Title: Medical Essays and Observations, vol. 5, part 1
Creator: Revised and published by A Society in Edinburgh
Published/Created: Edinburgh: Printed by T. W. and T. Ruddimans, 1742
Owner: Private client
Dimensions: H 20.1cm x W 13.2cm x T 3.6cm
The binding is full leather over laminated boards, with a gilt double-line border on each board and gilt double lines and a gold-tooled central motif on each spine panel. The second panel bears a gold-tooled title on a red leather label. The spine has a tight, mildly rounded back with tight joints and five raised cords (possibly false). Textblock edges are cut, trimmed, and colored solid red. The paper textblock is abbreviated-sewn on three cord supports with linen thread, with front bead endbands sewn in plain linen thread over a rolled paper core. The textblock includes plain endleaves and mostly four-folio gatherings with several foldouts, printed in black ink.
Both outer joints were fully split, leaving the boards tentatively attached — the front by the sewing supports, the back only by pressure-sensitive tape on the inner hinge. The leather was heavily abraded and delaminated, exposing the boards at the corners with missing endcaps. The textblock was in good condition overall, with only minor tears on foldouts and folded corners on a few leaves.
After releasing both boards from the textblock, sewing extensions were made using Fraser’s method: 25/3 linen thread was passed through the centerfold of the third section, exited near the sewing supports, looped through the supports and around the board edge to secure it, then trimmed. The inner hinges were reinforced with Uso Mino Thin and WSP. Acrylic-toned Tengujo was inserted beneath the lifted leather along the board edges and then attached over the spine using Lascaux 498HV. The leather overall was consolidated with 2% Klucel-G in ethanol. Tears on the last two leaves and a foldout plate were mended with toned Tengujo and WSP.
