A Survey of Hinges

Benjamin Elbel

From a technical point of view, books are a collec-

tion of flat elements (paper, board, etc) joined together
into a block. This block is a simple compact entity
when closed, but a rather complex mechanical object
when handled. Two main motions can be observed
within a functioning book: firstly there is the obvious
rotational movement when opening a cover or turning
a page. As the reader makes his way through the book,
a second ‘flexing’ motion occurs as the text-block
arches up and away from the spine of the case [Fig. 1].
In this article I will focus on the rotational move-
Fig. 1. Rotational and opposing flexing motion.
ments only and concentrate in particular on hinges,
as they are key to making this possible. We will look
at how they function and what their applications may
be in bookbinding and box-making. This will take the
form of a survey (and not a scientific study), giving an
overview of the surprising diversity of structures that
I came across in both hand- and machine-bookbind-
ing, and will embrace both the most mundane as well
as less well known solutions. Some of my examples
are purely technical whilst others may be considered
as works of art in their own right by their sheer
elegance, sophistication and expressive potential.
I differentiated between two main categories Fig. 2. Imaginaire Landschappen by Emily Van Olden.

of rotating hinges: group ‘A’ relies on nothing else

than the material itself, whilst group ‘B’ makes use
of additional external features, such as the covering
material, threads, magnets, and so on.

G r o u p A : U s i n g t h e m at e r i a l i t s e l f

a1. The drape

Before we go into actual hinges, I thought it would
be worthwhile to talk about paper flexibility, which
is in itself a form of hinging. When applied to books
this motion is called ‘drape’ and depends both on the Fig. 3. Kaleidoscope structure by Gabriel Zegna.
paper’s weight, its flexibility, and the size of the book.
A wide page will drape better than a narrower fold of
the same paper. In Fig. 2 you can see a contemporary a2: The fold
Japanese-style binding on a work by the Dutch artist The fold in itself is at the very heart of any binding (such
Emily Van Olden, bound by myself. The leaves are as sections etc.), but I thought I’d show you something
60gsm and display a satisfying drape, which would else to illustrate the power of these. In Fig. 3 every fold is
probably not be the case with a much narrower book effectively a hinge as the structure is designed to turn on
(page width here: 220mm). itself indefinitely.

Benjamin Elbel 69
 a3. The scored groove
Any paper heavier than about 200gsm is not happy
to be folded and likely to show unaesthetic creases or
cracks next to the fold. A scored line (as with a bone-
folder for example) establishes a ‘groove’ that avoids the
mentioned problems and facilitates a neat linear point
of movement [Fig. 4].

a4. The release cut

This method is routinely used in print finishing and
Fig. 4. Scored hinge on a brochure.
industrial box-making as well as in binderies that aim
for a cost-efficient outcome [Fig. 5]. It consists of cutting
cardboard halfway through (or more), in order to create
a hinge. It can all be done in one go when using cutting
dies or one by one when done by hand. When folded, the
cuts open up to allow for the movement, this results in a
slightly rounded look on the outer edge, which might not
be to everyone’s liking.
Another and perhaps a more interesting example
of the cut-to-release process can nowadays be achieved
with the help of laser cutters. The stunning example of
Martell books shows laser-cut plywood [Fig. 6] where a
Fig. 5. Release cuts in cardboard.
pattern of slots has been cut into the otherwise rigid
spine. As some points remain intact these release-cuts
create a complex hinge.

a5. Interlocking panels

Another way of hinging two pieces of paper is to interlock
them [Fig. 7]. This is common practice in the world of
pop-ups as it is believed to be more durable than folding,
as it avoids the issue of ‘paper fatigue’. The pop-up book
Boven Kamers by Moon Brouwer makes spectacular use
of this very simple principle, and one which I had the
pleasure of binding [Fig. 8].
Fig. 7. Interlocking panels.

Fig. 6. Martell books designed by Jake Noakes, produced by Booxs (NL). Fig. 8. Pop-up in Boven Kamers by Moon Brouwer.

70 A Surve y of Hinges
G r o u p B : U s i n g e X t e r n a l f e at U r e s

b1. The covering material a b c d

Using additional external material is the most common
way to create hinges in the world of books and boxes.
These can essentially be divided into two sub-groups: the
tight and the wide joint.
Fig. 9. Four ways to work a tight hinge.
The tight hinge: In Fig. 9 you can see four examples
that are mainly used in box-making. They are from
left to right: using regular boards (a), milled boards (b),
staggered boards (c), and bevelled boards (d). All of these
methods have their advantages and drawbacks: (a) and
(b) are the fastest techniques, though both have a serious
drawback, as the spine pieces offer no physical structural
support, so the boards have a tendency to sink in over
time. The milling process in (b) requires CNC routing
equipment and is therefore a more industrial method. In Fig. 10. The ‘narrow’ hinge of a fine binding.
comparison, examples (c) and (d) take a little more time
to make, but have the considerable advantage that the
spines support the boards. A traditional book structure,
whether cased in or worked directly on the book (i.e.
with laced-on boards or in other ways), is basically a
variation of Fig. 9d. It is interesting to notice that the
hinge is not an abstract geometric line, but indeed
requires a physical gap, as one can appreciate in Fig. 10,
when considering the distance between the board and
the shoulder.
Fig. 11. The functioning of the ‘wide’ hinge of a French groove.

The wide hinge: The simplest case binding style is

the one with a flat spine (flat-backs) [Fig. 11]. This is
essentially a variation from diagram Fig. 9a, though with
much wider gaps. These are shaped into so-called French
grooves, which serve two purposes: they enable the
board to swing open but also allow for the spine area to
‘shorten’, when the text-block moves up and away from
the spine of the case when being read.

Fig. 12. interlaced weave.

b2. Woven hinges
We all know this hinge from a toy called the Jacob’s
Ladder, the ‘magic wallet’, or Japanese screens. A flat band
(or ribbon, thread, etc.) laces around lined-up elements
in an alternating weave. The construction is capable of a
360° rotation whilst the elements stay firmly connected
[Figs 12, 13 & 14].
The woven hinge has interesting potential for book-
binding and box-making. Besides the extreme and fluid
rotational movement, an added interest lies in the fact Fig. 13. The jacob’s ladder in motion.

that the boards can be covered separately, which results

BEnjamin ElBEl 71
 Fig. 14. The full 360° swing. Fig. 15. Classic crisscross structure by Anne Goy.

Fig. 16. Crisscross binding with Tyvek hinges by Anne Goy.

in visually crisp joints. Anne Goy was a pioneer when

starting to explore the structure’s possibilities in the totally independent from the text-block. It runs vertically
1980s. She developed a style which was known for many and functions as an articulating hinge between the spine
years as the ‘Secret Belgian Binding’, before she renamed and the boards [Fig. 18]. If one takes a (very) close look
it ‘Crisscross Binding’ in 2010 [Fig. 15]. A little less well you will see two threads crossing each other in each hole.
known are her latest developments in this area, where she However from a distance they just look like red dots.
uses Tyvek elements in a variety of shapes, far from the
basic principle as illustrated above [Fig. 16]. b4. Rod hinges
A rod hinge follows the same principle as that of a door
b3. Sewn hinges hinge: all you need is a rod that serves as a point of
The first guess when looking at the book in Fig. 17 would rotation for attached elements. There are numerous
probably be that the red dots are the sewing supports, historical examples that use this simple principle,
laced through the boards? They are not. What you can most notably perhaps the 18th-century silver bindings
see is the visible evidence of a secondary sewing that is [Fig. 19]. However, here the text-blocks are sewn in the

72 A Surve y of Hinges
Fig. 17. Storia Romana, vellum binding with sewn hinges. Bound by Benjamin Elbel. Fig. 18. Cross-section of Fig. 17. Here the red dots
mark the location of the secondary sewing thread.

Fig. 20. Wire edge binding by Daniel Kelm on Moth and Bonelight,

published by Jerry Uelsmann and 21st Editions in 2010.

conventional way and the rod hinge is only used as a

way to create a working joint between the otherwise stiff
metal boards and spine.
Since then things have moved on. Daniel Kelm has
developed the wire edge binding, in which not only the
covers are hinged with rods, but each leaf of the text-
block to the next. These are stiff pages that have tubing
elements attached to their spine edges, leaving free the
occasional gap where they get connected in a next step.
Daniel uses various methods of attachment and in Fig. 20
Fig. 19. Example of a 17th-century silver binding you can see an example that works with tubing, rods, and
with a rod hinge at the British Library. small metal loops.

Benjamin Elbel 73
 Fig. 22. Single hinge binding-in-progress by James Brockman.

Fig. 23. Magnetic hinges. Box for screw punch tools by Nadine Werner.

Fig. 21. Piano hinge binding by Anne Giordan.

Acknowledgements
Another application is Hedi Kyle’s piano hinge structure, • Many thanks to Joost Widdershoven, Anne Goy, Gabriel Zegna,
in which horizontal incisions are made into the signatures, Daniel Kelm, Anne Giordan, and Nadine Werner, who agreed
and the resulting tabs are ‘woven’ together and held in to send me beautiful photographs, and thanks to them for
place by rods [Fig. 21]. checking their entries. Thanks also to Annette Friedrich, who
And finally, we cannot talk about rod hinges without first made me aware of the necessary space between board and
mentioning James Brockman and his extraordinary single shoulder in traditional binding. Thank you to my former boss
hinge bindings. Fig. 22 shows a work-in-progress shot of Claudia Flade, who explained to me the difference between
James’s latest binding and one can see how all three elements milled boards and bevelled boards.
(front board, back board, and text-block) are laid out before • All photographs, drawings and bindings are by Benjamin Elbel
being assembled. All elements are fitted with their rings, except: Fig. 3 – © Gabriel Zegna; Fig. 6 – Joost Widdershoven;
which will slot together and rotate around the single rod. Figs 15, 16 & 18 – Michel Lechien; Figs 13 & 19 – public domain;
Fig. 20 – Sami Keats; Fig. 21 – A. Giordan; Fig. 22 – J. Brockman;
b5. Magnetic hinges Fig. 23 – Nadine Werner.
This is probably the most surprising solution for this
survey, which is why I kept it for the end. Magnets are Editors’ note
extremely common nowadays, but who would have • Anne Goy has published a fine step-by-step manual on how to
thought about using them as hinges? The German do the crisscross binding: reliure CRISSCROSS – CRISSCROSS
bookbinder Nadine Werner did (Fig. 23). binding by Anne Goy.

74 A Surve y of Hinges