What Is The Best Way To Take Care Of Old Books?

If you have old books that belonged to a relative or that you have bought, you need to store them well away from damp and cold in order to keep them in the condition that they are now. Damp causes rapid deterioration and spotting on the pages.

Books come with all sorts of covers – leather, parchment, cloth, paper and wood and many old books are not strong because the adhesive has degenerated. In Victorian times, mass production produced books made from poor quality materials, so these are particularly fragile now.

Dust books often with a clean soft bristle brush, working away from the spine. Clean pages the same way that you would documents, taking care not to put pressure on the spine. Keep them on shelves with a bit of space around each book to let air circulate. This helps to keep down moulds.

Keep all books away from strong light as this can cause fading of the cover and the pages.