Katherine Rowland

Book Repair Project

LIBR 104

October 24, 2010

Doctoring a Cook Book

1943 Lily Wallace New American Cook Book

I recently acquired this volume at an antique store. It was very

cheap, largely because it was in a bad state of repair. From the

front, it doesn’t look too bad: the spine is obviously loose, and

the front cover is only partially attached to the book block.

Upon turning the

book over, however,

the extent of the

damage is more

serious. The back

cover is completely

detached from the

rest of the book. The

spine is attached

only partially to the

front cover. A few

pages of the index

are missing, and one

page is loose and

badly damaged.

As can be seen, even

in the front the hinge

is split and the end

paper has been torn

out. The front page is

in sad shape, as well.

What needed to be done:The cover needed to

be reattached to the book block

The spine needed to be reattached or reconstructed

The loose page needed to be reattached

Brodart Basic Repair Kit

Household itemsVarious repair

resources online and included in the kit

The TaskEquipment I had on hand:

First, I familiarized myself with the Brodart kit and guide. I discovered that the guide did not offer many solutions for my book’s needs.

Next, I visited the website for the University of Illinois Preservation and Conservation website (http://www.library.illinois.edu/prescons/preserve/index.html)According to their procedures, I would need to

recase my book and reconstruct the cover, in addition to the smaller necessary repairs.

I determined that I did not have some of the supplies that the website recommended. However, since the book is not valuable and is for my personal use, I felt that I could make do with what I had on hand. The biggest issue was that I had no tools, such as a bone or spatula.

I gathered the resources I did have and began to follow the step-by-step directions I found on the web site.

Taking Stock

•I used scissors and an exacto knife to

cut the covers away from the book

block

•I peeled off the paper and fabric from

the book block, removing as much of

the glue and material as I could.

•I was not able to remove all of the old

glue.

I decided that the logical place to start was with the cover reconstruction. I

was not, however, able to follow the recommended steps; I did not have the

necessary cloth and implements to create a new spine. I decided that I would

amend the techniques suggested in the Brodart manual. Accordingly, I first

determined that I had an almost-intact cover, with split hinges. I then sanded

the edges of the end paper, which would need to be done for the recasing

later on.

I knew that the repair tape I had was not

wide enough to cover the spine on the

outside to the width recommended. I

decided to try to mitigate this by

reinforcing the hinges on the inside as well

as on the outside.

Using a technique recommended by a

colleague, I brushed the fabric with glue

before applying Brodart’s hinge tape. I

then burnished the tape using the end of a

hair pick as a bone folder.

I repeated these steps on the other side of the

cover and spine, using a yardstick to be sure

that the boards were kept even during the

repair. I did end up having to make an

adjustment, removing the tape and retaping.

When finished, however, the cover was square

and reassembled.

The next step was to

use the widest cloth

tape I had to

reinforce the outside

of the spine. I cut off

a length that was

about an inch longer

than the spine of the

book. I laid the tape

face-up on a flat

surface and carefully

lowered the book

cover onto it. I

pressed the spine

onto the tape from

the top down to

prevent air pockets.

I folded the ends of the cloth tape over and

again burnished it with the trusty hair pick.

When I had firmly affixed the tape, I once

again had a sturdy cover to go onto my cook

book. I set it aside and turned my attention

to the book block.

I wanted to keep the last, loose page. I

used the U of I library site as a guide to

anchor the edges of the page to a new

piece of thin paper. I cut a ½” strip of

paper and slid it beneath the remaining

fragments of paper that were attached to

the rest of the signature. I used tweezers

and glue to attach these fragments to the

new paper. I lined up the page with this

and used the same method to adhere the

edge of the page to the new paper.

The loose page was

now reattached. I

decided to let it dry

for a while and

turned my

attention to

creating new end

pages, per the U of

I library web site.

I didn’t have official end paper to use,

so I improvised by using

scrapbooking paper, which seemed

thick enough to hold the weight of

the book. I folded the paper in half

and cut it to the dimension of the

book.

I then applied glue to the front page

in a 3/8” strip and pressed the folded

edge of the end paper onto it.

I did not have the recommended

cambric tape, so I substituted

unbleached muslin. I cut a piece as

long as the spine and 3 inches wider.

I coated the book block edge with

glue and reattached the salvaged

headbands, to reinforce the spine.

I pulled the muslin down until the

glue began to pop through it in

beads, as the site I was using had

indicated. When it was saturated with

glue, I placed a strip of heavy paper

on top of it and adhered it firmly.

My book was now ready to rest for a

few hours and dry.

After about four

hours, the glue

seemed dry

enough to

proceed to the

next—and most

anxious—step.

First, I returned

the book block to

its case to align it

exactly where it

should be. I then

opened the front

cover.

As recommended,

I placed a large

piece of scrap

paper between

the leaves of the

end pages. I

coated the top

part of the end

paper with glue,

then flipped the

fabric back onto

it and coated that

with glue.

I removed the

scrap paper ,

placed waxed

paper between

the halves of the

end paper, and

carefully closed

the top cover. I

lifted it quickly to

check whether

the paper was

aligned properly.

Seeing that it

had, I closed the

front cover,

turned the book

over, and

repeated the

process with the

back endpaper

and cover.

The book needed

to be weighted in

order for the glue

to dry without

warping. Since I

have neither book

weights nor a

book press, I

improvised: the

collected volumes

of Far Side and

Calvin and

Hobbes cartoons

seemed heavy

enough to keep it

flat. I was careful

to keep the book

square and not

skew it as I set

the weight down.

Before: The book sagged within what was left of its case and was clearly damaged.

ResultsAfter:The book sits straight in its case and appears more usable.

Before: The back cover is detached, there is a loose page, and the spine is loose.

ResultsAfter:The loose page has been reattached, both covers are reattached, and the spine has been reinforced.

Before: The hinges are split and the spine has come off. .

Results

After:The spine has been repaired.

Before: The end paper has been split and torn, and the front page is damaged.

ResultsAfter:The end paper has been replaced, the hinges reinforced, and the front page is more secure.

The back page has been reinserted and—while still needing care due to its tattered edges—is firmly anchored and legible.

The new end papers are neatly adhered and the front page is secure once more. The new end papers should protect it and the back page from further damage.

The outside of the

book has been

modified, but the

goal of the

project has been

achieved: the

book has been

stabilized and is

once again a

usable source of

information.

I knew going in that this project would be a challenge. The book had multiple problems that needed to be addressed, and I had very limited tools and supplies. This does, however, compare with library technical staff in many libraries who must make do with what they have in order to serve their patrons and care for their collections.

I would not have attempted this repair on a book which I thought would get heavy usage. While I have experience with minor repairs, I have never carried out repairs as extensive as these before, and I did have to compromise with some of the supplies. Since the book will be used only occasionally as a reference, however, I felt that the repairs I made would be adequate to return the book to a usable condition.

End Thoughts

I was glad to have multiple resources—from preservation web sites to a trusted colleague—to which I could turn for help. With libraries tending to be less fully staffed, it is important to locate resources outside one’s own experience.

The biggest thing I took away from this experience is a much clearer sense of how a book works, physically speaking. While I was familiar with the anatomy of a book, I had never really worked closely with a book’s inner workings before.

End Thoughts

Brodart Guide to Book Care and RepairUniversity of Illinois Library’s Preservation

and Conservation web site: http://www.library.illinois.edu/prescons/preserve/I primarily referenced the section on rehanging

or recasing a book: http://www.library.illinois.edu/prescons/preserve/casing1.html

Resources