Writer Argues That Reading Should Include Cutting Up Books That Are Physically Too Big

A writer wants you to take a knife to your books. His argument is simple: some novels are just too big to read comfortably, and he has a method for fixing that. He calls it “Chop That Book Up Into Reasonable Sizes.”

The appeal comes from a book club that picked Lonesome Dove, an 850+ page paperback, for its next meeting. The writer admits he is not a Western fan, but he sees why the Pulitzer winner earned its award. What he cannot stand is the physical strain of holding such a volume.

The Case Against Giant Books

The problem is weight. Reading in bed means lifting an 850-page tome over your head for hours. Traveling with it takes up half your bag. His solution is not to avoid the book, but to divide it.

He lays out the steps in a list that reads like a recipe for destruction:

• Buy a copy. Do not do this with library books.
• Paperbacks are easiest but hardbacks work fine too. Check the type sizing and the margins.
• Find the natural break points. Lonesome Dove divides into three parts, each a good smaller volume. Otherwise look for chapter breaks.

The Steps

Crack the spine and bend the book fully open at the first break point. Perfect-bound paperbacks show a glue strip when bent backward. Hardbacks stitched together reveal breaks between signatures. Slice carefully between the sections, right into the glue. Bookbinders glue holds tight but cuts cleanly with a sharp blade.

Bind the new volumes in ersatz covers. A manila folder folded around the pages works well, trimmed to size and glued shut with Elmers. Label the volumes with a bold Sharpie.

The Tools Required

The full method involves a few minutes and very few tools. An X-Acto knife handles the slicing. A manila folder serves as the new cover. Elmers glue binds everything together. Binder clips hold the cover in place while the glue dries.

The writer warns against carrying loose pages without a cover. Pages snag, rip and peel off. A new cover protects the book block and keeps the whole project intact.

Why Authors Will Not Call the Cops

The writer insists authors will not object to this practice. He freely admits his own work is also Too Big and would happily be chopped. He frames the whole enterprise as a personal convenience, not a literary statement.

The method works best with paperbacks, though hardbacks can be managed with care. The writer recommends folding a manila folder around the pages and trimming it to size with the same X-Acto knife used for the slicing.

The glue step is simple: smear a line of glue in the new spine and use binder clips to hold the manila folder in place. Let it dry. The Sharpie label finishes the job.

The Cost of Comfort

The writer’s final word is enjoyment. The smaller volumes are easier to hold, easier to read in bed, and easier to pack for travel. The effort of a few minutes pays off in comfort for hours of reading.

bookbinding · DIY books · Lonesome Dove · paperbacks · reading hacks