What is a book?
The objects we think of as books have been made of diverse materials throughout history. Cultures around the world have recorded information using available natural materials and technologies. Before paper, writing was chiseled on stone or clay tablets. The invention of paper in Han Dynasty China around 105 A.D. allowed writing to become portable. The Chinese developed a thin yet strong paper for writing and arranged the paper in accordion folded books, hand scrolls, or sewn bindings. As paper and bookmaking moved east to Japan, south through India, and west to the Middle East with the trade routes, new forms and structures emerged according to cultural and religious needs.
Codex, or multi-section book
The first example of the codex, or a book made of sheets gathered together like a modern book, was in the 1st century A.D. During this period in northern Africa, books were made of sheets of parchment or papyrus, and "bound" together with rings. Later books were given covers and actually sewn together. Throughout Europe, parchment was considered a superior material for writing, and monasteries produced beautiful vellum or parchment books and illustrations for religious texts. Paper wasn't made in Europe until the 12th century, eleven hundred years after its invention in China, when the first paper mills began operation in Spain and Italy. Eventually, paper gained acceptance with scribes and bookbinders and its popularity soared by the development of movable type printing in the late 15th century. These early European papers were far superior to the papers of today, because they were made from cotton rags or linen, which are pure sources of cellulose. With the advent of machine made paper in the early 19th century, and the use of ground wood pulp instead of cotton and linen by the 1850's, paper quality declined radically.
But, ground wood pulp as a papermaking material did allow paper to be made cheaply and quickly. By the mid-19th century, common people could own books, read newspapers and serialized novels and stories. Unfortunately, these "advances" in technology led to a decline in paper quality. Ground wood pulp contains a complex acid called lignin, which is essentially self-destructive, causing paper to become brown and brittle with time. It is safe to say that almost any book printed after the 1850's is made of a ground wood pulp paper, unless it was from a fine press or it specifies the paper as acid-free. (also permanent durable).
The First Step: Triage
Just like the casualties of war, books need to be sorted into categories for their preservation. Some books are more valuable than others, and "value" can be a very subjective term. In the book world, there are rare books, a designation that refers to books that are old or financially valuable, to books which are finely printed and bound, or to books which have been owned by famous people. Librarians, curators, and collectors develop categories for rare books, or special collections.
In your home, you might have books which are "special", and books which are "ordinary". In the special category might be an oversized art book, a favorite novel or book of poems, a family Bible, or a scrapbook of mementos or photographs. In addition, you might also have old yearbooks, textbooks from school or college, books of literature, books about a profession or trade. These are groups of books which are not looked at very often, but remain important reference tools. Books like paperbacks would constitute the "ordinary" category, books which might have once been enjoyed, but are easily replaced.
The first thing you need to do to take proper care of your book collection is ask a series of questions: how many books do you have? which books are most valuable? do you need to keep all the books in your collection? are there any books which could be given to schools or libraries?
Once you prioritize the items in your collection, the job of preservation is simplified. The enemies of books--insects, mold, and damage from light--do not discriminate between expensive books and cheap paperbacks. This article will outline suggested steps for preventive preservation, explaining specific ways to create a better environment for your collection.
Enemies of Books: Temperature and Humidity
Books are made of organic materials, paper and board made from pulp, cloth made from natural fibers, leathers from tanned animal skins. All organic materials begin to deteriorate in reaction to the environment. Fluctuations in temperature and humidity cause these materials to expand and contract, which in turn can cause books to warp and buckle, crack and fall apart. While temperature and humidity affect paper, cloth, and leather differently, fluctuations in temperature and humidity do even more damage on books because they are composite objects. All the parts are joined together to make an operating, three dimensional object, with folds and hinges.
Books are hygroscopic, meaning that they readily absorb and release moisture. The amount of moisture in the air can be measured as relative humidity (referring to the water vapor in the air relative to the greatest amount of water vapor the air could hold at the same temperature). Relative humidity is expressed in percentages, and in Hawai'i's humid environment, the relative humidity averages between 60% and 75%. High humidity causes mold growth, and increased insect activity. Moreover, daily and seasonal fluctuations in humidity are extremely damaging to books.
Temperature is also an important consideration. The higher the temperature, the faster the book will deteriorate, as the rate of chemical reactions is doubled with each increase in temperature of 18 degrees F. Hawai'i's temperature averages from 60 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. As a result, books and paper objects are self-destructing in the high heat, which, combined with high humidity, leaves books extremely vulnerable.
Recommendations:
The good news is that there is something you can do to slow down the deterioration. You can lower the temperature, or at least attempt to stabilize the fluctuations through air conditioning, and lower the relative humidity by using a dehumidifier. Stability is the key ingredient: libraries and museums recommend the ideal temperature of 70 degrees F and a relative humidity of 50-55% for the storage of valuable collections. These ideal conditions can be difficult to maintain throughout the house, so think micro-environments. Some people have one room which they seal off and air condition and/or de-humidify. In this room, they store all of their books, photographs, leather, and other materials that are sensitive to high humidity. You can also make airtight storage containers out of large Tupperware locking tubs, or another inert material (not wood, for reasons which will be explained under the Storage section), and line the container with silica desicant. Place the silica packets or loose silica gel in the bottom of the airtight container, then build a ragboard "shelf" to separate the items from the desicant. When the desicant has absorbed a significant amount of moisture it will change color. Then you can dry it out in your oven and reuse it. Obviously, this will not work for an entire collection of books, but will be better than nothing for your most valuable treasures. Photographs, slides, and other photographic materials are extremely sensitive to high humidity, and also respond well to controlled micro-environments.
Book Preservation
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