Ashes - that's exactly the sort of "must have been during the binding process" damage I'm talking about.

In a way I'm rather glad that my experience seems to be seriously atypical. I'm probably the least bad person for this to happen to - assertive in dealing with ordinary bookshops (when I can find the receipt), reasonably good at bookbinding the rest. Not that it's not a pain.

At least for me, some of the appeal of these things is the "shiny factor". They are, for the most part, rather pretty books - and I do think that makes me a little more willing to buy a marginally useful one. They'd better stay good.