Preserving a Book

[GenericBox]

Would anyone out there know how I would preserve a book? I am rather excited / in awe at the moment, because today we cleared out the garage, and I found an old, personal sized "secret chest" I used to keep all my special things in when I was little. Anywho, I opened it up and in a brown case I found a book.

The reason I ask here is because well a/ I am not really a member of any other forum. b/ You're all a pretty knowledgable bunch, and c/ It is a prayer book.

Anyways what makes me so much in awe is that it is the very first book of such that was given to my Poppy. When he was 6. It is small, "paperback" book entitled :: "A Picture Prayer Book for Children".

The cover is still completely intact, but the entire book is extremely frail. It even still has an intact ribbon and medallion (a cardinal blessing two kneeling subjects on one side, and a dove flying through rays of light with "Remembrance of Confirmation" engraved on the other) - but TBH, almost what interests me more is the original bobby pin holding the ribbon to the book is still there lol.

Anyways. Just wondering if anyone has any ideas on how to preserve such an item of my family history. As although it is a prayer book, its just so awesome in its frailty and oldness. It is dated on the inside cover:

"A Picture Prayer Book for Children"
Clifford Poole received first holy communion in St. Columbunas (? - from what I can read from the handwriting) Church on 27th October, 1946.

EDIT: Although I have said I am lazy in other posts. I do try to find out the stuff myself before asking. I have googled preserving books but it is just library websites telling me to keep it out of humidity, heat, light and movement. Common sense stuff. I was wondering if theres anything I can actually do to make it last a lot longer / be safer.

[ozogg]

Hey Generic,

Ur talking to a 'like soul' here, & by that I mean ppl who like to preserve ALL information, no matter its origins. Perhaps they should be called librarians, or historians, or ???

Then, there are others who value only personal prejudices, screaming subjectivity, and raging relativity.

Over 60 years I have acquired a decent library (and read every book). No, I don't have the good fortune of an eidetic memory for these readings, but we all now have available a tool that can help in that respect. Called a computer.

Inherited libraries from parents, relatives, etc, make this collection very large.

I have been reading, and re-reading many of my hero books, and creating my own summary of them, putting the title (etc) and my review in a large database, using DDC2 taxonomy. 13GigaBYTES, and still going.

Of course, personal summaries are far too ego-centric for wide usage, so in addition I have been adding complete original scans of "significant books" via an OCR package called OMNIPAGE, v.16.

Versions lower than this number required one to force the opened pages face-down on a flatbed scanner (to avoid the 'bend in the gutter'); alas this "broke the spine" of older books, and also was a tediously physical task.

But OP16 allows one to mount a 'decent' digital camera over the opened pages, no forcing, and snap the double pages. The software then 'debends' the text captured in the gutter, and goes on its merry way with OCR, and transfers into your fave text-processing tool. OP doesn't much like OpenOffice, etc.

All recent OmniPage versions additionally allow one to insert images embedded withing source texts. It can do all this automatically, but with older texts containing illuminated initial letters or words, one needs to go into manual mode.

OP has a moderate learning curve, can be a little expensive, but there are occasional "deals" offered on-line for 1/2 price sales. Black eye-patch versions at Computer swap meets are $5.

"Nuance", who sell OP, are complete mongrels. OP16 will not at all install under my VISTA Home Premium. I have contacted Nuance several times trying to solve this problem, and they charge $US50 every time for a "technical consultation".

OP16 installs fine under XP.

I have had only brief acquaintance with competitor OCR packages, like TextBridge, and cannot offer any authoritative comparison.

After a while, one's large book database can need decent backup, and I employ several 2TeraBYTE external drives, one for a safe, another with relatives 200km away. That way, fire, or burglary, or death cannot 'lose' the database. Firewire800 links are mandatory if you wanna get access to your computer again before you die. USB2 is far 2 slooooow!! MAXTOR offer FW800. FW800 cards for laptop ports are rare & expensive. Some Creative Audio cards have such ports built in 'free'.

Database? I use FileMaker9, only because it is an object database, and allows me to catalog & store all music and videos as executables in a field.

Of course, much literature (and media) is more and more becoming available stored in "The Information Cloud", but I have found that method still a little flaky (and expensive in DL's).

Hope that helps, only as one person's experience, not an IT expert's professional opinion.

See the Gutenburg site as well.

Chz, 'im.

[GenericBox]

Wow, thats a hell-a-va lot of information! Thanks alot.

If I try to put it on my computer I know what to do now :)

Was just wondering though what I could do to make the physical book, last longer / be more protected. Although whats inside it is cool, I'm abit of an antique buff / really old stuff is cool kinda guy so its more of having the actual book than the contents that has me in awe. I just don't want to see it crumble away or the pages / cover rip off. I was thinking framing it. Or getting a plastic sleeve for it. Or even putting cling wrap around it.

[ozogg]

Gudday agin & agin Generic,

Yup, I understand the 'connection' to physical memorabilia.
Like Grand Canyons and Great Barrier Reefs.

However, if you read Adrian BERRY's book "The Next Ten Thousand Years", he suggests that by then we will have the nous & energy to be able to re-create anything that ever existed, organic or non-organic, in any star system man wants to inhabit.

Assuming we survive current global stupidities, or course!

Though I am not of the "original is sacred" persuasion in regard to books - or anything - (clearly the INFORMATION is mostly what I cherish - and only in rare cases need we pay attention to the covers or bindings - which can also be photographed).

If I need the scent of a book, or the feel of leather - there are many simulacra that are indistinguishable from the 'original'. Perhaps the next edition of the KindleBook might offer this ;).

Warning with books - (however I am no professional in this matter - so perhaps you could consult an archivist librarian) - there are those complications with bugs and fungi and light.

Basically, treat all old books as a source of The Black Plague !!! :D
Mebbe they are to be encased in epoxy resin (or some such) to make them 'safe'?

And as for degradation by light (total spectrum - not just UV), the only solution is to hide it somewhere dark - and never look at it again :p

Or - OK I'm banging the same old drum here - I'm saying you could scan it, then consult it via Ur computer. Hence no probs with bugs, fungi or light !

Hope you find a solution that optimises: access ease, archiving life, organic safety, and authenticity. Lemme know.

Chz, 'im.



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Wow, thats a hell-a-va lot of information! Thanks alot.

If I try to put it on my computer I know what to do now :)

Was just wondering though what I could do to make the physical book, last longer / be more protected. Although whats inside it is cool, I'm abit of an antique buff / really old stuff is cool kinda guy so its more of having the actual book than the contents that has me in awe. I just don't want to see it crumble away or the pages / cover rip off. I was thinking framing it. Or getting a plastic sleeve for it. Or even putting cling wrap around it.

[ozogg]

Good info-sourcing Prot-old-Pal,

But $55 fee, PLUS air-fare, PLUS accommodation = $$$, & thus makes you vulnerable to being accused of being "classist". But not by me mate :rolleyes:

Only by THE INVERT SNOBS! :mad:

Sry, couldn't resist raking a rapier over old coals - if you don't mind me "mexing ip mutaphors".

Mebbe there's a BOOK/TAPE/DVD/FAQ on the matter of preservation ?

Chz, 'im.

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The State Library of Queensland has a "Basic Repair of Damaged Books" workshop on the 25th of March. (https://www.qtix.com.au/show/SLQ_Repair_Damaged_Books_09.aspx)



Might be a starting place to learn restoration skills if you've got a spare $55.

[GenericBox]

ha ha... I figured as he lives in Queensland it might be a good solution :)

Yeah thanks Protium, how do you find out about that sort of stuff anyway? You're a walking events calendar. Anyways it would answer my question, but my problem is not worth a trip to Brisbane (I'm on the Sunshine Coast now, so no, not far away, but far enough), and $55, or the time. lol. I'll just leave it in the little snapshut brown case it is in now and pack it away back in the cupboard.

But thanks all for trying to help :)

[Donna]

Would anyone out there know how I would preserve a book? I am rather excited / in awe at the moment, because today we cleared out the garage, and I found an old, personal sized "secret chest" I used to keep all my special things in when I was little. Anywho, I opened it up and in a brown case I found a book.

The reason I ask here is because well a/ I am not really a member of any other forum. b/ You're all a pretty knowledgable bunch, and c/ It is a prayer book.

Anyways what makes me so much in awe is that it is the very first book of such that was given to my Poppy. When he was 6. It is small, "paperback" book entitled :: "A Picture Prayer Book for Children".

The cover is still completely intact, but the entire book is extremely frail. It even still has an intact ribbon and medallion (a cardinal blessing two kneeling subjects on one side, and a dove flying through rays of light with "Remembrance of Confirmation" engraved on the other) - but TBH, almost what interests me more is the original bobby pin holding the ribbon to the book is still there lol.

Anyways. Just wondering if anyone has any ideas on how to preserve such an item of my family history. As although it is a prayer book, its just so awesome in its frailty and oldness. It is dated on the inside cover:

"A Picture Prayer Book for Children"
Clifford Poole received first holy communion in St. Columbunas (? - from what I can read from the handwriting) Church on 27th October, 1946.

EDIT: Although I have said I am lazy in other posts. I do try to find out the stuff myself before asking. I have googled preserving books but it is just library websites telling me to keep it out of humidity, heat, light and movement. Common sense stuff. I was wondering if theres anything I can actually do to make it last a lot longer / be safer.

Nice find GenericBox and worth preserving.

The common sense stuff is correct and important re humidity, heat, light etc however, i don't think plastic is the right material to use. You can get special rare book archival quality boxes for storage, which are acid free and are perhaps available from your state library, or archival supply companies...worth checking.

Some places (check university libraries) will also actually re-bind the book for you and may have archival quality boxes available as well.

When handling the book you should wear those sweet white cotton gloves (its a nice look:) ) as the dirt and oil from your fingers can cause further damage to the paper.

Given that its a prayer book, it would be worth checking out bible re-binders and restorers to see what they offer for something like this, I imagine there are still a few around...now that should prove to be an exciting experience lol.

[Vonnie]

The reason I ask here is because well a/ I am not really a member of any other forum.

Why Jamie, that's a blatant, er, "falsity"! You are a member of the Brisbane Atheists meetup group! You didn't actually think that one would slip by me, did you!? (Especially as seeing it was my nagging on that forum which led you here...)

Vonnie

[boxsey]

Not sure what you can do about the actual book, but given that whatever you do, it will still deteriorate, can i suggest photographing it page by page, so at least you don't have to open it, further stressing it?

[Duffy]

Hi GB, my 2 cents, hubby was left a couple of old Middy Malone comic books (only five in the series and quite valuable) so I contacted the National Library in Canberra via email and they sent me a whole lot of great information on book preserving and even the background on the author. One fella even rang me up but unfortunately we didn't have the one missing from the collection. Anyway...they were very helpful so maybe worth a try. :)

[ozogg]

Ummm, Boxsey,

In my post # 7028,
did you "grok" sentence #8, where I said "... using a digital camera ...".

Now that word "grok" is a test if you have read Robert HEINLEN's <Stranger in a Strange Land>. As a "sacred book", it's a lot better than other creatures of that category. It's literature rating is fairly low, like most sci-fi, but it rates highly in other measures.

Yeah, OK, that prior post was wrapped in a wholelotta other geeky stuff. Even my eyes glaze-over in reading it.

I am currently using a FUJI-FILM SX5800, which is regularly offered at "sale price" by <Big-W> (or equivalent stores), for about $AUD250 (when I bought it 9 months ago). About 1/2 price, that is.

And woddya git?
Every frame is 3264 X 2448 pixels, which is far more than anyone could want for "Happy Family Pics". Or, if you are more familiar with another figure, about 8million pixels. Or 4MB for each "fine resolution" mode piccy.

Hmmm. That's looks like grunt memory is required.
Weeeel, you can also purchase, at the same vendor, a 4GBYTE SDHC card,
for about $40. Watch out for that "HC" suffix, for it means that most SD card readers (ESPECIALLY in Laptops) can't read them, for there's an extra pin or two that is being used. You just have to leave this SD card in your camera until the rest of the world catches up.

Porting is therefore necessarily via the supplied FUJI-FILM low-bandwidth cable, but it's passable. The FUJI picture managament software is awful, so use Winsplorer, or some other preferred file tool, to port directly from camera memory to hard-disk, then use a better pic-manager.

That implies 1000 fine-res pix, or 10,000 low-res pix.

I use fine-res for photographing unusual fonts in books, and lower res for seriph fonts.

So, it's "snap1' = double-page1, "snap2" = double-page2, etc.

One COULD leave this as stored in image format (.jpg, etc).
But that's bloody stupid! And consumes unnecessary disk space.

So OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software will convert this "image" into "text", being much, much smaller in size, and best of all, "EDITABLE" by you for the purposes of quoting, emailing, citing, (arguing :D) and SEARCHING for key phrases via your global search function in your database.

Now that's Nirvana-on-a-stick!
One often asks "Where's some info on XYZ?"
Yup, nearly everyone turns to that "pop-star" Google.
And WIKI does a creditable job of providing authoritative and learned sources for answers.

But if it is ONLY YOU that has that rare book, or super-expensive hi-tek book, or old 78 record, or foreign doco, or video of giant Chinese "bore tsunami's", then such a home-made search is always a bone-crusher.

Not seeking anything here, not showing off my wares. Just sharing geekdominess. And a great passion for books/media/information/knowledge/wisdom. I plan to leave it all to posterity, under a Global Commons Licence. That means EVERYONE can gain access, not just Bill Bloody GATES.

There's a few of us about, I hear :o

Chz, 'im.


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Not sure what you can do about the actual book, but given that whatever you do, it will still deteriorate, can i suggest photographing it page by page, so at least you don't have to open it, further stressing it?

[ozogg]

TIMB,

That there link you posted contains real good stuff.

Tx.

'im.

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Thanks to Prote's lead, and a hint from Wicked Vicar's Wife, we have linkiness (http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/services/conservation/guides/index.html)!