Conservation of Books is the highly anticipated reference work on global book structures and their conservation, offering the first modern, comprehensive overview on this subject.
The volume takes an international approach to its subject. Written by over 70 specialists in conservation and conservation science based in 19 countries, its 26 chapters cover traditional book structures from around the world, the materials from which they are made and how they degrade, and how to preserve and conserve them. It also examines the theoretical underpinnings of conservation: what and how to treat, and the ethical, cultural, and economic implications of treatment. Technical drawings and photographs illustrate the structures and treatments examined throughout the book. Ultimately, readers gain an in-depth understanding of the materiality of books in numerous global contexts and reflect on the practical considerations involved in their analysis and treatment.
Conservation of Books is a quintessential reference work for book conservators and anyone working with books, such as collection managers, librarians, curators, dealers, collectors, historians, and related professionals. It is also an indispensable text for students to complement hands-on training in this field.
1 Introduction, Abigail Bainbridge; Section 1: Book Structure and History; 2 The Birth of the Codex, Georgios Boudalis, Julia Miller, and Minah Song; 3 Eastern Mediterranean Bindings; 3.1 Coptic Bindings, Georgios Boudalis and Francisco H. Trujillo; 3.2 Ethiopic Bindings, Nikolas Sarris and Marco di Bella; 3.3 Islamic Bindings, Kristine Rose-Beers, Amélie Couvrat Desvergnes, Karin Scheper, and Nil Baydar; 3.4 Armenian Bindings, Yasmeen Khan and Tamara Ohanyan; 3.5 Byzantine Bindings, Georgios Boudalis and Nikolas Sarris; 3.6 Syriac Bindings, Karin Scheper and François Vinourd; 3.7 Georgian Bindings, Maria Kalligerou; 3.8 Samaritan Bindings, Julia Poirier; 3.9 Jewish Bindings, Julia Poirier; 4 South-Asian Bindings; 4.1 Indic Bindings, Amélie Couvrat Desvergnes; 4.2 Tibetan Bindings, Agniesżka Helman-Ważny; 4.3 Kashmiri Bindings, Jasdip Singh Dhillon; 4.4 Sikh Bindings, Jasdip Singh Dhillon; 5 East-Asian Bindings; 5.1 Chinese Bindings, Robert Minte and Emma Lau; 5.2 Korean Bindings, Minah Song; 5.3 Japanese Bindings, Kyoko Kusunoki and Mito Matsumaru; 6 Southeast Asian Bindings; 6.1 Upper Mainland Southeast Asian Bindings, Agniesżka Helman-Ważny; 6.2 Indonesian Bindings, Karin Scheper; 7 European Bindings; 7.1 Manuscripts in the Pre-Printing Era, Élodie Lévêque; 7.2 Printed Books, Melissa Tedone and Roger S. Williams; 7.3 Stationery Bindings, Holly Smith, Katerina Williams, and Sonja Schwoll; 7.4 Albums and Scrapbooks, Jane Rutherston and Olivia Primanis; 8 North American Bindings (Present-day Canada and United States), Julia Miller and Consuela (Chela) Metzger; 9 Latin American Bindings, Martha Elena Romero Ramírez and María Ángela Silvetti; Section 2: Bookbinding Materials and Their Degradation; 10 Introduction to Bookbinding Materials and Their Degradation, Abigail Bainbridge; 11 Materials and Identification; 11.1 Papyrus, Marieka Kaye; 11.2 Skin, Tuuli Kasso and Samuel Johns; 11.3 Textiles, Joanne Hackett; 11.4 Paper; 11.4.1 Introduction, Agniesżka Helman-Ważny and Abigail Bainbridge; 11.4.2 East Asian Handmade Paper, Minah Song; 11.4.3 Tibetan, Nepalese, and South Asian Handmade Paper, Agniesżka Helman-Ważny and Amélie Couvrat Desvergnes; 11.4.4 Handmade Papers of Central Asia, Western Asia (Middle East), and North Africa, Fiona McLees; 11.4.5 European Handmade Paper, Abigail Bainbridge; 11.4.6 Machine-made Paper, Kimberly Kwan and Abigail Bainbridge; 11.5 Paper-based boards, Anne Hillam; 11.6 Wood, Roger S. Williams and Tristram Bainbridge; 11.7 Birch Bark, Agniesżka Helman-Ważny; 11.8 Palm Leaves, Agniesżka Helman-Ważny; 11.9 Metals, Erin Hammeke, Zora Sanders, and Camila Zanon Paglione; 11.10 Adhesives, Bronwen Glover and Mito Matsumaru; 11.11 Manuscript Media, Cheryl Porter; 11.12 East Asian Manuscript and Printing Inks, Minah Song; 11.13 Pre-industrial Western Printing Inks, c.1450–1850, Elizabeth Savage and Linda Stiber Morenus; 12 The Ten Agents of Deterioration, Caroline Bendix and Tiffany Eng Moore; 13 Polymers and Their Degradation, Norman Billingham, Barry Knight, Paul Garside, and David Mills; Section 3: Approaches to Conservation; 14 Introduction to Approaches to Conservation, Melissa Tedone; 15 Decision-making, William Bennett and Lauren Moon-Schott; 16 Conservation in Context, Lauren Moon-Schott and Fiona McLees; 17 Previous Treatments, Lauren Moon-Schott; 18 Social, Cultural, and Religious Considerations in Conservation Decision-making, Fletcher Durant and Bethany Goodman; Section 4: Preventive Conservation; 19 Introduction to Preventive Conservation, Fletcher Durant; 20 Boxing, Storage, and Transportation; 20.1 Preservation Enclosures for Books and Manuscrips, Bridget Mitchell and Abigail Bainbridge; 20.2 Storage of Books, Bridget Mitchell and Abigail Bainbridge; 20.3 Transportation of Books, Lang Ngo; 21 Exhibition of Books, Alexa McNaught-Reynolds; 22 Digitisation, Samantha Cawson and Jessica Pollard; Section 5: Techniques of Conservation; 23 Introduction to Techniques of Conservation, Melissa Tedone; 24 Conservation Documentation, Alberto Campagnolo; 25 Material-based Treatments; 25.1 Papyrus Treatment, Marieka Kaye; 25.2 Parchment Treatment, Élodie Lévêque and Cédric Levière; 25.3 Leather Treatment, Jen Anderson; 25.4 Paper Treatment, Abigail Bainbridge, Kimberly Kwan, Tiffany Eng Moore, and Kristine Rose-Beers; 25.5 Media Treatment, Kristine Rose-Beers; 25.6 Conservation Treatment Concerns for Printing Inks on Paper, Linda Stiber Morenus; 25.7 Board Treatment, Roger S. Williams and Tristram Bainbridge; 25.8 Metal Treatment, Zora Sanders and Camilla Zanon Paglione; 26 Structural Repairs; 26.1 Internal Features and Components; Liz Ralph and Holly Smith; 26.2 Board Reattachment and Spine Repair, Karen Vidler, Abigail Bainbridge, and Arthur Green; 26.3 Binding: Structure, Functionality, and Integrity, Sonja Schwoll and Andrea Pataki-Hundt.
Biography
Abigail Bainbridge ACR is a book conservator and Director of Bainbridge Conservation. She has taught extensively on the degree programmes at West Dean College, Camberwell College of Art, and City & Guilds of London Art School. She has an MA in Conservation Studies from West Dean College and a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Abigail is an Icon accreditation assessor and mentor, sits on the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Heritage Science Expert Working Group, and was Treasurer then Chair of the Icon Book & Paper Group for eight years.
"Encompassing both practical instruction and subject theory, this is the first comprehensive volume on book conservation and structures with a global approach. Bainbridge is a book conservator and educator and for this volume she gathered 26 essays from more than 70 experts in the field... This first-of-its-kind publication will be a must-have resource for those in studying or involved in conservation, bookbinding, or the history of the book, and it will also be useful in allied fields, for example, art history, where knowledge of book history, materiality, and construction is valuable. Summing Up: Essential. Graduate students, researchers, faculty, professionals." -- A. Verplaetse, Public Art Archive, CHOICE March 2024.
