Biography of a Prairie Girl (1902): Modified Re-case

Before Treatment			After Treatment

During Treatment

DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION SUMMARY

Binding: The book is case bound in cloth with a tri-colored stamped cover and spine. The lower half of the front cover is stained with dried liquid as well as the lower half of the spine. The book cloth at both joints is extremely threadbare and almost completely worn through at various points. The spine head and tail are also extremely threadbare. The front hinge is broken in the upper half of the case along with the overhanging textile lining.

Text block: The text block is Smyth sewn on four pairs of stations. The sewing is original and intact. The thread is S-twist. The text block has a slight round and the tail is much more rounded than the head. The spine consolidation is broken at one location which gives the text block a preferential opening at pages 154 and 155. The sections are trimmed at the head, tail and foredge. The flyleaves of the single folio plain endpapers, which are different from the text paper, have been adhered completely to the first and last leaves of the text block. The text block paper is machine made wove paper of a medium cream color. The paper is moderate weight with a rough surface texture. It is somewhat brittle yet still flexible. There is a Christmas gift label from Christmas 1922 adhered to the first flyleaf written on with blue fountain ink.

TREATMENT PROPOSED

Employ a modified re-case by removing the front cover, consolidate the text block, apply an overhanging textile lining to the spine and front. Case in and apply a Japanese paper band-aid to front hinge.

TREATMENT PERFORMED

1. Broke front hinge to allow access to the spine while keeping the back cover case to text attachment intact.
2. Applied poultice of methyl cellulose for 15 – 20 minutes to spine and then scraped off original adhesive with a micro spatula.
3. Lined the spine with machine made kozo paper.
4. Using a methyl cellulose and wheat starch paste mix, airplane cotton was adhered to the spine and overhanging the front cover.
5. The airplane cotton lining was pamphlet sewn onto the first section.
6. Pieces of airplane cotton were adhered with Lascaux to the head and tail spine turn-ins to reinforce the weakened cloth. Additionally, a strip of airplane cotton was adhered with Lascaux to the book cloth spine and let dry under weight.
7. The front paste down and original mull were lifted approximately 2 cm from spine edge to allow for the airplane cotton lining to be adhered.
8. Using paste and methyl cellulose mix, re-adhered the boards and mull, with the airplane cotton in between.
9. Mended partially broken inner hinge with usui-usimino kozo paper and paste.
10. During treatment, the front joint cloth became separated in areas and this was mended with usui-usimino kozo paper and paste. The usui-usimino paper was then colored with colored pencils and pastels.
    

MATERIALS USED
Precipitated wheat starch paste (Colophon) mixed 1:4 with distilled water cooked 20 minutes
Usui-usimino kozo paper (Hiromi)
Methyl cellulose 2.5% dispersed in hot then cold distilled water (Fisher 4000 cps.)
Lascaux 498 HV (Talas)
25/3 Unbleached linen thread
Airplane cotton
Colored pencils
Pastels