Project: Treatment of six bindings
Owner: Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections, Ohio University Libraries
About the Project
Title: Anitii Manlii Severini Boethi…
Creator: Boethius; Glareanus, Henricus; Rota, Julianus Martianus
Location: Basileae: Apud Henrichum Petrum
Date: 1546
Dimensions: H 32.5cm x W 22.8cm x T 8.8cm
Treatment Notes: The front cover was completely detached and the back cover nearly so, held only by a thread. The parchment was torn and lost around the spine, endcaps, and raised supports, and the endband cores were broken in several places, with the secondary endband threads left as loose ends. At the librarian’s request, the front cover was to remain detached from the textblock to keep the spine structure visible and accessible. Treatment stabilized the parchment case and the textblock accordingly, without reattaching the two.
Tears in the parchment cover were mended with goldbeater’s skin and 5% gelatin, and tears in the endleaves and outer leaves with Uso Mino and wheat starch paste (WSP). The first two and last sections were spot-resewn in chain stitch with 30/3 linen thread, and loose sewing threads were consolidated by wrapping the supports with Tengujo and WSP. The broken endband cores were reattached with PVA and wrapped with Tengujo and WSP, with loose primary threads re-wound; the secondary endbands were left as found.
Title: Letters of Anna Seward
Creator: Seward, Anna
Location: Edinburgh: A. Constable and Company
Date: 1811
Dimensions: H 19.3cm x W 12.6cm x T 3.3cm
Treatment Notes: This full leather binding, with a blind crosshatch pattern and minimal gilt decoration, has six raised supports (likely false), only three of which are laced through the boards. The front board had been previously repaired with toned paper at the outer joint and untoned paper at the inner hinge, both still intact, while the back board was completely detached.
The leather covering was lifted from the back board and spine. Uso Mino Thin (12gsm) was toned with Golden acrylics to match the leather and endleaves, then used to bridge the textblock spine and board beneath the leather with wheat starch paste (WSP). The inner hinge was reinforced with a strip of Uso Mino adhered with WSP.
Title: Paradise Lost (2 volumes)
Creator: Milton, John
Location: London: J. and H. Richter
Date: 1794
Dimensions: H 28.5cm x W 25.1cm x T 3.5cm
Treatment Notes: These full leather, tree calf bindings include simple single-line gold tooling and a smooth, tight-back spine with a black leather label. The covers were tentatively attached by the inner hinge or completely detached, and the spine leather showed extensive cracking and delamination. The textblocks remained intact.
The leather was lifted from the edges of each board and the spine. Strips of Okawara were toned with Golden acrylics to match the leather and attached beneath the lifted leather on the spine and each board using Lascaux 498HV. The corners were consolidated with Lascaux 498HV, and the leather was consolidated overall with 3% Klucel G.
Title: Callimachi Hymni…
Creator: Callimachus
Location: Lugduni Batavorum
Date: 1761
Dimensions: H 21.0cm x W 14.5cm x T 10.7cm
Treatment Notes: This full parchment binding over stiff boards have gilt decoration on the covers, with a textblock likely sewn on parchment supports and endbands worked in red and white thread over a parchment core. The parchment cover was split at the lower front joint; otherwise the cover showed only minor abrasion and surface grime.
The volume was surface cleaned overall. Repair material was prepared by laminating 1-ply alum-tawed goldbeater’s skin with pre-toned Tengujo using 5% gelatin, then cut into small, oblong pieces. The broken joint was repaired by attaching these pieces with 5% gelatin, alternating over and under the parchment cover.
Title: History of the conspiracy of Maximilian Robespierre
Creator: Galart de Montjoie
Location: London: Printed for T. Egerton, Whitehall
Date: 1796
Dimensions: H 22.5cm x W 14.9cm x T 1.9cm
Treatment Notes: This half binding has a leather spine and corners with textile sides. The spine has tight back with five false raised supports and a leather spine lining. The front cover was completely detached, and the spine had partially detached leather panels, with some areas entirely missing.
The leather covering was lifted from the edges of each board and the spine. A piece of Okawara was toned with Golden acrylics to match the leather and attached beneath the lifted leather—starting on the front board, then the spine, and finally the back board—using Lascaux 498HV, with thin blotter strips inserted to recreate the false raised bands. The original spine leather pieces were reattached with Lascaux 498HV. The inner hinges were reinforced with Tengujo and wheat starch paste, then toned with watercolor pencils once dry.
