Ancient craft of book repair set to die out as few people are picking up the skill

Issaquah, Washington

SOMETIMES a book just gets loved to death. A Bible, or a copy of Charlotte's Web, for that matter, can be opened only so many times, even by the gentlest reader, before its spine weakens and surrenders.

And here is a dirty little secret: Public libraries, despite their reputations for hushed wonder about the written word, can be rough places. Automated sorting machines, whirring conveyor belts and hard bins can break a book and shorten its life.