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Evangelisches Choralbuch, ~1890

3/16/2019

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After allowing this volume to passively grace my music stand for several years, I decided it would be better appreciated by a pianist friend of mine, and so restored it to a usable state. The textblock was coming loose at the signatures and was almost completely separated from its case. I repaired the signatures, resewed and lined the textblock, then refit the textblock into the original case after lightly treating the spine leather to quell disintegration at the head and heel.
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Signatures re-guarded with kozo paper and bone-folded.
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Textblock re-sewn and lined with kozo paper and linen.
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Completed repair. While the textblock was being repaired, the spine leather was lined with kozo paper on the inside and powdery areas were treated with Klucel G to prevent further deterioration.
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A Dictionary of the English Language - Samuel Johnson, 1756

2/4/2019

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In lieu of my latest restoration project (which should be completed in the next few weeks), I can't help but flaunt the newest (and, ironically, the oldest!) addition to my personal library: a second-edition printing of Samuel Johnson's first dictionary of the English language, published in two volumes in 1756. My copy is volume two, 'L-Z'. 
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Title page showing areas of loss and previous owners' inscriptions from 1811, 1894, 1899, and 1937.
It came to me in a very sorry state: most of the original cover is gone, with only the laced-in back board still attached to the textblock, although the sewing itself is in great shape. I also noticed a tiny knot of red and gold silk threads sticking out of spine edge, which might be a clue as to what the original sewn endbands looked like.
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Back board with remnants of possible (marbled?) paper cover
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Red and gold thread knot, possibly left over from the original sewn endbands.
The volume also has some water/mold damage on its last dozen pages or so, which may require an aqueous cleaning treatment. Once the textblock is back in order, I plan to replace the boards and give the volume a full-calf makeover in as close to the original style as I can, with the finished product resembling something like the edition pictured here. That project is a little outside of my skillset for now, but I'm looking forward to giving this 263-year-old beauty a new set of clothes in the very near future!
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Source: https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30007969682&cm_sp=det-_-bsk-_-bdp
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History of the American People - David Saville Muzzey, 1935

12/20/2018

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In classic school-book fashion, the pastedowns and a good part of the text was covered in pencil markings.
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These cleared up nicely with a soft eraser.
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Several pages were detached or torn, leaving the edges exposed and tattered.
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The case is separated from the textblock.
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Sewing begins. I didn't take pictures, but this volume kept popping pages, and there was lots of paper repair done prior to this.
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Completed textblock. It was originally machine-sewn, but since this isn't an exceptional book, I decided to try out some different techniques.
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New bookcloth toned to match the original. Since this piece is only visible at the hinges, that's the color I aimed to match.
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The completed reback. Since I only wanted to return this to a readable state, I left the corners and edges frayed.
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The Complete Nonsense Book - Edward Lear, 1923

9/8/2018

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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.
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The damaged sewing (shown below) left most of the pages in the front half of the book loose and tattered on their edges.
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Detail of the worn, broken sewing.
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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.
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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.
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The stack of completely repaired and re-punched signatures.
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Sewn and rounded by hand. I visited a local studio to use their backing press and return the textblock to its original curve.
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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.
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Dying new bookcloth to match the patina of the old spine piece and boards.
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The complete reback, showing the new, dyed bookcloth at the hinges.
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The original spine piece was lined with kozo paper and adhered to the new spine cloth with PVA.
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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.
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The tape-stained folio, after extensive paper repairs.
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Index Volume to the Works of William Shakespeare, 1902

5/28/2018

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This 116 year old book was purchased at a library book sale in pretty rough shape.
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Clear packing tape had been applied across the spine and both covers, keeping the spine attached but also risking further irreparable damage.
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Peeling back the spine piece reveals the sewing in great shape.
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To repair, the cover is completely separated from the textblock, and the spine piece is trimmed from the cover boards.
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The spine pieces are recovered, worn sections are carefully trimmed, then backed with dyed kozo paper and methyl cellulose.
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The completed reback, showing the new dyed cloth at the hinges.
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Original spine piece is adhered to the new cloth with PVA.
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