#artconservationbuffalostate

My time at the Conservation Department of NYU Libraries is drawing to an end, with only two months left.  Since my chief interest is in rare book collections, I will focus on rare book treatments for my final block under the supervision of Anne Hillam and Dawn Mankowski. So far, I have worked on three leather books, whose treatments I approached from different angles. The goal of these treatments was to restore the original function of the books. The condition concerns presented either a front board detachment and/or a reback. Before beginning treatment, we discussed what options we had and which were best suited for the books in question, as well as the challenges they posed.

Book one is a full tree-calf leather binding with a tight joint, tight back construction. The board to text block attachment is facilitated by two cords. The tight back construction and its shoulder, while small, still allowed for a pleated paper hinge board reattachment. The pleated hinge preserves the pivoting action of its boards, especially since it was a tight back. This treatment was appropriate for this book because it also allowed us to avoid lifting the spine leather, which could lead to more damage.

Book two is bound in sprinkled dark brown full calf-skin, blind tooled with double fillet roll border, frame, and panel decoration. Its spine piece is missing, revealing five false cord bands, which suggest a tight back construction. We thought that this book was a great candidate for a full reback with a cast composite. Using the cast composite on a tight back with false cords proved to be challenging. The composite material does not stretch like leather, which made it difficult to mold over the false cords. The turn-ins were difficult to complete at the head and tail since the new material wrinkled easily, making it difficult to control. In the future, this treatment could be adjusted by using different adhesives with a longer drying time, as well as careful consideration on the type of binding it is used.

Book three is bound in half brown sheep-skin and purple Moiré cloth. The spine piece is a hollow back made with printer’s waste and false bands. The leather corners and the leather spine edges of the boards are blind stamped with a double fillet roll. The goal of this treatment was to keep as much of the original material as possible and the treatment method used was more traditional. I re-backed the book using dyed leather to match the original and re-used the original printed waste spine liner in the new hollow, retaining the original spine lining.

From these treatments, I learned that the construction of the binding greatly informed the type of treatment it receives. The structural elements that influenced my treatments include the condition of the covering material, tight back versus hollow construction, depth of the shoulder, and construction of the spine as smooth or on raised cords. Lastly, the materials used in treatments will not only have to match the original material aesthetically, but also complement the structural and mechanical nature of the book. This includes flexibility of the material and its durability.

What challenges in rare book conservation will come up next?

-Post by Lyudmyla Bua, Andrew W. Mellon Fellow for Master of Arts and Certificate of Advanced Study in Libraries and Archives Conservation at Buffalo State, SUNY.