Derry & Raphoe Diocesan Library Workplacement: 2010

Primasii is a medium sized full leather tightback binding with laced on boards. On receipt the leather was no longer attached to the spine or the boards, with the turnins acting as the only point of attachment. In addition the leather was brittle and shrunk causing it to no longer fit properly around the textblock. To resolve this the case was cut into three pieces and given two Japanese paper repairs at the joint to fit around the textblock again. The boards had also become delaminated and were pasted back together. The sewing was holding strong, however the tanned leather supports had become brittle and broken throughout. To solve this problem the original supports were removed leaving the sewing intact. New supports were then threaded through the sewing and used to lace the boards back on the textblock.

Front board before conservation.

Front cover after leather was reattached to boards and joint repaired with tinted Japanese tissue.

Back cover before conservation.

Back cover after leather was reattached to boards and joint repaired with tinted Japanese tissue.

Front board and title page before conservation.

Front cover with new endpaper and linen flange to protect board and vellum.

Back board and endpaper before conservation.

View of back cover with new linen lacing and linen flange to protect vellum endpaper and inside of board.

Head before conservation.

View of head after original headband was tacked back into place using a back bead sewn with tinted linen threads.

Tail before conservation.

View of tail after original headband was tacked back into place using a back bead sewn with tinted linen threads.

Spine before conservation.

Spine after conservation treatment. The case was cut into 3 pieces to fit around the textblock, this was due to the case shrinking while detached. Two strips of tinted Japanese paper were used to reattach the three pieces together with the original leather turn-ins wrapping around the repair pieces.

Derry & Raphoe Diocesan Library Work: Book 2

Dictyus Cretensis is a small limp vellum binding that is part of the Derry and Raphoe Diocesan Library in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. No date was found on the book as the title page was missing a large portion. The vellum slips were broken with the case and textblock completely separated. In addition exposure to dry conditions caused the case to shrink and crack at the spine in several places. At some point the book was exposed to a spill of some kind as well as a large amount of dirt.

Front cover before conservation.

Front cover after cleaning.

Back cover before conservation.

Back cover after cleaning.

Inside of front cover and title page before conservation.

Title page conserved with spider tissue and laid paper fills.

Back side of title page repairs.

Back cover and last page before conservation.

Last page after dry cleaning and paper repair.

View of cracked spine before conservation.

Spine repaired with Japanese paper lined gold beater's skin and attached with fish gelatin.