room is kept heated or cooled 24/7/365, even when I'm not there. That also preserves my original photos and documents longer. Many of my books are over 100 years old, and some are even more than 200 years old.

[@AUTUMN-DARK]

Another option is to forgoe any sense of reasonable order and to allow keeping books flush forward you could only group books of matching size 😂

[@eriolduterion8855]

Fascinating, but a look at the shelved books behind you shows the spines aligned.

[@kingnull2697]

This is incorrect, it appears that way because he has large groups of similarly-sized books. Look at the shelf on his left, in line with his shoulder.

[@Leathurkatt]

They look like their aligned by spine ONLY because they're the same sized books. When you have a set or series of books where they are all the same size, then duh, they're all going to line up together.

[@BelleResells]

my first edition us copy of The Neverending Story splayed from having it displayed :( I had it on my shelf for a year before i noticed

[@AngryPapaSmurf]

Yes but that means more books are close to BACK OF BOOKCASE and thus the wall, where theres risk of damp

[@taiwanboy]

wrong information you are sharing , spray isnt cause by tightness , it is because of humidity going lower then the board would like , loosely shelve your book will result in spine sacking

[@Celeste-hl1kw]

He addressed humidity in other videos. Both can cause splay.