A first edition Frank Baum, John Dough, found its way into my shop. The cloth bound book looked good, but on inspection I discovered the spine was falling apart and the hinges torn and loose. After removing the brittle glue, I rebuilt the spine using a thin raw linen for the hinges and paper hollow tube.
Turning my attention to the boards it was mostly a repair of the headcaps and mushy corners. The cloth headcaps were opened and lined with a thin linen to protect and support the spine. After splaying the corners I pasted and reformed them to offer good protection of the contents. I lined the back of the endpapers’ joint with a thin mulberry.
On joining the boards to the contents this Cloth book restoration should be good for another hundred years, if the creek don’t rise.
Before - Note the caps
After - The real work's under the hood.
Headcap Before - Note the spine, hinges and headcap's condition.
Headcap After - Headcap relined, hinges repaired and a rebuilt spine.
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