New Stanley Gibbon Purchase Question

so a couple of weeks ago I received my order from Stanley Gibbons - Queen Victoria Part 1 and 2021 Commonwealth & Brit Empire catalogues. I so far have only had a SG India soft cover catalogue. I am now for the 1st time looking at the Commonwealth catalogue. Its very creaky when opening, being new and all. But I noticed that the pages backing is not attached to the spine. Not ever having had one of these - is this normal? When compared to the smaller Q Victoria catalogue, its attached to the spine.

Commonwealth car w/ bad spine?





The Queen Victoria

It looks normal to me, designed to allow the book to open flatter.

I can't see any evidence of either a tube or mull; both of these support items are "standard" on better, older hardcover books. As a personal book/catalog, these should be fine, for many years, if not ideal.

As textbooks, or library books they wouldn't hold up as well, IMO/experience.

Tks. I know nothing about binding , but I guess the smaller book looks different bc it was binded differently. The larger Commonwealth catalog sounds like it needs to be oiled it creeks and cracks so much when opening and turning the pages. Not to mention it's just looks different on the edge.

Shame about the scuffing on the cover of the 2021 Commonwealth/Empire catalogue.

I may have done that taking off putting back on shelf. Seems like a different, slicker, shows scuffs easier material than the QV book. Definitely different materials and as mentioned, when just holding the Commonwealth cat when closed, the binding makes creaking cracking sounds. If one were to hold it and turn / move it when closed it sound creaky.