BOOK REPAIR AND RESTORATION
_Only a thousand copies
of this book are printed
and type distributed._
[Illustration: INLAID LEVANT BINDING]
BOOK REPAIR
AND RESTORATION
A MANUAL OF PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS
FOR BIBLIOPHILES
_Including some Translated Selections_
from
Essai sur l'art de Restaurer les Estampes et les Livres,
par A. Bonnardot, Paris 1858
By
MITCHELL S. BUCK
Author of "Syrinx," "Ephemera," "The Songs of Phryne,"
Translator of "Lucian's Dialogues of the Hetaerai," etc.
Philadelphia NICHOLAS L. BROWN MCMXVIII
COPYRIGHT, 1918
BY NICHOLAS L. BROWN
_Printed July 1918_
_FOREWORD_
_The following chapters contain suggestions partly gathered from the
experience of others and partly evolved for myself in caring for my own
books. Although many "books about books" have already been written, there
is still, I think, a place for this one. I have designed it especially for
the bibliophile who enjoys "fussing" over his books and who receives, in
seeing them in good condition and repair through his own efforts, an echo
of the pleasure he receives from reading them._
_In translating from Bonnardot, I have taken the liberty of abridging or
paraphrasing, at times, the chapters which I have included here, not only
to confine the subjects a little more closely but also to present his
essential suggestions as concisely as possible. His book, copies of which
are very scarce, was first issued in an edition of four hundred copies in
1846 and re-issued, with revisions, in 1858. It has not since been
reprinted nor, so far as I have been able to learn, has it been translated
into English, either wholly or in part._
CONTENTS
FOREWORD: Page 7
_Chapter I_
GENERAL RESTORATION: Page 15
_Chapter II_
REMOVING STAINS: Page 25
_Chapter III_
REBACKING: Page 39
_Chapter IV_
REPAIRING OLD BINDING: Page 51
_Chapter V_
REBINDING: Page 77
_Chapter VI_
THE BOOK SHELVES: Page 89
_Chapter VII_
BOOK BUYING: Page 99
_Chapter VIII_
THE GREEK AND LATIN CLASSICS: Page 111
INDEX: Page 123
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
INLAID LEVANT BINDING: _Frontispiece_
RE-LINING BACK: Page 21
VELLUM BINDINGS: Page 25
ORIGINAL SHEEP BINDING (1684) REBACKED: Page 39
CUTTING FOR REBACKING: Page 41
CUTTING FOR REBACKING: Page 42
LOOSENING LEATHER FOR REBACKING: Page 43
SETTING NEW BACK: Page 44
BINDING HEAD-CAP: Page 45
FOLDER: Page 47
IRON: Page 48
MODERN LEVANT BINDING: Page 51
SOLANDER SLIP-CASE: Page 77
LEATHER SLIP-COVERS: Page 89
SLIP-COVER: Page 92
KELMSCOTT PRESS BOOK: Page 99
BLACK LETTER VIRGIL: Page 111
CHAPTER I
_GENERAL RESTORATION_
To consider first a few simple processes of ordinary restoration, let us
assume that a rare book in its original cloth or boards, in a more or less
damaged condition but not to the point of necessitating rebinding, has
just been received.
The first operation required is to carefully clean off the binding with a
soft cloth, wipe off the end papers, which often have a coating of dust,
especially when the covers do not fit closely, and, if the top is gilt,
wipe that carefully also. An "uncut" top is freed from dust by brushing
with a soft brush.
The book is then collated to make sure that every page is in place and, if
there are plates, that no plate is missing. This operation, it is perhaps
needless to say, should by all means be done before purchasing, unless the
book comes from a reliable dealer to whom an imperfect copy could be
returned. If, in collating an old book, the amateur discovers that page
173 follows immediately after page 136, he need not necessarily be
alarmed, as mistakes in pagination and even in the numbering of signatures
are very common in books printed a century or more ago. In such cases, the
"catch words" which generally appear at the bottom of the pages, or else
the text itself, should be examined to see whether the page, without
regard for its number, is really in its proper place or not. Each page is
then examined for dirt or finger marks, which can almost always be
removed, the quality of the paper permitting, with a soft pencil-eraser or
bread crumbs.
Marginal notes, especially in contemporary hands, are much better left
alone; they are often of considerable value and, when neatly and not
excessively done, rather add to the interest of the volume without
detracting from its value to any great extent. On which subject Bonnardot
has quite a little to say, in the chapter on _Stains_ included in this
volume.
Presentation inscriptions in the autograph of the author or of some one
intimately connected with him of course greatly increase the interest and
value of the book. Names written on title-pages can often be effaced by
the process elsewhere described, but these should not be disturbed until
they have been thoroughly investigated. A name which at the moment seems
totally unfamiliar may sometimes be found of special interest inscribed in
the particular volume in which it is found. As an ordinary illustration of
this, might be mentioned a copy of Edwin Arnold's "Gulistan" bearing on
the half-title the inscription "To dear Mrs. Stone from Tama." This author
had, at one time, married a Japanese girl, and a little investigation
revealed that her name was Tama KuroKawa. Her inscription, of course,
remains undisturbed, as it adds a distinctly personal note to the volume.
But alas! the John Diddles and William Bubbles who have for centuries
scribbled their odious names over fair title-pages, with never the grace
to make themselves immortal and their autographs a find!
Writing in the year 1345, Richard de Bury remarks, "When defects are found
in books, they should be repaired at once. Nothing develops more rapidly
than a tear, and one which is neglected at the moment must later be
repaired with usury." Bearing in mind these words of wisdom while
examining each page of the book, pencil notes should be made on a slip of
paper of any pages needing repairs, also of any places between the
signatures where the back is "shaken" exposing the stitching and lining.
Checking off from this list, advisable repairs should then be made. The
edges of any tears should be neatly joined with paste. To do this, a clean
sheet of white paper should be placed under the torn part and the edges of
the tear lightly coated with ordinary white paste. These edges are then
pressed together by means of another sheet of white paper pressed above,
both the upper and under sheets being gently moved several times to
prevent them from sticking to the torn edges. Paste used in this way dries
in a few minutes and holds firmly if the edges of the tear are a bit
rough. If the page is separated by a clean cut, it may be necessary to
apply a strip of thin tissue to hold the edges together. The same general
method may be used for inlaying pieces torn from the margins, perhaps by
the careless use of a paper cutter in the hands of the original owner.
Paper of the same weight and tint as the torn page is secured, placed
under the lacuna, and the outlines of the missing part traced off with a
sharp pencil. The piece to be inlaid is then cut, following the traced
outline but leaving a little margin, and pasted in position, the outer
edge being cut even with the general edge of the leaf when the inlay is
dry.[1]
White paper for inlaying may be tinted with water-colors to match the old
paper. The best method, however, of imitating the yellowish tone of old
paper is to stain the inlay with potassium permanganate. This is a dark
purple crystal which is used in extremely weak solution in warm water. If
a sheet of paper is to be tinted for inlaying or to replace, perhaps, a
missing fly-leaf, it is laid in the solution for a few seconds, then
removed and the excess purple tone thoroughly washed off under running
water. The paper will then be found tinted a pale, yellowish brown, the
tone of which may be varied by the strength of the solution and the length
of time the paper remains in it. Coffee, licorice or tobacco may also be
used, with good results.
The pages all in order and repair, the next operation is to repair the
"shaken" back. Perhaps there is no ill to which old books, especially
modern issues in their original bindings, are more subject. The damage
known as "broken" back usually means a book practically broken in half,
the break, in old calf bindings, usually extending through to the outside
of the back. The "shaken" back on the contrary, has merely separated
between the signatures, exposing, between the inside sheets, the lining of
the back. Cheaply bound books seldom remain solid between the signatures,
especially when they are printed on heavy, unyielding paper. The damage
arises partly from the drying out of the glue in the back and partly from
careless handling by readers. Books should always be opened gently and
never forced open to absolutely flatten out the pages unless the binding
is known to be entirely safe and firm.
The breaks between signatures are repaired and the old glue at these
points softened by means of bookbinders' paste. For this, a solid,
satisfactory and fairly elastic substitute can be made by mixing about
equal parts of good liquid glue and ordinary white library paste of the
kind which comes in tubes. With a long pin, slightly bent on the point,
this mixture is laid in the open crack between the signatures, care being
taken to distribute it evenly the whole length of the book and to
thoroughly cover the exposed inside of the back lining. An excess of paste
must be avoided, as it would spread out on the inside margins of the
leaves when the book is closed to dry. When all the broken places are
mended, the book is closed and placed under a slight pressure for a few
hours.
Where the book is bound with a "spring back," that is to say, with a back
which springs apart when the book is opened, leaving a space between the
outside back and the actual back of the signatures where they are
stitched, a further strengthening of the back may be desirable. This
strengthening can be obtained by "lining up" the inside back with a new
strip of paper.
To do this, cut a strip of medium weight Japan vellum--which is the best
paper for the purpose--a few inches more than twice the height of the book
and in width equal to the inside back. One end of this, with the corners
clipped so it will not catch, is inserted between the outside and inside
backs of the book and slipped through until it projects about an inch at
the bottom of the book. (Fig. A.) The part of the strip left exposed at
the top is then well coated on the inside face with the paste mentioned
above and pulled into the book, against the inside back or lining, by
means of the end projecting at the bottom. The surplus of the strip at top
and bottom is then cut off, two short slips of paper temporarily inserted
at top and bottom to prevent the new lining adhering to the outside back,
and a firm hand pressure applied all over the back to force the new lining
into close union with the old on the backs of the signatures. The book is
then set aside to dry, under a light pressure, after which the two slips
of paper inserted at top and bottom are pulled out.
[Illustration: Fig. A]
Any slight necessary exterior repairs should then be made--loose bits of
cloth or paper at worn corners or along the edges of the boards pasted
down, and any tears at the top of back above the head-band reenforced from
the inside with strips of cloth or paper.
The outside of a soiled cloth binding often may be cleaned by means of a
soft pencil-eraser. If this is done, the cloth should afterward be
freshened by a thin coat of sizing.
If these operations are carefully and thoroughly carried out, the book
should then be in a solid and satisfactory condition and capable of
standing any reasonable amount of wear.