1. What is the largest book size we can get in hardcover?
For "case laminate" binding, up to 8" x 11.5" trim. The cover can be printed in 4 colors, with a matte or glossy finish. I found an example
here.
If you go
6.14 x 9.21" ("Royal octavo') or smaller -- the current PDF seems to be that size -- you also have a choice of cloth binding, blue or grey, with or without dust jacket. I found an example here.
1 (a). What the hell do all those cover options mean and which
one should we pick for the CLL second edition?
I found
a discussion which refers to case laminate as "
a trademark of academic bindings," but also, refers to such books as a "perfect bound book masquerading as hard cover." I assume clothbound is more expensive. Do people have strong feelings about this one way or the other? Is a dust jacket something that we'd want to consider?
2. What do the dimension requirements of that size mean in terms of
my PDF?
It looks like the PDF is configured to print at a size which provides the most binding options.
3. Does my PDF actually match all their requirements?
The margins seem to conform to the 0.5" (13mm) requirement. The font size seems adequate -- even generous -- to me, but it would be good to have more eyes on it. At 951 pages, it seems like there's room to enlarge the font before reaching the maximum page size of 1200. I assume a smaller book would be less expensive, if less impressive.
Thank you for your work, Robin!
mi'e la mukti mu'o