What Is the Oxford Hollow?

Last time we discussed the “Yeshivish” binding for books. Today we will look at the “Oxford Hollow.” 

What is an Oxford Hollow, you might ask. Picture an Oxford tri-fold folder but smaller and the size of the spine of a book. 

When and why do I use an Oxford Hollow? I use it when I fix a book whose cover is falling off or has already fallen off. The hollow helps keep the spine and book pages together. 

If you take a book apart, you will see by the spine there is usually a small brown piece of paper glued to the pages but not glued to the spine. This piece of paper helps keep the pages together but does not help the book stay together. 

When fixing a book that needs the extra support, I take a piece of heavy paper and measure out enough paper so that I could fold it over like an oxford folder.

The folded page should be a little smaller than the width of the spine. On the doubled-over side, use a non-acidic glue (either in the form of a glue stick, craft glue, or archival glue (this is another good option).

Once the oxford hollow is dry, glue the doubled-over side to the pages and the single side to the cover. 

Doing this will alleviate wear on the hinge by adding another point of connection for the signatures and the cover.

Once done, let it dry and finish with the repair.