If one has a book which is over 120 years old and the spine and covers are falling apart, but the pages are fine, what is the best way to keep it from getting worse?
I asked the librarian and she talked to me about stuff called plas tur izer (I can’t spell) and it is basically a thick hard plastic stuff but I understand its permanent and can’t be undone…anybody ever use it?
If the paper is really 120 years old, it will be fine and will outlast most 20th century books. I’d have it rebound by a bookbinder, that’s all.
My understanding about antique books is that you should do NOTHING to them, but keep them out of the sun in a normal environment (like a closet), not a basement or attic. If the area is very humid, keep them in an air conditioned place. If the book is 120 years old, it could be valuable and should be appraised by an expert. They may be able to recommend someone who does old book preservation. A lot of times trying to fix an antique decreases its value.
Robin
It is actually a religious book and is over 120 years old (125 or 135, I can’t exactly remember at this second)…
I don’t really care about it’s monetary value, that’s not what I meant. I care about it’s message and don’t want it to fall apart anymore.
It’s also bound in leather, which I really don’t like so I may see about having it rebound…
! If it’s bound in leather, be careful what you do. My mother had some old books bound in deerskin, and they were quite valuable. On the other hand, she had an old complete set of the works of Kipling rebound for my father. It may have reduced the value, but at least they are readable.
You may want to see if you can get a reprint of this book and keep the old one for the gem that it may be.
Just curious, which book is it?
Robin
PMed you, Robin.
Most large cities (and some small towns) will have professional bookbinders. They come in two kinds–large operations that rebind books and publications in sturdy hardcover for use in libraries, as textbooks, etc., and smaller artisans who conserve and repair antiques. You want the second kind. They can be hard to find, but I’d ask at the snootiest antiquarian bookstore you can find; they’ll always know someone.
That’s if you want to have it rebound, or merely want to have whatever’s there repaired and stabilized.
Short of that, you need to prevent the leather from drying out; this can require the careful application of oil. Binders call their oil “leather dressing” and it’s a mix of pure lanolin and something else. You could prolly order a little jar somewhere on line, but using straight lanolin probably won’t hurt. Don’t use too much.
Apart from that, keep it dry and out of the light, and make sure that wherever it is, you keep it square–flat on its side or standing on end. Books look picturesque leaning on an angle on the shelf, but its hard on the binding.
I worked my way through college at a book bindery. I use to do every process in the business. You can restore the spine and reattach the covers yourself, but it’s a little tricky and requires some basic tools. The paper that binds the cover to the book is a special type of reinforced paper folded once, attached to the back by threading or sewing, and glued to both the cover and the book’s outer page…made for the purpose. The spine can be restored (strengthened and realigned) by clamping the book with just the spine exposed. If the spine has been rounded and sewed, that’s one thing, but if it has been sewed together loosely, and left natural so the pages open all the way to the back (as I suspect yours is), you can still clamp it, then take a coping saw and saw into the back about every inch or two across, and on down the spine, 1/8 inch deep or less, or what ever works. Fill these grooves with a strong thread or string, then brush a soft pliable glue (slightly watered down Elmer’s is fine) onto the back and into the groves where the string is embedded. The string ties (holds) all pages together and the glue will be absorbed into the paper, string, and entire back for strength and flexibility. Make sure you have plenty of margin left so the saw cuts and strings don’t interfere with the print, or with the book’s ability to open nicely and stay open.
Make sure your old paper isn’t too brittle. Best let an expert (as in link above) handle valuable books, If you just want a cheap fix for a book you don’t value a lot, but want to use, this fix I describied will hold your book together for years if it’s treated and handled with care.
Old leather covers usually take a new gusset on the outer corners to hold the back to the sides.
Calling Loren, calling Loren. 