Since I made such a fuss about taking a sharp blade to the old book, I thought it might warrant an update. It isn’t completely finished, but the major work is done, and the patient appears to be headed for a complete recovery.

A lot of the rebinding jobs require a little destruction before the repair can begin, and this book was no exception. For me – particularly if I am not the book’s owner – that part is nerve-racking. The idea of cutting the covers from a book is distressing, even if I know they’ll be back on soon enough. (If you missed the earlier episode, here is a link to the image and article when the boards were removed.)

I get anxious about altering a volume, too.

One book was so out of whack that it required putting a new edge on the pages. It also cleans up the discoloration that happens to the visible paper edge over time. But to put a book under the guillotine constitutes an action that can’t be reversed. This old book would have benefited from trim, but will retain its antique look better with the discolored paper offsetting the new leather and marbled paper binding.

At any rate, the image shows the facelift.

There are no binding supply stores in the area, at least none that I am aware of – so I have to get the things I need from the internet. Marbled paper is an art form, and each sheet is created individually by gently placing the paper on a layer of paint that has been floated on a pan of water. The designs are created by using coordinated colors which are swirled with a small tool or pin, or simply dripped or gently poured onto the water surface. (Paint floats.)

At one time I found an artist in the US that was making paper and selling it on the internet, but the large sheet from which this was taken came from Israel. Another sheet came from a paper artist in Germany. I’m not buying overseas to be exotic, I just find one that I like and then contact the seller.

Attaching a finishing page to the interior of the boards will complete the project, and have this little one-owner back on the road for another century or so.

There are plenty of books here that don’t need repairs, so come visit!

McHuston

Booksellers & Irish Bistro
Rose District
122 South Main Street, Broken Arrow OK