Since the pages are uncut, there evidently hasn't been a first reader, which means it's an 150 year old unread book. It might be rare to come by so that's why we've decided to post this. Since it's the Netherlands the book has gotten wet in the past, so some pages are slightly damaged.
In The Great Gatsby, a book which was published at the tail end of the era of the uncut page, a character tells of Gatsby’s extensive library of books, which on examination he finds consists entirely of real books — with unopened pages.
Accordingly, all of the pages of an “uncut” book cannot be opened. In many descriptions, this is referred to as an “unopened” book. When it comes to page styling and aesthetics, endpapers also tend to be styled significantly.
Uncut or untrimmed pages are unusual, since books were issued unbound, or in a temporary binding for the purchaser to have bound up to the mid 19th-century development of the publisher’s binding.
I understand that this was often a normal result of book production in those days, with the expectation that the purchaser would separate the pages themselves with a knife. My question is, would this reduce the value and historic significance of these books if I were to separate the pages from each other?
I first came across this years ago while reading Richard Burton’s Arabian Nights at Franciscan University. Printers used to print several pages on large sheets of paper, fold them, and bind them together. It was up to the reader to cut the folded pages apart in order to read the book. So these uncut books by Mivart have clearly never been read.
Introspection suggests this might depend on the book's age. For an older book, I'd see uncut pages as a sign the book wasn't read and probably not handled much--a likely indication of a volume in nice condition. For something very recent, such as the Thornwillow Great Gatsby, I know the book will be in nice condition because it's virtually ...
A book might be left uncut either to avoid this or because the book’s owner likes the looser, uneven effect of an untrimmed book. Any book with a deckle edge will necessarily also be uncut.
There was a time when collectors preferred wide, original page margins, which were often trimmed (cut) by binders. Books with unopened margins were obviously uncut, so perhaps, at that time (a century or so ago), more desirable. Now the dust jacket's the sacred thing, sic tempus fugit.
An uncut book allows the reader to observe an entire spread or two side-by-side pages as they would appear in an actual finished book, making this invaluable when trying to gain an idea of layout or design; additionally, it helps in assessing whether a book has been bound properly.
When a book arrives in the libraries with pages uncut, preservation staff should cut the pages. This is done either with a hydraulic cutter or by holding the book partially open, and with either a metal letter opener or bone folder, cutting the top and fore edges with very short strokes, taking care not to saw back and forth through foldings. Holding the text block flate with a free hand will ...
When a book arrives in the libraries with pages uncut, Preservation Unit staff should cut the pages. This is done either with a hydraulic cutter or by hand. These types of publishings are usually identified as they enter the collection, but sometimes they are found in a book that has circulated. Usually the patron will bring this to the attention of Circulation staff.
1. In publishing, what does it mean when the pages are uncut? What does that concept add to Owl-eyes comments about the library? • It means the pages were still bound, being connected to the adjacent page straight of the printing press, unread.
'Uncut pages', or simply 'uncut', traditionally refers to a book which has not been trimmed by rebinding. Prior to the mid-nineteenth century publishers often sold books with a paper or cloth binding intended to be temporary. The purchaser of the book would then make arrangements with a binder to have the book cut and suitably bound, typically in leather. Each time a book is rebound the text ...
a book sold with the bolts uncut, to be hand-slit by the purchaser with a paper-knife. It is then said to be opened. An uncut book made from laid paper still has the deckle edges. An uncut copy of a book is noted in a copy-specific note.
