PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a gluing device for a bookbinding machine which can easily and quickly regulate easily a separation quantity between a wiper and a surface and a distance between the back surface of the book body and a surface of a drum opposed to the back surface of the book. SOLUTION: The gluing device for the bookbinding machine coats a glue 4 adhered to the drum 5 having a thickness and set by the wiper 6, on the back surface of the book body 1 fixedly held by a clamper 2 and moving. In the gluing device, one end of a container 3 for storing the glue 4 is rotatably mounted, and the other end is coupled to a feed screw 15 driven by a motor 22 to be vertically movable. The screw 15 is rotated according to the thickness of the glue 4 coating on the back surface of the body 1 to regulate the distance between the back surface of the body 1 and the front surface of the drum 5 opposed to the back surface. A rotary shaft 9 of the wiper 6 is supported to the container 3, the separation quantity between the wiper 6 and the surface of the drum 5 is set by driving a motor 23, the position of the body 1 is detected by an encoder 21, and a contact or separation time of the wiper 6 with or from the surface of the drum are set. COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO