CLIENT INFORMATION

Name: Client Information removed for privacy    Date Recieved: 9/12/2008
Address:    Deadline:  9/27/2008

Telephone:                                                                           Email:

ITEM INFORMATION

Title:  The Christmas Messenger
Author:  Louis Allis Co.
Place of Publication:  New York, E.P. Dutton & Co.
Date of Publication: 
Type of Binding:  Case binding – publisher’s cloth
Other: Embossed and molded cover


CONDITION UPON RECEIPT

The cloth at the spine has failed, and the linings are crumbling (Fig. 1, 2a).
Both front and back endsheets have ripped at the hinge, and the rear flyleaf has become detached (Fig. 3a, 4a).
The cloth has been abraded to nothingness at the corners, which are now delaminating and soft.  There is abrasion on all of the board edges (Fig. 9a).
The sewing is intact, but the spine lining is failing (Fig. 8a).
Many of the pages are torn, and some have been repaired with old scotch tape which has now turned brown, resulting in staining to the affected page and in most cases, to adjoining pages (Fig. 5a, 6a, 7a).
The flyleaf has been badly ripped, with only about 1/3rd remaining (Fig. 10a). The adjoining leaf has been torn out, and is now missing. 
Several small bugs were been observed crawling around in the book, including UNDER the scotch tape!



TREATMENT OBJECTIVE

This book is heavily used by the Sweeny family every Christmas time, and must be stabilized so that a new generation of children can use and enjoy the book.   It should retain its appearance.


TREATMENT PROPOSAL

1)Vacuum with the mini-vac to eradicate any remaining insects.
2)The client is not willing to pay to have all of the tape removed.  Most of the tape will be left in place, except in the case of the first two leaves, where it is hindering a proper opening of the book. 
3)The loss on the title page will be filled with matching modern machine made paper.
4)The book will be relined, including an extended cloth lining, which will allow the book to be cased in without removing the printed endpapers.
5)The corners of the boards will be consolidated with paste, and dyed tissue will be inserted under the cloth for further reinforcement.
6)The book will be re-backed with the boards off, with cloth dyed to match.



TREATMENT PREFORMED

1)The book was immediately vacuumed with the mini-vac to eradicate any remaining insect life.
2) The case was removed, and the corners were consolidated with paste.  Okawara tissue was dyed to match with acrylics, and inserted under the cloth at the corners.  Fraying cloth along the board edge was consolidated with PVA and toned with acrylics to improve the appearance of ratty cloth (Fig. 9b).
3)Heat was use to remove tape from the verso of the flyleaf, and 3 subsequent leaves.  These leaves were later hinged onto with wheat paste/kizukishi (Fig. 5b, 6b)
4) Heat was also used to remove tape from “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem”, and the page was mended with wheat paste and tengujo applied on both recto and verso of the leaf. (Fig. 7b, 7c).
5)The missing portion of the title page was filled in with modern machine-made paper of a similar weight and texture, joined with Japanese tissue and wheat starch paste.  The original machine-made endbands were reused. (Fig. 10b).
6)The spine was cleaned with methylcellulose, and then relined.  1st lining – Japanese tissue/paste; 2nd Mohawk Superfine/PVA; 3rd Extended Cambric/PVA. (Fig. 8b)
  The extended Cambric lining was the means by which the book was later cased in. This is visible in the joints (Fig. 3b, 4b).
7)The case was reconstructed off the book with navy blue Arrestox-B (Cover Materials, Inc.) cloth.  This cloth matches both the color and texture of the original cloth.  The book was then cased in as described above (Fig. 2b).



PHOTOGRAPHIC DOCUMENTATION
North Bennet Street School
39 North Bennet Street
Boston MA 02113
Bookbinding Department
Rebecca (Bexx) Caswell, student
bexx@centerfuse.net
Figure 1 – Verso and spine before treatment
   Figure 2a – Front and spine before treatment       
Figure 2b – Front and spine after treatment
Figure 3a – Front endsheet before treatment        
Figure 3b – Front endsheet after treatment
  Figure 4a – Rear endsheet before treatment
Figure 4b – Rear endsheet after treatment
Figure 5a – Page 2 before treatment                     
Figure 5b - Page 2 after treatment
Figure 6b – Page 3-4 after treatment

        Figure 7a – Before tape removal                                  
       Figure 6a – Page 3-4 before treatment        
Figure 7b – After tape removal
Figure 7c – Verso after tape removal
Figure 8a – Opening before treatment
Figure 8b – Opening after treatment
Figure 9a – Corners and board edge before treatment 
Figure 9b – Corners and board edge after treatment
Figure 10a – Title page before treatment
Figure 10b – Title page after treatment
Bexx Caswell
Bookbinding and Conservation Portfolio

CONSERVATION TREATMENTS