A special bible

Another family bible. This one is special; it belongs to my little brother. I was keen to get it ready for delivering in person when I visited recently. It's text block was in good shape - just the brass furniture on the outside coming loose, and the brackets  bent out of shape (happens a lot), …

Baby Steps: Preservation archiving – Clean, Colsolidate and Box

There are some books for which the 'full monty' of repair is either not required, not recommended, or not affordable.  The Preservation archiving process 'CCB' (my bindery shorthand) option is very useful in these situations. For example, this book is made of precarious materials. For this book, the more you touch it, even to repair, …

CLEAN RECOVERY – STAGE 1 FOR A LOVELY BIG BOOK

A wonderful and dedicated volunteer brought this springback cemetery register to me - a local document that means a lot to his community."This book is important to us. No-one meant to treat it badly - we are all volunteers who care about history and books, but it hasn't been stored well, and now it seems to …

Still cooking; still the Australian Way

Another day, another lovingly demolished edition of the all-time Australian classic,'Cookery the Australian Way'. This one was a childhood cooking companion, and came to me in several pieces, with a heartfelt plea for binding mercy. That is to say that pieces which should have been stuck together were not, and many which should have been …

Back into the kitchen you go!

This book is an Australian school classic and since it first graced Home Economics classes in 1966, has been used, loved, and kept long after the school years in kitchens across the country.  I have Edition 3 and 7, and the latest edition, number 8 is on its way in the post as we speak.   …