B o o k - C a r e Conservation, Bookbinding, Enclosures
B o o k - C a r e Conservation, Bookbinding, Enclosures
Hello and welcome!
My services include high quality book conservation, hand bookbinding and custom made protective enclosures, and will do all I can to meet your expectations.
Before you read further:
Due to the number of commitments made to my existing clients, I cannot take on additional projects until March of 2023. I'm glad to respond to inquiries and will respond to your email as soon as I can. (See below.) Your patience is appreciated. Thank you.
As I was saying. . .
A high percentage of my business is from repeat customers and referrals and I would welcome the opportunity to earn your trust.
All projects are documented, in writing, with condition statements, treatment recommendations, and treatment reports for conservation and repair work after consultation with the client. Photographic documentation is available upon request. "Before" and "After" treatment examples can be viewed by clicking the designated page in the column to the left.
Condition statements and treatments reports are also provided for those needing to make property claims with insurance companies following a fire, flood or other disaster that has damaged one book or an entire library collection.
Commissioned design projects begin with a consultation and clearly written specifications, and a summary of the work that was done. For examples of some of my design work, please see the page "Designed Bindings for Sale."
Examples of conservation treatments:
Post-binding with chemically inert polyester film sleeves.
Three large post-bindings now contain the leaves of an early 20th century ledger book used by a county government office. Each leaf of the ledger is now in a chemically inert polyester film sleeve. The ledger had been disbound previously to facilitate its digitization, but the original text and photographs continue to serve a role.
BEFORE TREATMENT:
Water-damaged pamphlet, ca. 1898, with rusty staples.
AFTER TREATMENT:
Rusty staples removed, pamphlet surface cleaned, washed and aqueously deacidified, then sewn with linen thread.
BEFORE TREATMENT:
A full leather Riviere binding (c.1890s) with a detached upper cover.
AFTER TREATMENT:
Cover reattached using toned long-fiber tissue on exterior joint and interior hinge.
BEFORE TREATMENT:
Works of Shakespeare, 1901, Vols. I-VI. Original leather spines and paper spine linings have deteriorated.
BEFORE TREATMENT:
Works of Shakespeare, 1901, Vols. VII-XIII. Original leather spines and paper spine linings have deteriorated.
AFTER TREATMENT:
Works of Shakespeare, 1901. Vols. I-VI.
Spines relined with tightly woven cotton textile and alkaline stock, then rebacked with black bookcloth & paper spine labels..
AFTER TREATMENT:
Works of Shakespeare, 1901. Vols.VII-XIII.
Leather spine fragments removed and used to recreate title information and original decorative pattern for all vols.
BEFORE TREATMENT:
A 1796 imprint was received with a recent paper cover adhered onto the outer leaves and spine of the text.
AFTER TREATMENT:
A half leather binding with the spine titled in an appropriate late 18th century style was constructed. Handmade alkaline endpapers, selected to be sympathetic to the paper used in the 18th century publication, where sewn on to hinges extending from the spine lining making it unnecessary to adhere them to the title page or last leaf.
BEFORE TREATMENT:
(Same 1796 pamphlet): The leaves had been glued together along their inner margins creating a rigid structure vulnerable to breaking along the edges of the adhesive, and also obscuring some text.
AFTER TREATMENT:
Previous to rebinding, the modern paper cover and its remnants were carefully removed, and the leaves of the text were carefully detached from each other. They were then repaired where necessary with long-fiber tissue and wheat starch paste, then hand sewn through the folds with linen thread allowing for flexibility and a full view of the text.
How to Proceed:
Before bringing or sending any books for repair, please contact me by telephone or email so we can have a preliminary discussion about the condition(s) of your book(s), what would likely be involved in repairing them and an approximate cost.
If you need the work completed by a certain date, please let me know so that I can tell you right away if I can accommodate your time frame.
Following those steps, if you would like me to have look at the book(s) in person, so that I can provide written condition statements, treatment recommendations, and cost estimates, please schedule a time to bring them to my location, or arrange to send them.
Mailing address:
Nancy Nitzberg / Book-Care
19 Jenkins Avenue
Lansdale, PA 19446
Premises has 24-hour security.
Hours: By appointment only, please.
Thank you for your interest!
Nancy H. Nitzberg, Book Conservator and Owner
Due to excessive robo and marketing calls, I rarely answer my work phone. Please send an email or a letter.