You may be passionate about your books, and you probably want them to last forever. But, even if you handle your classics with care, you'll probably need to repair those accidental tears or tatters. Here are books to help you preserve and repair the books in your library. Read more about preserving your classics.
1. The Booklover's Repair Kit: First Aid for Home Libraries
by Estelle Ellis, Douglas Lee, and Wilton Wiggins. Knopf. From the publisher: "Every booklover knows the feeling when a favorite book is damaged: by water, a ripped dust jacket, a loose page. To throw the book out is unthinkable! The damage isn't serious enough for professional attention, but you don't want to risk further damage. What do you do?"
2. Caring for Books and Documents
by A.D. D. Baynes-Cope. World Wisdom. From the publisher: "This practical guide, written in response to the many queries The British Library answers each year, gives a straightforward advice on creating the right storage conditions for books and documents."3. Basic Book Repair Methods
by Abraham A. Schechter. Libraries Unlimited. From the publisher: "Schechter gives detailed instructions for the cleaning and mending of paper, book hinge repair, case and textblock reattachment, cloth rebacking, and retitling. Procedures are illustrated with black-and-white photographs."4. A Splendor of Letters: The Permanence of Books
by Nicholas A. Basbanes. HarperCollins Publishers. From the publisher: "In vivid detail, Basbanes examines the many materials that have been used over the centuries to record information - among them clay tablets, papyrus scrolls, slabs of stone, palm leaves, animal skins, and hammered sheets of gold and copper. Also discussed are the various debates that continue to rage about preservation, which may mean saving and storing books on paper indefinitely, or as electronic data..."5. Passion for Books
by Harold Rabinowitz (Editor), and Rob Kaplan (Editor). Crown Publishing Group. In "How to Care for Books," Estelle Ellis and Caroline Seebohm offer tips and suggestions for preserving your books, which take into consideration the forces of nature: fire, water, gas and heat, light, dust and neglect, ignorance, and the bookworm.6. Patience and Fortitude
by Nicholas A. Basbanes. HarperCollins Publishers. From the publisher: "Patience & Fortitude considers the evolving form of the book over the centuries, preservation efforts, and the great national, public, and institutional libraries around the world. With emphasis on the experiences and thoughts of all kinds of dedicated book people... this colorful narrative history is the perfect gift for book lovers."7. The Care and Feeding of Books Old and New: A Simple Repair Manual for Book Lover
by Bern Marcowitz and Margot Rosenberg. St Martins Press. From the publisher: "Here at last is a short, simple, inexpensive guide to the tricks of the trade regarding how to take care of your beloved books. Written by a pair of booksellers, this little gem emphasizes household products and simple methods."8. The Care of Fine Books
by Jane Greenfield. The Lyons Press. From the publisher: "Here is a concise, eminently readable handbook on how to care for any book of value. For collectors, librarians, and curators it represents an elegant summation of their responsibilities and techniques. Included in 'The Care of Fine Books' is a brief history of book-construction methods and a discussion of the nature of fine books and their component materials."9. At Home with Books
by Estelle Ellis. Clarkson Potter. From the publisher: "'At Home with Books' is a visual delight, a helpful resource, and an inspiration for every bibliophile with a growing home library. Includes professional advice on editing and categorizing your library; caring for your books; preserving, restoring, and storing rare books; finding out-of-print books; and choosing furniture, lighting, and shelving."10. The Care of Antiques and Historical Collections
by A. Bruce MacLeish. Alta Mira Press. MacLeish writes: "Relics of the past are important to many people, for varying reasons..."