Clarification on "Cloth" and "Hardcover"

I'm always glad to increase my knowledge of book terminology and really appreciate Jim Kinney's note posted in the comments at The Shepherd's Scrapbook. While I still have sympathies with the concerns over the use of cheaper covers, I appreciated the careful response provided by Jim Kinney to the Bavinck tearing "party" at TSS. In light of my previous post I've taken the liberty of reproducing his note here.

Friends:

Perhaps I can clarify the situation. Comment number five above, coming indirectly from Jay at RHB, explains our terminology. In the industry “cloth” is indeed used as shorthand for any type of hardback. Books are either cloth or paper. Subtleties such as the actual cover material used on a hardback (paper, kivar, cloth) are not included in our basic descriptions. Nor do we indicate whether the binding is sewn or glued. I suspect the main reason is that our descriptive materials are aimed at meeting the needs of retailers, not bibliophiles.

All four Bavinck volumes were printed with paper (Permalink) covers over boards from the outset. It’s rare for us to use actual cloth over the boards.

I would like to call your attention, however, to the fact that all four of the Bavinck were produced with sewn bindings. We think a sewn binding has a greater impact on a book’s durability than cover material does. Hence, for the Bavinck volumes we chose to invest in a more expensive binding rather than in more expensive cover material.

Baker Publishing Group has been producing high-quality books for seventy years. Economic realities and technological advancements have introduced changes along the way to be sure, but the Baker family and staff members in all departments (editorial, design, production, art, sales, marketing) still retain many of our founder’s old-fashioned values. We’re book lovers and readers and we want our books to be cherished and read. We use high-quality materials and processes with a goal of providing the best possible value and experience to our readers. Of course, there are trade-offs involved. We address them while holding in tension our twin values of quality and value.

Thank you for your interest in our work. May I now be so bold as to gently urge you to stop ripping your Bavincks?

Jim Kinney
Editorial director, Baker Academic

I have not yet purchased the Bavinck set, but it is on my wish list. I'm glad to know that the signatures are smythe-sewn and that each volume has a dustjacket. That is enough to set me at ease about purchasing it. At that, the Westminster Bookstore is currently offering this set at a fabulous price!

Clarification on "Cloth" and "Hardcover"