_THE BOOK SHELVES_
[Illustration: LEATHER SLIP-COVERS]
Open shelves undoubtedly form the ideal resting place for books, since
they are not only convenient for access, but also allow a free circulation
of air around the volumes. They are, however, often impracticable as
affording insufficient protection against dust and dirt, especially in
cities, where closed cases are very necessary. No case with movable doors
is absolutely dust-proof, but some types very closely approach this
desirable state.
Closed cases are, of course, to be preferred with glass doors to reveal a
glimpse of the treasures within. They should be set a few inches away from
the wall, to permit a free circulation of air around them, and should
never be so placed that the books are exposed to direct sunlight or a
strong glare, as this will fade or discolor the bindings, particularly
green leather, which is very apt to turn brown. The room in which cases
are placed should be free from damp, and the windows should be kept closed
at night. If the windows admit an excess of sunlight or glare, they are
best furnished with yellowish or olive-green glass, which will neutralize
any harmful effects of the light on the books. Such colored glass, if
"leaded," may be made a very attractive addition to the appearance of the
room. Red glass verging toward the orange is equally effective, but less
adaptable to the purpose.
A full description of the effects of light on various kinds and colors of
leathers will be found in the Report of the Committee on Leather for
Bookbindings, London, Bell, 1905. This report also gives the following
suggestion for a preservative finish to be used on leather bindings: "Boil
eight parts of stearic acid and one part of caustic soda in fifty parts of
water, until dissolved. Then add one hundred and fifty parts of cold water
and stir until the substance sets into a jelly. Apply this jelly thinly
with a sponge or rag and, when it has dried, polish the leather with a
soft flannel. If a white film rises to the surface of the leather this can
be wiped away with a damp cloth and the leather repolished." A fair supply
of this mixture, suitable for small library purposes, can be made by
boiling half an ounce (by weight) of the stearic acid, and one-sixteenth
of an ounce (by weight) of the caustic soda, in three liquid ounces of
water and then adding nine liquid ounces of cold water. It is best to stir
the mixture gently while cooling; the entire process of preparation will
take only a few minutes. If kept for more than a week or two, this
mixture may become mouldy. It is better to prepare it only when it can be
used on a number of books at once.
Books in closed cases should be removed and thoroughly dusted at least
once a year, the tops especially being carefully wiped clean, if gilt, or
brushed, if uncut, in either case while holding the book tightly closed.
They should be aired at the same time, particularly those not in frequent
use. For this airing and cleaning a warm, sunny day should be selected
and, whenever possible, on such days the cases should be opened; books,
like people, are healthier when well supplied with good, fresh air.
Books on the shelves should set in firmly among their neighbors, as a
certain amount of pressure on the sides is essential to keep the boards
from warping. Care must be taken, however, not to wedge them in too
tightly; such a cure is worse in its effects than the disease. The usual
method of removing a book from the shelf is to hook a finger into the top
of the back, or head-cap, and pull. Paper or cloth backs are often torn at
the top in this way. It is far preferable to reach in with the hand and
push the book out from the fore-edge or, at least, to tilt it outward by a
slight pressure of several fingers on the top beyond the head-band. If the
shelves are lined with velvet, as elsewhere suggested, it will be
necessary to lift the heavier books into place when returning them to the
shelves; if they are shoved in on the lower edges of the boards the velvet
will follow them in.
Books in delicate bindings or fragile covers may often, with advantage, be
fitted with slip-covers of silk, cloth, Japan vellum, or even soft, heavy
paper. These covers are simple and easy to make, but they can be used only
when the condition of the book will permit both boards to bend backward
without injury, while slipping the cover on or off. (Fig. A.) Covers of
this kind, made of leather and provided with a label on the back, are
especially adaptable to paper-covered books which, for any reason, one may
wish to preserve in their original wrappers without rebinding.
[Illustration: Fig. A]
Book-worms are practically unknown in America, but should active traces of
these be found in a book the volume should be isolated at once and placed
in a tight box with cotton well moistened with ether. Several treatments
of this kind, at intervals of two or three days, will kill any worms or
eggs. Snuff or tobacco, to be renewed at intervals, placed along the back
of the shelves, is said to discourage worms or other insects. Worm holes
in old books may sometimes be filled in, if one has time for the
operation, with a paste obtained by boiling down shreds of paper in
sizing. The writer has an edition of Homer printed at Basel in 1535, in
which a worm hole varying in size from one-eighth inch in diameter
downwards, and extending through nearly one hundred sheets, has been
filled in so carefully on each sheet, in this way, that the repair is
noticeable only on the closest inspection.
Moths should never be allowed to breed in the cases. Were it not for
increasing this danger the shelf lining mentioned above could be made of
felt instead of velvet, the former being, otherwise, a more satisfactory
material for the purpose.
While it is only in extremely large collections, where books are left
undisturbed for years, that worms, moths, dust, and other enemies of books
obtain enough of a foothold to do any serious damage, the careful
supervision of even a small collection may sometimes prove of unexpected
preventive value and, in any case, the slight extra trouble involved is in
no sense a wasted effort.
The collector will also find it convenient to catalogue the books in his
cases, preferably by means of a card-index system. Cards three by five
inches usually will be found large enough to hold a fair description. Each
card should be headed with the author's name, for convenience in indexing,
followed by the book title, an exact transcript of the title-page or
colophon, a description of the illustrations, if any, the size and the
binding, and any bibliographical notes of interest. The price paid for the
book, written in cipher, and the date purchased, should also be added.
The matter of correctly noting the size of books for such a catalogue or
index is one to which the amateur will be obliged to give a certain amount
of study, and he will find, among bookmen, wide differences of opinion as
to the proper methods to follow. For all ordinary purposes, the
descriptions of folio, where the sheets are folded into two; quarto (4to),
where the sheets are folded into four; eight sizes of octavo (8vo), from
fcap. to imperial, where the sheets are folded into eight; duodecimo
(12mo); and sextodecimo (16mo) will be found sufficient. Speaking
generally, a 4to will have a page signature at the foot of every fourth
page, an 8vo at the foot of every eighth page, a 12mo at the foot of every
fourth or twelfth page, etc. The old standard for octave sizes (measured
on the edge of the pages, not the boards), which may safely be followed,
is given in the table below. The sizes will be found to vary somewhat,
where the book has been trimmed or where the paper used has been of an odd
size.
Table of Octavo sheets, folded:
4-1/4" x 7" fcap 8vo
5" x 7-1/2" crown 8vo
5-1/2" x 7-1/2" post 8vo
5-1/2" x 8" demy 8vo
6" x 9-1/2" 8vo
6-1/2" x 10" roy 8vo
8-1/4" x 11-1/2" imp 8vo