Rebacked

having had the material covering the spine replaced. The practice of rebacking is relatively common as the spine of a book often is exposed to the greatest damage and ware, both due to the fact that the spine is typically the portion of the book most exposed to damage from sunlight and dust while on a bookshelf, and as a natural effect of the stresses on the spine of a book in opening and closing during normal use. Additionally, the headband and head of the spine may be torn when the book is removed from the shelf as a result of careless practices ( a book should never be pulled by the spine) Rebacking preserves the majority of the original binding of a book, helping preserve the collectible value. To further help ensure preservation of as much of the originality of the book as possible, the original spine label may be reused in the process of rebacking.

Related Glossary Items

Spine