Use Plastic Dust Jackets
If your book has a paper dust jacket, use a plastic dust jacket protector to protect it. They can be found at almost any bookstore, are easy to put on, and will increase the value of your books. This is, in fact, my next major project to work on once I have some wee bit of finances available) However, do NOT use common transparent tape to hold them onto the book itself; Adhesive-backed cellophane tapes such as "Scotch" and "Magic Mending" tape are not generally appropriate for repairs to books which have any value. Both will cause staining and are difficult to remove without damaging the paper. Gummed paper tapes are not recommended. as the tape itself is often acidic, causing discolouration of the paper. If folding the plastic jacket into place is not secure enough for you, you can use the tape to seal the folds ON THE PLASTIC ITSELF, which will in turn hold itself in place over your cover and paper dust jacket.How Light Damages Your Books
Exposure to the ultraviolet rays of sunlight and fluorescent light causes the rapid deterioration of paper, leather and fabrics; similar, but less severe deterioration will occur with exposure to visible light, the rays at the red end of the spectrum being less damaging than those at the blue end. The visible effects of light include: the bleaching or fading of paper; and the yellowing or browning such as rapidly occurs with newsprint. Not immediately visible is the breakdown of fibers into smaller units, causing the paper to disintegrate. Unfortunately, the reactions continue after the source of the problem is removed, although at a slower rate.
Other factors being equal, paper stored in complete darkness will last far longer than that which is subjected to light. However, as totally dark storage is not usually practical, other precautions must be taken. Books should never be stored in direct sunlight or under unshielded fluorescent tubes, place your shelves on walls at an angle to the windows or use shaded blinds. The tinted glass in many modern windows is very helpful.
Why Old Books are Stronger
Paper is an organic material composed of cellulose fibers from plants. Papers made from the Twelfth Century to the middle of the Nineteenth Century were strong and durable, as they were made by hand, generally from cotton or flax (linen) plant fibers, which are low-acid. Hand processing produced longer fibers and thicker, stronger paper. Many books and documents published prior to 1850 are still in excellent condition.
Modern paper is generally made from wood fibers which have been mechanically ground to a pulp for newsprint, and then chemically purified for books and writing papers. The fibers are very short. Alum-rosin compounds used as sizing agents generate sulfuric acid under humid conditions, further breaking down the cellulose fibers. Inexpensive modern papers, such as those used in paperback books, have an expected useful life of less than 30 years. Better quality modern papers may contain recycled cotton or linen fibers ("Rag Content"), making them more durable. Fortunately, the publishing industry has become aware the impermanency of modern papers, and quality books are now frequently printed on "acid-free" stock.
Modern paper is generally made from wood fibers which have been mechanically ground to a pulp for newsprint, and then chemically purified for books and writing papers. The fibers are very short. Alum-rosin compounds used as sizing agents generate sulfuric acid under humid conditions, further breaking down the cellulose fibers. Inexpensive modern papers, such as those used in paperback books, have an expected useful life of less than 30 years. Better quality modern papers may contain recycled cotton or linen fibers ("Rag Content"), making them more durable. Fortunately, the publishing industry has become aware the impermanency of modern papers, and quality books are now frequently printed on "acid-free" stock.
Preserve your bindings:
Use bookmarks! Don't lay a book face down to keep your place; doing so damages the spine.
Stack'em High, Stack'em Right!For the same reason, never store or shelve hardcover books on their spine or edge-down, with the spines facing upward. Because the covers extend beyond the page edges, gravity will pull on the pages and cause the spines to sag inward, and damage or, over a long period, ruin the binding.
\/ DON'T DO THIS!! \/
^ DON'T DO THIS!! ^
Umm, yeah, I've been harping on this matter a lot recently haven't I? Heheheh Good! You know I mean it! ... What's that? ... You see bookstores doing this?...(sigh) Yes, they sometimes do this on their final sales table or clearance rack... they are counting on the book being sold before any damage is done.
Here is my preferred means of stacking hardcovers on the shelf: their own weight keeps them flat, the weight overall is not excessive so as to damage the bindings, and the bindings are visible for all to see the titles. It also maximizes the use of shelf space, using a volumetric approach vs. a standard linear approach. Place the side stacks even with the front edge of the shelf, the middle stacks further back but not against the shelf backing. This distributes the weight nicely and leaves neat little gaps for you to place some soon-to-be-mentioned cloves (see below, under "Musty/Smelly Books):
And not leave out our paperbacks:
I give two big bearpaws up for this method.
In a box: Preferably, stack them flat, alternating which side the binding edge is on:
If space in the box permits, offset the binding edge so that it does not receive pressure
from the books above it:
Get a Flower Press!:
Never use a book you want to keep to press flowers. Natural pigments and oils in the plant can stain the pages, moisture can wrinkle them, and most plants are naturally acidic, which will break down the paper fibers.Dusting:
You should dust your books at least annually. Do each book individually by removing it from the shelf and holding it tightly closed, brush the dust away from the top surface and edges with a soft brush, like a drafting brush or wide camel's hair brush. Wipe the covers with a soft, dry cloth.Musty/smelly books?
Sometimes you will buy an older book, and find it has a musty odour. I have seen a numberof recommendations about putting the book in a bag with cat litter, activated charcoal or baking soda. This can work with books made of a fairly coarse paper, but not coated paper.
Light treatment:
Fabric Softeners Can Help Musty Book Odors!: A quick way to get rid of musty odors that linger in old books is to place a fabric softener sheet inside the middle of the books. This will rid the books of odor, as well as keep odors from settling into your books.Medium treatment:
Place the book into a paper bag with a container of baking soda (which seems to work best) and close the bag; leave it alone for about 2 weeks. According to one source, this works "about half the time." DON'T dust the pages with the baking soda, it will absorb odour AND moisture from the air and turn into a paste which is even worse to get rid of than the odour was, and physically sticking to, and damaging to the paper to boot! Yes, I once caught a friend 'in the act' of doing this, but alas, too late to prevent damage to the book he was trying to preserve.More intensive treatment:
Libraries sometimes place such books into a fume hood with a container holding Lysol-soaked cotton balls. After leaving the fume hood on 24 hours a day for a week, they report the odour is "greatly diminished." My personal favorite is the use of "One-Drop Deodorants": Look for a small bottle of liquid deodorant (maybe 6 inches high, including a drop dispensing lid) at the drugstore or grocery store. The pet food and car product aisles are good prospects. If the instructions say to place one drop of the deodorant on/in a glass container you've found the correct product. (There are many brand names; most of the liquids I've seen are green.) It's quite effective to build a small chamber for the books by putting a cardboard box into a plastic trash bag. Then stand the books open, put one drop of the deodorant onto a glass dish in the corner of the box, and tie up the plastic bag. Check the books daily, at which time another drop of deodorant can be added. Mild smells are gone in a couple of days, and nasty problems can take a week to cure.Even better: If you have an empty small aquarium handy, use it as your chamber (clean and very dry of course) and seal the top with cellophane wrap, just unseal the corner to add your drops and reseal the top wrap.
To prevent mildew and musty odours from your bookshelves, wrap a few whole cloves in gauze or cheesecloth, and pin in the upper back corners of your bookshelves! (DO NOT allow the cloves to touch the books, they contain a powerful oil!)
Removing Oily Stains
It is possible to remove most oily or greasy stains from book pages. You will need some paper towels, a dry cleaning pad (available at drafting supply stores and most stationers) and a soft-bristled brush. First, place paper towels between the affected pages. Close the book and weight it with another book of similar size, then leave it alone for a few hours. Discard the paper towels and examine the pages. If there are still some stains, take the dry-cleaning pad and twist and squeeze it (or even cut a corner) to sprinkle the powder inside onto the stain. Cover the stain as completely as possible and leave the book lying open for a few hours. Brush the powder away with a soft brush. For very stubborn stains, rub the powder in VERY gently with a gauze pad, and let sit overnight. Residual powder can be removed with a small hand vac. Vacuum from gutter to edge.
Removing Pencil Marks:
Don't use the ubiquitous 'pink' elementary school pencil eraser, they usually smear the pencil mark and can rub it into the page even deeper. Use one of the drafting quality white vinyl erasers, available from any drafting, stationery or art supply store. Use the eraser's edge to rub in the direction of the page edge, away from the binding. When the mark is at the top corner, rub at an angle in short firm strokes towards the corner, again away from the binding. Rub carefully and firmly to erase the mark, but not so hard as to tear the paper. If the eraser's edge looks 'smudged', wipe it clean and continue as needed.
Repair Materials to Avoid
To Start With, TAPE: (See Above)
GLUE & PASTE:
Rubber cement, frequently used to repair damaged bindings, will also cause stains, and eventually will dry out and lose adhesion. Polyvinyl acetate glues such as "Elmer's Glue" are impossible to remove without damaging the paper. These emulsions are also usually acidic, and will discolour and deteriorate paper over time.The majority of commercially available pastes are acidic in nature, due to the addition of alum as a drying agent; these become brittle and discoloured and will similarly damage the paper to which they are applied. Additionally, as most pastes are water-based, they can cause cockling of the paper, and even make certain inks and colours run or bleed.Adhesive residue from store labels can cause the dust jackets on adjacent books to stick together and may result in inadvertent damage. The residue can be easily and safely removed using any number of commercially available adhesive removers. However, do NOT spray the remover or apply it directly to the dust jacket; spray/apply it onto a corner of a small, clean washcloth/towel/rag. Then use that treated corner to rub onto the residue and remove the buildup. Then use the same treated part of the cloth and rub around the entire affected area in a circular motion to finish the cleaning. Use a dry portion of the cloth to 'dry off' the whole area.
Proper Boxing of Books:
I've covered this before but it 'bears' repeating... Never use ordinary cardboard boxes to store books-they are highly acidic, and the acid will migrate from the box to your books, discolouring, ageing, and degrading the pages. Store them in acid-neutral boxes, available from conservation suppliers. As an alternative, line the inside of your cardboard box with a decent heavy plastic. I use the clear plastic recycling bags, large size, and when the box is loaded I fold/close up the top before putting the lid on. Of course, my 'specials' (signed editions etc) I already keep individually in poly bags, so they are adequately protected even if I need to place them in an unlined cardboard box:
