Coptic binding

OAB Definition

along the spine sewing pattern using link stitches to join sections. The covers, typically made of light board or duplexed materials, are sewn to the textblock as part of the binding process at a single hole per station. Uses one needle and usually has exposed sewing.

There is a variety of binding styles for which the terms “Coptic” and “Ethiopian” are used, and a curious lack of consensus.

“The term Coptic Sewing is a semantical mess” Betsy Palmer Eldridge (Non-Adhesive Binding VIII, Smith, pg. 225).

ABT Definition

Binding structures in which gatherings are sewn through their folds and link or chain stitches are used to connect adjacent signatures. Typically, the spine is exposed and the thread elements are worked through stab holes in the outer boards or covers.

Linked Terms