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Rare books, especially very old rare books, deserve and require special attention and care. If you care for your rare books properly, they will be preserved and increase in value. The good news is that you don’t have to go to any great expense to give rare books the TLC they need.

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Steps

  1. 1
    Understand the key elements that will deteriorate or destroy books. All books, new and rare, are made out of paper and are susceptible to the same elements that can irreparably harm them.
    • Eliminate or reduce fire and smoke threats. Fire is the one hazard that will make any other effort to protect your rare books completely ineffectual. And you may also be surprised to know that smoke can ruin your books as well. Most people take measures to protect their homes from fire, but it’s still a good idea to walk through your home and note all the possible smoke and fire hazards as they pertain to your book collection. Are your bookcases abutting the fireplace? Do you display books on the mantelpiece where sparks may reach them, and where smoke may damage them? Are your smoke alarms working? Do you replace the batteries in them every year? Do you display your great-grandmother’s rare cookbook anywhere near your kitchen stove? Do you put lighted candles anywhere near your book collection? Are your books stored in any room where people smoke cigarettes or cigars?
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  2. 2
    Keep your books away from heat. The smoke and fire from a fireplace is an obvious heat danger, but there are others. Don’t store your books near radiators or forced hot air vents. Keep your books out of direct sunlight and don’t store them in a stuffy, hot room. Heat will warp the cover boards and dry out the leather bindings.
  3. 3
    Protect your books from the dangers of water and humidity. If you have ever dropped a book in the bathwater or in a swimming pool, you know what havoc water can wreak on a book. High humidity, which is the amount of moisture in the air, can also cause considerable damage to your books. If the humidity level in your home is consistently over 65%, your books are already suffering. All books benefit from an even, comfortable temperature. If you aren’t comfortable in your hot attic or damp basement, then you can assume your books will suffer in those climate zones.
  4. 4
    Keep your books clean. Dirt, grime and dust are constant problems for books. Carefully dust your books at least once a month. Use a soft lint-free cloth to dust the binding, covers and the tops and bottoms of the pages. Dust your bookshelves before you re-shelve the books, but don’t put oily furniture polish on the shelves. Very old books most likely contain a lot of dirt. Your book will last much longer if you remove as much dirt as you can:
    • Open the book and gently run the nozzle of a hand operated mini vacuum up and down the gutter (the adjoining margins of facing pages). Do this for every page. If you don’t have a vacuum, run a clean dry brush along the gutters.
    • Clean the hinges (where the book covers join the body of the book). If the hinges are loose, try blowing the dust out with a hair dryer (low, cool setting), otherwise, use a clean, non-abrasive brush to remove the dirt and dust.
  5. 5
    Deter insects. While it is true books are made of paper, they also contain glue, starches and even gelatin; all of which attract insects. Most bugs are not after your books, they’re after the other components that they like to feast upon. Bookworms are the exception; they will eat the pages and the leather binding, along with the glue. Do everything you can to deter insects from your book collection.
    • Keep food well away from your books and from your bookcases. The food will attract insects and after they have polished off your sandwich crumbs, they will feast on the book glue for dessert.
    • Put small containers of boric acid powder on your bookshelves if you suspect there is an insect problem.
    • Treat insect infestations immediately. Put your affected book in a plastic bag or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Make sure the book and the plastic are both completely dry. Put the plastic wrapped book in the freezer for two days. The freezing will turn the larvae black. Let the dead larvae sit for a day or two to dry out. You can then gently brush away the larvae.
  6. 6
    Store your books correctly. Uneven pressure can ruin a book.
    • Keep your books in a straight, vertical line on your bookshelf.
    • Don’t shelve the books too loosely or too tightly together. Too loose and they will lean and cause damage to the boards and the bindings; too tight and the covers will rub together and warp the spines of the books.
    • Shelve books of the same size together. Large discrepancies in size can cause the boards of larger books to warp.
    • Don’t stack books horizontally in a pile. Doing so causes stress on the hinges of the books.
    • Shelves made out of particle board are rough and can damage the bottom edges of books. If nothing else, line particle board shelves with shelf paper; bottom, sides and top, so that the books never come into contact with rough wood.
    • Use the right kind of bookshelf. Untreated wood can damage books because toxic vapors can permeate the books. Certain types of paint and finishes can bleed into the books. Ask local book store owners about their shelves and where they acquired them if you aren’t sure which type of bookcase to buy.
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Tips

  • If you can’t keep your bookcases out of direct sunlight, cover your books with a piece of cloth during the hours that sunlight shines on them.
  • Your leather bound books will benefit from occasional handling because the oil in your skin will help keep the leather supple.
  • Lighted bookcases are beautiful, but don’t keep the lights on for extended periods; both the light and the heat will contribute to the deterioration of your books.
  • Shelving your rare books in a bookcase with tightly fitting glass doors is an excellent way to control the climate and the dust. If you own a very old, rare and valuable book, you may want to consider storing it in a climate controlled bank safety deposit box.
  • Not all rare books are centuries old; many modern editions had limited press runs and are considered rare. You should treat all rare books with kid gloves; book collectors look for pristine conditions, no matter what the age of the book.
  • Use a battery operated mini vacuum to thoroughly clean the bindings and end pages.
  • Blow dust from your books with a hair dryer. Use the coolest setting. If you don’t have a low speed setting, hold the dryer well away from the book so that you don’t damage the surface or the pages.

Warnings

  • Open rare books carefully and do not open them very far; especially don’t force them open. If your book is quite heavy, place it on a table before opening it; otherwise you might crack the spine or drop the book on the floor and ding the cover.
  • Never try to repair pages with tape of any kind. Tape, especially scotch tape, will yellow with age, and applying tape to a page will seriously devalue your book. If one of your rare books has damaged pages, take your book to a professional bookbinder for advice and restoration.
  • The bookworm is the larvae of some types of beetles and can cause irreparable damage in a short amount of time. Examine your books and bookcases often for signs of bookworms; look for dead beetles, holes in the pages of the books, and accumulations of what will look like a small pile of dust. If freezing the book doesn’t work, contact a bookbinder for advice.
  • Don’t devalue your rare books (or any book) by pasting a bookplate in them, or writing your name in them. Don’t wet your finger and turn the pages; the saliva will cause harm to the paper. Above all, don’t mark your place by turning down the corners of pages or placing an open book face down. Leaving a book open face up or face down will cause damage to the spine.

Things You’ll Need

  • Bookshelves
  • Mini vacuum
  • Hair dryer
  • Artist’s brush
  • Boric acid powder
  • Lint-free cloth

Sources and Citations

  • Margot Rosenberg and Bern Marcowitz, The Care and Feeding of Books Old and New, (New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press, 2002)

Article Info

Categories: Organizing and Caring for Books

In other languages:

Español: cuidar libros raros

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