Call of the Wild 4th Printing

[Bugbear]

Actually, I like The Sea Wolf.

[ohiopiper]

To preserve the book, leaf through it and remove any bookmarks that may be there.

Dust off the pages if they need it, as well as the cover.

Store it in a room with as little temperature and humidity change as possible, either laid flat or upright between bookends or other books. You don't want it laying on a diagonal with empty space around it and supported only by the corners.

Keep it away from sunlight, as this is a sure way to begin deterioration or the pages.

Check it periodically for paper-boring pests.

If you notice any deterioration or pests, have it conserved. If no deterioration is present, conservation would cost more than the value you'd get from the process.

[Burly Brute]

To preserve the book, leaf through it and remove any bookmarks that may be there.

Dust off the pages if they need it, as well as the cover.

Store it in a room with as little temperature and humidity change as possible, either laid flat or upright between bookends or other books. You don't want it laying on a diagonal with empty space around it and supported only by the corners.

Keep it away from sunlight, as this is a sure way to begin deterioration or the pages.

Check it periodically for paper-boring pests.

If you notice any deterioration or pests, have it conserved. If no deterioration is present, conservation would cost more than the value you'd get from the process.

Thanks so much. Do you know if the dry heat of Arizona will be bad?

[ohiopiper]

Better than the humidity of Ohio!

Store them as close to 70 degrees as you can, the dryness will just be an added bonus, since moisture is a killer on old and rare papers.

I have newspaers (which are printed on cheap acidic paper and usually require conservation) from the Japanese surrender, German surrender, sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, and a few others. The humidity here in N.E. Ohio wreaked havoc on them. One from the death of Gen. Patton was destroyed, as was the front page celebrating the 50th anniversary of the end of the Civil War. The others had to be professionally conserved. I got a great deal on that, the Historical Society paid for it when I agreed to "loan" them. I'll probably never ask for them back, as nobody else in my family has the same passion for history as I do.

[Burly Brute]

Better than the humidity of Ohio!

Store them as close to 70 degrees as you can, the dryness will just be an added bonus, since moisture is a killer on old and rare papers.

I have newspaers (which are printed on cheap acidic paper and usually require conservation) from the Japanese surrender, German surrender, sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, and a few others. The humidity here in N.E. Ohio wreaked havoc on them. One from the death of Gen. Patton was destroyed, as was the front page celebrating the 50th anniversary of the end of the Civil War. The others had to be professionally conserved. I got a great deal on that, the Historical Society paid for it when I agreed to "loan" them. I'll probably never ask for them back, as nobody else in my family has the same passion for history as I do.

What is the process involved in the conservation? And sorry to hear that there are no history nuts in your fam, we are quite rare it seems.

[ohiopiper]

I assume the same is for books, but not sure how the process is maintained. For the newspapers, they stored them in a climate controled room for several weeks to get the moisture level down to exactly the level they wanted, I don't remember the exact percent. They treated them with a chemical that arrested the decomposition from UV light and laid them flat for quite a while, about a month without being disturbed, to get rid of some of the creases and wrinkles that could be fixed. The last step was to seal them in a plastic looking case that allowed the spread pages to be seen. The cases have small "valves" (I don't know what they are actually called) that damper changes and help them monitor moisture and whatnot. Presumeably, if they have to be re-done, the case can be unsealed but the papers left inside while they restore proper humidity and stuff.

I do know that it cost significantly more than I'd have been willing to pay out of my own pocket. I was happy to let them take custody and preserve them. My pockets aren't that deep.

[Burly Brute]

I assume the same is for books, but not sure how the process is maintained. For the newspapers, they stored them in a climate controled room for several weeks to get the moisture level down to exactly the level they wanted, I don't remember the exact percent. They treated them with a chemical that arrested the decomposition from UV light and laid them flat for quite a while, about a month without being disturbed, to get rid of some of the creases and wrinkles that could be fixed. The last step was to seal them in a plastic looking case that allowed the spread pages to be seen. The cases have small "valves" (I don't know what they are actually called) that damper changes and help them monitor moisture and whatnot. Presumeably, if they have to be re-done, the case can be unsealed but the papers left inside while they restore proper humidity and stuff.

I do know that it cost significantly more than I'd have been willing to pay out of my own pocket. I was happy to let them take custody and preserve them. My pockets aren't that deep.

Haha I better not attempt any of that myself. Thanks for the info, I will let you know how it goes in a few years, whether or not it was a good investment.

Thanks rabble, never failing!

-BB