Preserving old book

The_Minister

I recently came into a book of Shakespheare thats over 105-years-old.

At the moment its in a dusty damp room, which is less than ideal.

Any tips on preserving it?

danpatjoe

Hello,

Firstly, remove it from the damp and dust...

I recently happened upon an large old leather bound geography book which was printed in Dublin in 1794!
(Paynes Geography - Zachariah Jackson, No. 5, New Buildings, Sackville Street. 1794.)

I took it to an antique book dealer looking for similar advise...
He told me to keep it on a bookshelf with other books (ie. don't put it in a sealed box), and occasionally read it! He explained that the old paper (and ink) used in those books had a high acid content and will eventually deteriorate, so exposing it to the air reduces the speed of this process.

This is what I was told by the dealer, and while it may or may not be the proper thing to do, it sounds reasonable to me. Others may have some better advise. Good luck!

Regards - Dan

ODD-JOB

As with most things (furniture included) , humidity is the greatest enemy of paper. But you dont want it in too dry storage either.

the ideal relaitve humidity for all paper is between 50% and 65%. Anything over 65% , and fungi and moulds will happily grow on paper, anyhthing under 50% and the paper will gradually dry and become brittle.

Every now and then have a little flick through the pages and inspect it.