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Treatment Objective

To stabilize book for safe handling. To explore treatment options for special collections materials.

Description and Condition Summary

Boards and covering materials:

The volume is bound in a half style, tight back spine, covered in calf chestnut colored brown leather on the spine and corners marbled paper on the sides. The boards were laced on with cords. The front board is now completely detached, while the back board remains tenuously attached by the weakened cords and a thin layer of leather at the joint. The tight-back spine has almost entirely detached from the spine and is slightly attached to the back cover near the joint. Part of the leather remains as a spine lining on the volume while the outermost leather freely moves freely.

Text:

The textblock has been slightly rounded and backed. The spine is lined with two layers of paper. There is a preferential opening approximately half way through the textblock.

The textblock was sewn all along with two sawed-in hemp cords. The sewing is intact.

The edges of the textblock are trimmed and are colored yellow. The head, tail and fore edge are extremely dirty and soiled. The text is printed on machine-made wove paper. The text block is considerably locked into place with deep cockling. While each leaf is capable of moving, it requires more force than is natural to turn.

The text was printed in black on a medium-weight, beige, machine-made, paper with little sizing. The paper is moderately discolored throughout the text. Foxing, surface dirt and stains are visible throughout.

Photodocumentation

Before and After Treatment: Digital photographs in ambient light

Treatment Proposal

1. Detach back boards and salvage leather spine
2. Consolidate Spine
3. Add new spine linings, hollow tube
4. Rebuild binding as a case with original boards and toned Japanese paper over the spine.
5. Re-adhere spine label

Treatment Performed

1. Detached back board from text block.
2. Mechanically cleaned spine with micro spatula to remove remaining leather.
3. Cleaned spine of text block with methyl cellulose poultices.
4. Lined spine of text block with kozo and wheat starch paste. After drying overnight, an overhanging aero cotton was adehered with PVAmix. Lined with an additional two layers of 70 pound machine-made Western paper and PVA to facilitate opening.
5. Created a one-on two-off hollow tube with moriki and adhered to spine with wheat starch paste.
6. Lifted leather approximately 2 cm in from joint on the outside of the boards and lifted marbled paper paste-down on the inside of the boards the same distance. Removed leather on head and tail board edges and placed in labeled envelopes for use.
7. Toned moriki with acrylics to match degraded leather on spine and board edges.
8. Created a new case using existing boards and toned tengujo paper. Created new endcaps with three strands of linen cord.
9. Cased-in textblock into newly constructed case and wheat starch paste. Pasted down lifted leather and marbled paper onto case with wheat starch paste. Re-adhered leather board edges with Lasceaux 498.
10. Re-adhered leather spine with Lasceaux 498 after trimming and thinning edges.
11. Toned kozo with acrylics to cover inner hinge. Applied thin strip to hinge on front and back pastedowns with wheat starch paste. Allowed to dry and then colored in with pastels and colored pencils. Applied SC6000 to toned Japanese paper and buffed off excess to produce a shiny texture.

Materials Used

PVA
Wheat starch paste
Methyl cellulose
Lasceaux 498
SC6000
Acrylics
Pastels
Colored Pencils
Airplane cotton
Western Paper (70 pound)
Moriki
Kozo
Linen cord