What is Used to Repair Old Books
What is Used to Repair Old Books? This is a question I get asked at every event.
When I sell older books there are many things that could be wrong with them due to age. Customers tend to fall into two categories 1: The book must be left alone -even if it is falling apart or 2: the book can be repaired so that it won’t fall apart & can be read easily. This second group can be split into two more categories: 1: make it look like it used to & 2: make it readable.
The second part of that category is the easiest to deal with. Companies like Staples have a service that will help you rebind books with a hardcover or spiral spine. The hardcovers will be similar to the library bindings that you can see in most schools. This is called oversewing, a process in which the pages are removed from the spines, trimmed, grouped into smaller sections and secured with an overlock stitching. The different parts get sewn together with a piece of linen glued to the spine for stability. This is placed in a sturdy cover or case, with special paper covering the inside covers. The original cover is normally glued on to the new cover. This book will look modern.
But if you want it to look like the original that is another process entirely.
For rare books most of the issues is with the papers. When the pages are crumbling and brittle a type of tissue paper called Japanese paper is used. Due to being translucent and very thin it works as a barrier to place the pages back together. Rice paste is a good way to seal it together. Most western books are held together by the endpages, versus Eastern books which tends to have specialized stitching. If you are not familiar with the term endpages are the papers attached to the inner cover of the book and become the first blank or last blank page. Some of these are highly decorated or marbleized. Since most endpages were individually dipped into the colors, matching the patterns can become problematic. But if the spine, due to usage, starts to split or crack, reinforcing the endpages can help extend the book’s lifespan. If possible the endpages are removed, the spine repasted and the endpages are replaced. If not possible the endpages are reinforced with Japanese paper & rice paste.
This is just a brief overview of what can be done to fix older books. The process of repair is not quick and requires a steady hand and clean environment. If you have older books to repair and do not wish to pay for a professional, it is advisable to try and fix a damaged modern paperback and hardcover first. This way you can make sure that you can achieve the look you want.
Happy Reading!