I always thought linen thread was just for show until I saw a 200 year old binding

Alex Singh · 2026-03-12T06:05:09.98146+00:00

I was at a book show in Portland last month and got to handle a ledger from the 1820s. The guy running the booth pointed out the original linen sewing was still holding strong, while the leather spine had cracked. He said, "The thread outlives the skin by a century." I looked it up later and found a study showing linen fiber loses less than 10% of its strength over 100 years. Now I'm switching my personal projects to linen. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed a difference in how the book opens?

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I always thought linen thread was just for show until I saw a 200 year old binding | Bookbinders - Librear