Boundless Books and Writingware
  • Shop
  • Services
    • Bindings
    • Book Repair
    • Enclosures
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact

Make Way for Book Things Part II

11/8/2019

0 Comments

 
At long last, a classic dust jacket is freed of its pressure-tape mummification and returns to its corner store display a little more lively than it was a month ago. 
Picture

Read More
0 Comments

Make Way for Book Things...

10/8/2019

0 Comments

 
I'm currently in hot, slow pursuit of a dairy-related enamel sign screwed to a seemingly decades-unused wooden door in an alley on Boston's North End, less than a block from the North Bennet Street School. While making my way back from yet another attempt at first contact, I spied this familiar title, in a sorry state, through the window of souvenir shop next to The Paul Revere House. A damaged book with a story based in Boston, during my first month in the city for a book restoration program? They say there're no such things as coincidences...
Picture

Read More
0 Comments

The Pursuit of Loneliness - Philip Slater, 1976

7/19/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
From out the treasure chest that is the Little Free Libraries here in DC comes a surprisingly powerful read. I picked this sorry volume up after noticing its nakedness and disrepair, only to carry it around in the same state for weeks while poring over its pages. Finally, as I swept through the final chapter, I was overcome by the desire to return it to the wild in a better condition than I found it, and I hope whoever finds this volume next will consider my efforts a success to that end.
Picture
Picture
Picture
The textblock has seen better days and is crucially acidified, moisture-stained, and torn. A friend who watched me pick this volume up begged me to leave it so, lest the story of the life it has lived be lost.
Picture
Picture
Picture
​New protective endsheets added
Picture
Japanese kozo hinge and spine liner added
Picture
Boards cut
Picture
Brown cloth case and title label recovered from the original paperback back cover. Nothing will stop the paper in this mass-produced volume from acidifying, browning, and eventually turning to dust, but until then, I can rest easy knowing that it has clothes enough to thrive in the hands and eyes of a few more readers.
0 Comments

Brave New World - Aldous Huxley, 1989

6/24/2019

0 Comments

 
On a recent walk through Washington, DC, I stopped at a Little Free Library (and how could I not?) and picked up a worn paperback edition of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Having recently moved to the city, I've been desperate for a reason to pick up a bonefolder again - here was my reprieve! 
Picture
Both the front and back covers were badly chipped, and the toning inside suggested they weren't going to stronger with age...
Picture
...in fact, someone had already gone ahead and plastered clear packing tape inside both covers and across the spine, much to my chagrin.
Picture
Having limited tools in my new apartment, I attempted to remove the tape mechanically from the first and last pages of the textblock using my craft knife...
Picture
...and it worked out surprisingly well.
Picture
New endsheets and tissue flaps for board attachment.
Picture
Faux-red leather book cloth will hopefully catch the eye of some other passerby when this book re-enters the Little Free Library pool.
Picture
Picture
Post-move, this was a wonderful 2-day project to get my hands back to work. This is far from a masterpiece, but the cloth and board case will ensure the novel makes it into at least a few more hands before it's through. For me, that's what bookbinding is all about.
0 Comments

'Carrots', Just a Little Boy - Mrs. Molesworth, 1891

3/16/2019

0 Comments

 
'Carrots' came to me in decent shape from a $1 sale, but the joints were torn and the textblock was solid be separated from the covers. 
Picture
Picture
Picture
The textblock had taken parts of the front and back pastedown with it, but they were still present, so I saved them for later.
Picture
First step is clean all of the old spine lining and glue off of the textblock.
Picture
Much better.
Picture
After lining the spine with kozo paper using methyl cellulose, I opted to practice some sewn silk endbands on this book. It didn't come with endbands originally, and if it had they would've been the pre-fabbed, glued-on type, but this was a great opportunity to practice the skill on an inexpensive binding.
Picture
Using red and gold based on the cover art, I think it turned out nicely!
Picture
Picture
Picture
Here's the completed reback. After the endbands, the spine was lined with another layer of kozo paper, then linen, then paper. A new spine piece was fitted into the boards, new spine cloth was toned to match the existing cloth, then everything was slid, glued, and pressed together. 
Picture
0 Comments

History of the American People - David Saville Muzzey, 1935

12/20/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
In classic school-book fashion, the pastedowns and a good part of the text was covered in pencil markings.
Picture
These cleared up nicely with a soft eraser.
Picture
Several pages were detached or torn, leaving the edges exposed and tattered.
Picture
Picture
The case is separated from the textblock.
Picture
Sewing begins. I didn't take pictures, but this volume kept popping pages, and there was lots of paper repair done prior to this.
Picture
Completed textblock. It was originally machine-sewn, but since this isn't an exceptional book, I decided to try out some different techniques.
Picture
New bookcloth toned to match the original. Since this piece is only visible at the hinges, that's the color I aimed to match.
Picture
The completed reback. Since I only wanted to return this to a readable state, I left the corners and edges frayed.
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

The Complete Nonsense Book - Edward Lear, 1923

9/8/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
The cover was completely detached from the textblock when I found it and clear packing tape had been used to secure a label and hold the cover together.
Picture
Picture
The damaged sewing (shown below) left most of the pages in the front half of the book loose and tattered on their edges.
Picture
Detail of the worn, broken sewing.
Picture
Given the state of disrepair, the rest of the sewing was removed so that pages could be repaired and new, stronger sewing could be added.
Picture
Scotch tape and some other adhesive had been used on a few leaves, leave the paper brittle and stained. The tape was removed and the leaves were repaired one by one with strips of kozo paper and methyl cellulose.
Picture
Picture
The stack of completely repaired and re-punched signatures.
Picture
Sewn and rounded by hand. I visited a local studio to use their backing press and return the textblock to its original curve.
Picture
The rounded and backed textblock is lined with linen cloth using PVA. The lining is wider than the spine to provide an attachment point for the original boards.
Picture
Dying new bookcloth to match the patina of the old spine piece and boards.
Picture
The complete reback, showing the new, dyed bookcloth at the hinges.
Picture
The original spine piece was lined with kozo paper and adhered to the new spine cloth with PVA.
Picture
The damaged endsheets were left as they were found, but the linen and kozo lining makes this binding as strong as if it were brand new.
Picture
The tape-stained folio, after extensive paper repairs.
Picture
0 Comments

Index Volume to the Works of William Shakespeare, 1902

5/28/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
This 116 year old book was purchased at a library book sale in pretty rough shape.
Picture
Clear packing tape had been applied across the spine and both covers, keeping the spine attached but also risking further irreparable damage.
Picture
Peeling back the spine piece reveals the sewing in great shape.
Picture
To repair, the cover is completely separated from the textblock, and the spine piece is trimmed from the cover boards.
Picture
The spine pieces are recovered, worn sections are carefully trimmed, then backed with dyed kozo paper and methyl cellulose.
Picture
The completed reback, showing the new dyed cloth at the hinges.
Picture
Original spine piece is adhered to the new cloth with PVA.
0 Comments
© Copyright Mitch Gundrum 2020
​All Rights Reserved
  • Shop
  • Services
    • Bindings
    • Book Repair
    • Enclosures
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact