Care and Storage of your Books, Part 1
October 29th, 2007 by Alan Chudnow
The best habits and practices for caring for your books begin early. Taking some simple precautions when you first start acquiring your books will help you develop good habits and prevent damage and injury that may not be correctable later on. Remember, the condition of your books is of primary concern. Keeping them in the best condition will not only improve the possibility of their value increasing over time but assure that your collection remains handsome and one you will enjoy living with and displaying.
This is the first in a four part series on Care and Storage of your books. Look for Part 2: Shelving next week.
Handling Your Books
Treat your books with the care that your valuable items deserve. Dirt such as grease and sweat, accumulate and can cause damage and staining. Keep your hands clean and handle your books gently. Most of the damage books receive, unless they are stored improperly or left out in the weather, is from daily handling. Treating your books with care and respect will go a long way in avoiding most damage.
A new book or one that is tightly bound is susceptible to having the spine cracked if forced to lay flat when first opened. A simple practice for “stretching” the spine will avoid this.
First, if the book has a dust jacket, remove it. Then, stand the closed book on its spine and let the covers fall open. Next, holding the text block (pages) upright take a small section from the front and let them fall open, gently pressing down along the fold with the fingers of one hand. Move to the back of the book and repeat the process continuing back and forth until you reach the middle. Finally, close the book and let it rest on its back for a moment. Now would also be a good time to place a protective sleeve on the dust jacket before putting it back on the book.
If a book doesn’t want to lay flat on its own, don’t force it. Certain styles of bindings, particularly side-stitched bindings, don’t allow a hardcover book to lay flat without breaking the spine. If the binding does not allow the book to lie flat easily an elegant solution is a Rehal.
Traditionally used to hold Islamic holy books, a Rehal is a “V” shaped book rest that supports the spine and holds the boards of a book at 45 º to 60º angle relieving undue stress on the spine. It’s ideal for a book that will not lay flat or oversized books too heavy or ungainly to hold for any length of time. Another solution is a ‘book pillow’, made of soft material filled with tiny polystyrene balls or foam rubber. It will provide good support for the spine in a range of positions.
Another very common cause of damage to the top of the spine, or “headcap”, is the practice of taking a book off the shelf by pulling on the top of the spine and tilting the book forward off the shelf. It is a much safer practice to slip your hand behind the book and push it out a bit then, grasping it in the middle, lift it off the shelf a bit and pull it out. This saves the stress and possible ripping of the headcap as well as the wear to the bottom of the boards by dragging it off the shelf.
If there is no room to slide you hand behind, push the two adjoining books inward or away creating a little room for you to grasp the middle of the front and back covers.
Both these methods depend on a little planning beforehand on the way you shelve your books. In the next part of this series I talk about just that.
Until then, Occupo Libri!
