Conservation of Books and Library Materials
Condition and Treatment Report
TITLE
The Racing Calendar for the Year 1825
JOB NUMBER
0391
Edward and James Weatherby, London, 1826, printed by C. H. Reynell 45
Broad-street, Golden-square, and sold at the publisher’s office No. 7 Oxenden Street.
PUBLICATION
OWNER
Goodwood House, James Peill
PROVENANCE
Acquired by the fifth Duke of Richmond
CONSERVATOR
Avery Bazemore
SHELFMARK
DATE
R X1
08/05/2015
JOB NO. 446 PAGE 2 OF 7
TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION
Dimensions
Type of Binding
Board &
Covering
Materials
Endpapers
Gatherings
Image & Media
Width: 112mm
Height: 174mm
Depth: 40mm
Full leather tightback
Medium brown calf over millboard with red and black skiver labels
bearing title and year on second and third panels of spine. Gold tooling
on spine, spine labels, and board edges. Slightly rounded. Red and white
cloth endbands.
Single bifolium thick cream-colored wove paper tipped onto textblock.
Medium-weight off-white wove paper with fibrous inclusions. 51
signatures of 3 bifolia: unlabelled, a–d, A–Z, 2A–2Z (-2Z5,-2Z6). Sewn
three-up over four sawn-in cords, outer two laced into boards, other
two cut flush. All edges colored green.
Letterpress printed with inscription and annotations in pencil, ink “R”
in upper left corner of left pastedown, yellow sticker printed “Y1”
crossed out in pencil.
DETAILED CONDITION
Binding
Both boards are detached. The flyleaves and pages tipped to them remain with both boards.
There are losses to the leather at the head and tail of the spine, missing 50% of the headcap
and 100% of the tailcap, with discoloration, cracks, and smaller losses along spine. The labels
are lifting along the cracks. All corners are bumped. The boards are scratched, with losses to
the grain layer near the tail of the right board, and a dark gouge near the center of the left
board. The cord and leather at the lacing-in point at the tail are lifted on the left board, and
the leather is lost on the right board. There is discoloration and grey and white accretions
around both pastedowns.
Text Block
The edges are discolored by dirt, with areas of staining and dark accretion. The endpapers
and first and last sections are burned by the leather of the turn-ins, with additional yellow
staining near the foredge. There is dark staining and accretion from adhesive near the spine
edge at the head and tail.
Before treatment:
JOB NO. 446 PAGE 3 OF 7
Left board,
spine, and
tail
Right
board,
foredge,
and tail
JOB NO. 446 PAGE 4 OF 7
Left
pastedown
and flyleaf
Spine
JOB NO. 446 PAGE 5 OF 7
Preferentia
l opening
CONTEXT
Housed in private office, infrequently used. Part of a set, with repaired members rebacked in
leather.
TREATMENT GOAL
Presentable on a shelf.
PROPOSED TREATMENT
Surface clean with goat hair brush
Hinge flyleaves to textblock with 15gsm Japanese paper
Lift spine leather
Poultice spine linings with methyl cellulose
Consolidate corner and cover with toned tissue
Slit boards
Reattach boards with cloth hinge
Dye and pare new leather
Leather reback
Readhere lifted leather
Tone and apply tissue
JOB NO. 446 PAGE 6 OF 7
24 hours
Surface cleaning
1 hour
Hinging leaves
1 hour
Lifting leather
3 hours
Poultice spine linings 1 hour
Toning tissue
2 hours
Corner repair
3 hours
Slitting boards
1 hour
Reattach boards
1 hour
Dyeing and paring
5 hours
Reback
3 hours
Readhering leather
2 hours
Applying tissue
1 hour
ESTIMATED TIME
TREATMENT CARRIED OUT AND EVALUATION
Surface cleaned with goat hair brush to sweep gutters.
Unfolded flyleaves and hinged to textblock with 15gsm tissue.
Faced spine leather with lens tissue and Klucel® G and lifted with scalpel and lifting knife.
Faced spine edge of boards with lens tissue and Klucel G and lifted with lifting knife.
Poulticed spine linings with hydroxypropyl cellulose (4% w/v).
Consolidated corner with wheat starch paste and covered with 40gsm tissue toned with
acrylics
Slit boards with scalpel
Adhered 15gsm tissue release layer and extended light cotton spine lining with wheat starch
paste
Dyed repair calf with Selladerm and pared with modified spokeshave and paring knives
Rebacked in calf with wheat starch paste
Readhered lifted leather with Lascaux
Removed facing with isopropanol
Cut lifted leather and removed with spatula because it had blackened
Toned 15gsm tissue and put down along hinge with Lascaux for minimum exposure to
water
Put 15gsm tissue down inner joint with wheat starch paste
HANDLING NOTES
MATERIALS & SUPPLIERS
15gsm natural kozo from Paper Nao via Conservation by Design
Klucel® G from Conservation by Design
Jin Shofu wheat starch paste from Preservation Equipment Ltd
40gsm natural kozo from Paper Nao via Conservation by Design
Akadamie Acryl paints from H. Schmincke & Co
Aerocotton from GMW Gabi Kleindorfer
Repair calf from J. Hewit & Sons Ltd
JOB NO. 446 PAGE 7 OF 7
Selladerm® leather dye from the Leather Conservation Centre
Lascaux™ 498HV from Lascaux Colours & Restauro