Hi, Don. Re your apparent relocation to Germany, was this a military move? Have made one of those myself to Spain and found that the packing of goods is not the best quality and had books of mine that were the worse for it. If the book was just slightly askew and weighted down with other books, the spine binding could have loosened thus allowing the sealant adhesive to dry out while on the bookshelf. Solved this problem on the move back by packing the books myself into a metal footlocker, well-padded to avoid shifting. Perhaps a bookbinder could repair the damage? Just a thought... Also re trying to flatten for photocopying, I think most larger libraries have a special copy machine whereby only one-half the book needs to go under the lid, taking any pressure off the spine, although I have not done this yet myself. Aileen in WA