When a cover is detached from a book, then rebacking — remaking the spine — is done, using a range of materials.
Books were often originally bound in calfskin, goatskin, or sheepskin,
and it is desirable to repair the book using materials which match the original as closely as possible in grain and color. [1] [2] [3] [4]
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John Love. Geodaesia
[1796, 13th edition]
The client provided a potential sacrificial volume, as the book was missing the front board.
Remove back board, lift original spine with title label. title page. New Hewit's calfskin spine toned to match original, rebacked volume with new spine and alternative boards. Reinforced original spine by mounting onto Japanese tissue, attached over new spine.
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Prynne's Plea for the Lords (1658)
The sewing cords were over sewn and the spine lined with Japanese paper and cotton. A calfskin from Hewit's was toned to match the existing leather.
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To form the spine liner for the book, the volume was wrapped in cling film and placed in a finishing press, where a paper mache hollow was made using Japanese paper. The leather was worked into place, by lining the spine liner up with the raised cords, and then smoothing the leather onto the boards. The turn-ins were then formed, and the headcaps. The original label was incorporated onto the new spine.
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John Holwell: Practical Surveyor [London, 1678]
This volume had been repaired many times in the past; the 'before' photo shows evidence of a previous repair piece of leather. There was no evidence that the original binding had a leather spine label. Rather, the title was inscripted in ink along the head of the textblock. Page mend title page. Reback volume using dyed Hewit's calfskin, mount original spine, remove old repairs and consolidate leather using Klucel-G.
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Lebourn's Surveying (1652)
Lift fabric hinge repair at front of book. Remove and wash first three and last two pages. Page mend first three pages using toned Japanese tissue and wheat starch paste.
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Lift original spine from book, mount on Japanese paper. Clean spine of book and line with Japanese paper.
Lift leather along board edges of cover; reback book using dyed Hewit's calfskin. Remount original spine.
Reinforce inner joints with Japanese tissue.
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