What do you think?
Rate this book
The Care and Feeding of Books Old and New: A Simple Repair Manual for Book Lovers
A Book Lover's Rescue Guide!
Now you can conserve the books you cherish--simply and inexpensively. Relying on easy methods and ordinary products found around the home, this book tells you all about:
Dealing with Dirt, Fire, Climate, Insects, Mold, and other "Enemies of Books"
Cleaning Books
Using a "Stinky Book Box" to Deodorize a Book
Rescuing a Book That Gets Wet
Repairing Books, including Dust Jackets, Bindings, and Pages
Working with Bookbinders
Housing and Handling Books
Using Bookshelves and Bookends
Storing Books Long term
Packing and Shipping Books
Book Borrowing, Lending, and Collecting
You'll also find a shelf's worth of special features, including a book lover's glossary and lists of suppliers, Internet sites, suggested reading, and schools where you can study the book arts.
Now you can conserve the books you cherish--simply and inexpensively. Relying on easy methods and ordinary products found around the home, this book tells you all about:
Dealing with Dirt, Fire, Climate, Insects, Mold, and other "Enemies of Books"
Cleaning Books
Using a "Stinky Book Box" to Deodorize a Book
Rescuing a Book That Gets Wet
Repairing Books, including Dust Jackets, Bindings, and Pages
Working with Bookbinders
Housing and Handling Books
Using Bookshelves and Bookends
Storing Books Long term
Packing and Shipping Books
Book Borrowing, Lending, and Collecting
You'll also find a shelf's worth of special features, including a book lover's glossary and lists of suppliers, Internet sites, suggested reading, and schools where you can study the book arts.
190 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
2 people are currently reading
166 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
October 25, 2017
Didn't find this particularly helpful. Could have used instructions with pictures or illustration instead of cute little dog stories. And since I'm reading it mostly for library repair information, ending it on complaining about how libraries treat books and don't train patrons how to take care of books and mocking budget issues really isn't selling your case. Good for someone with a high end personal collection and the money to buy specialized materials.
(PS-I'm from a family of readers and if I made a decorated smelly book box or book dummy for gifts I'd probably be drawn and quartered. Seriously?!)
(PS-I'm from a family of readers and if I made a decorated smelly book box or book dummy for gifts I'd probably be drawn and quartered. Seriously?!)
January 29, 2016
An indispensable reference that is hurt a little bit by the lack of illustrations or concrete recommendations for brand-name products or resellers.
I recommend buying an ebook of this to have the information handy for reference or search -- with the lack of pictures, there is no need for a hard copy. Unfortunately, an ebook addition does not appear to be available for sale.
I recommend buying an ebook of this to have the information handy for reference or search -- with the lack of pictures, there is no need for a hard copy. Unfortunately, an ebook addition does not appear to be available for sale.
September 28, 2023
This book serves one function in that it shows the need for a major attitude change from some antiquarian booksellers. Pretentiousness and gatekeeping are a surefire way to alienate anyone you may want to "teach".
I may celebrate my differing views by tearing this book apart and making a nice book craft out of it.
I may celebrate my differing views by tearing this book apart and making a nice book craft out of it.
May 24, 2008
Have purchased old (and damaged) books through the years and wanted to know what -- if anything -- could be done to restore them. I've also (horrors!) damaged my own books. Got this to refer to for all book care/restoration/maintenance questions. Really like it!
July 14, 2021
This book, as its title suggests, is directed to the average book lover who wants to be able to care for their books and execute very basic repairs to them. As a bookbinder, I didn't agree with every one of their suggestions for repair, especially having seen the damage that misguided amateur repair attempts can wreak on books, but I do appreciate that they are careful to stress that amateur repair should only be attempted judiciously - typically on books that are not rare or particularly valuable but need to be functional and look good. Meanwhile, their suggestions on cleaning and care of everyday books are also a nice reminder that garden-variety books need care, not just rare ones.
Because of my particular background I didn't gain a large amount of information from the book that I didn't already know or that wasn't already intuitive, but I think the average bibliophile reader would. And the book is surprisingly entertaining to read! The dog-related anecdotes, metaphors, and comparisons are both amusing and endearing. The authors have a great sense of humor, and it makes what could have been a boring informational book into an enjoyable, fluid read.
While their advice for basic book treatment is nice, I have to note that their expectations are a bit unrealistic. Most average book aficionados will not be interested in rotating and cleaning their shelves every month, creating "book dummies" for when books are removed from the shelf, controlling their house's temperature for the sake of the books, or putting much effort into repair. When they suggested giving objects like book dummies or book weights as gifts, I wondered if they were joking. These are simply not common concerns. Margot and Bern also seem to be scandalized at library employees' view that the borrowing public doesn't care about book care, as well as the common library policy of throwing out and replacing books instead of repairing them when they are damaged. I had to laugh. Needless to say, I'm with the library folks! There are certainly library books whose value or status mean they warrant repair rather than replacement when damaged, but for a large portion of them, it just makes more sense to replace them. And it is undeniably naive to think that the borrowing public at large gives a whit about caring for library books. Have you SEEN what people do to them? The idea of starting a "cleaning and repair squad" for the library in order to "improve the lives of circulating books" is a cute one, but ultimately a losing battle. By all means, do what you can to help, but it must be accepted that to sustain dirt and damage until the point of no return is the inevitable lot in life of most circulating books. (Unless, of course, the circulating book is taken out of circulation early due to a lack of popularity or space, which seems to be what happened to my copy of this book.)
I think Margot and Bern's idealism, while endearing, caused them to direct this book at an audience (the average book lover) with which it would never really catch on. This book never really gained popularity outside of the niche of booksellers and aspiring bookbinders. The fact is that the vast majority of the reading public cares very little about the minutiae of book care. Margot and Bern admit themselves that even most publishers and booksellers don't follow their advice! Most people aren't interested in putting work into book maintenance, they just want to have books on a shelf that they can read whenever they like. And those who ARE interested in book maintenance are liable to want more details and advanced techniques than this book provides.
All the same, it's a nice book, even if its philosophy will never catch on with the general public. For the small subset of people who are interested and can learn from it, it's an interesting and entertaining read.
Because of my particular background I didn't gain a large amount of information from the book that I didn't already know or that wasn't already intuitive, but I think the average bibliophile reader would. And the book is surprisingly entertaining to read! The dog-related anecdotes, metaphors, and comparisons are both amusing and endearing. The authors have a great sense of humor, and it makes what could have been a boring informational book into an enjoyable, fluid read.
While their advice for basic book treatment is nice, I have to note that their expectations are a bit unrealistic. Most average book aficionados will not be interested in rotating and cleaning their shelves every month, creating "book dummies" for when books are removed from the shelf, controlling their house's temperature for the sake of the books, or putting much effort into repair. When they suggested giving objects like book dummies or book weights as gifts, I wondered if they were joking. These are simply not common concerns. Margot and Bern also seem to be scandalized at library employees' view that the borrowing public doesn't care about book care, as well as the common library policy of throwing out and replacing books instead of repairing them when they are damaged. I had to laugh. Needless to say, I'm with the library folks! There are certainly library books whose value or status mean they warrant repair rather than replacement when damaged, but for a large portion of them, it just makes more sense to replace them. And it is undeniably naive to think that the borrowing public at large gives a whit about caring for library books. Have you SEEN what people do to them? The idea of starting a "cleaning and repair squad" for the library in order to "improve the lives of circulating books" is a cute one, but ultimately a losing battle. By all means, do what you can to help, but it must be accepted that to sustain dirt and damage until the point of no return is the inevitable lot in life of most circulating books. (Unless, of course, the circulating book is taken out of circulation early due to a lack of popularity or space, which seems to be what happened to my copy of this book.)
I think Margot and Bern's idealism, while endearing, caused them to direct this book at an audience (the average book lover) with which it would never really catch on. This book never really gained popularity outside of the niche of booksellers and aspiring bookbinders. The fact is that the vast majority of the reading public cares very little about the minutiae of book care. Margot and Bern admit themselves that even most publishers and booksellers don't follow their advice! Most people aren't interested in putting work into book maintenance, they just want to have books on a shelf that they can read whenever they like. And those who ARE interested in book maintenance are liable to want more details and advanced techniques than this book provides.
All the same, it's a nice book, even if its philosophy will never catch on with the general public. For the small subset of people who are interested and can learn from it, it's an interesting and entertaining read.
August 4, 2023
3.4
If I had read this 15 or 20 years ago, I probably would have given it 4 stars. Since I didn't read it until 2023, it doesn't rate that highly, partly because I've already figured out how to take care of most of the problems that are mentioned, and many of the references at the end are out-dated. And, of course, the internet can now be used to find answers to most of the problems addressed herein.
Lingering question: Is Elmer's glue really safe to use to repair books and/or other paper items? On a vintage box that needed considerable help, I used Elmer's glue but it made the paper 'brittle.' Consequently, I no longer use it on anything I value, but the authors seem to think it's a useful part of the 'tool kit.'
I wish I could visit the places described at the end of the book, 'A Bibliomaniac's Manhattan Mile.'
Interesting tidbit found on p 4:
Petrolatum (petroleum jelly, such as vaseline) is valuable in cleaning. A dab of this neutral unctuous substance on a soft cloth can work wonders against certain kinds of dirt on dust jackets and on some kinds of book casings. As a rule, the use of petrolatum is a first step in cleaning, followed by rubbing alcohol. Essentially odorless, petrolatum has the advantage of not adding to a book's smell quotient.
If I had read this 15 or 20 years ago, I probably would have given it 4 stars. Since I didn't read it until 2023, it doesn't rate that highly, partly because I've already figured out how to take care of most of the problems that are mentioned, and many of the references at the end are out-dated. And, of course, the internet can now be used to find answers to most of the problems addressed herein.
Lingering question: Is Elmer's glue really safe to use to repair books and/or other paper items? On a vintage box that needed considerable help, I used Elmer's glue but it made the paper 'brittle.' Consequently, I no longer use it on anything I value, but the authors seem to think it's a useful part of the 'tool kit.'
I wish I could visit the places described at the end of the book, 'A Bibliomaniac's Manhattan Mile.'
Interesting tidbit found on p 4:
Petrolatum (petroleum jelly, such as vaseline) is valuable in cleaning. A dab of this neutral unctuous substance on a soft cloth can work wonders against certain kinds of dirt on dust jackets and on some kinds of book casings. As a rule, the use of petrolatum is a first step in cleaning, followed by rubbing alcohol. Essentially odorless, petrolatum has the advantage of not adding to a book's smell quotient.
May 8, 2024
This is definitely geared towards the private collector/for-profit places: libraries can't afford to take things to a private bookbinder, or anything else expensive like that. We need to do quick structural repairs that sometimes don't look pretty.
Some advice is ok, some of it is down right bad: don't use a flour paste to repair books. To get rid of odors, use baking soda in the boxes you'd put in the fridge, not anything with a heavy perfume. Keep pets away from books. If you notice a damaged or stained book, let the librarian know DO NOT REPAIR IT YOURSELF.
March 14, 2020
It has very little actual helpful information for me, since I already know quite a bit about book repair. They also spent like seven pages pretty much just talking shit about libraries, also mentioning that if you notice something wrong with a library book then to try to do it yourself and that is absolutely incorrect. Even for libraries that do not repair books, and just replace them, these issues should be brought to the attention of the library and not just dealt with yourself.
October 22, 2017
This book is a good reference for amateurs that need instruction in very basic care/repair of books. Its biggest flaw is that it doesn't have photos or illustrations, especially needed when giving instructions on repair work. Very basic but also a quick, and sometimes humorous read (the authors owned a dog-themed bookstore and relate tales of their dogs when apt).
April 21, 2021
Definitely shows its age, but has some useful information on repairs for books. I like where the public should be made aware of the care and repair of circulation books.
January 9, 2024
A bit on the general side versus specialized towards rare books.
December 29, 2024
This made book repair really accessible and gave me ideas about programs at my library.
December 18, 2025
One LESS on the paperback TBR shelf.📚
June 17, 2013
Die beiden Verfasser waren Inhaber einer Spezialbuchhandlung für Hunde-Liebhaber in Manhattan, dem "Dog Lover's Bookshop". Sie stellten fest, dass zwischen einem Hund und einem Buch rein sprachlich wenig Unterscheide beständen: beide hätten Kopf, Schwanz und Rücken. Als Rosenberg und Marcowitz auch mit antiquarischen Büchern handelten, entdeckten sie, dass viele gebrauchte Bücher reparaturbedürftig waren. Sie experimentierten zunächst mit einfachen Mitteln wie Reinigungsalkohol, Radiergummi und feinem Sandpapier. Schon bald artete ihr Drang zur Buchpflege in Besessenheit aus und sie recherchierten nach professionellen Methoden und Materialien. Sie trafen einen professionellen Buchbinder und wurden zum Nachdenken über das Schicksal von Büchereibüchern angeregt.
Während ihrer humorvollen Betrachtung kommen die Autoren immer wieder auf die Bedeutung eines Hundes für den Buchbesitzer zurück. Ihr Versuch, Schäden an Büchern verbal und ganz ohne Abbildungen zu beschreiben, wirkt sehr umständlich. Bei einigen der vorgeschlagenen Materialien (Klebstoffe, Klebebänder und Korrekturflüssigkeit) kann man als Buchliebhaber nur froh sein, dass sie außerhalb der USA nicht erhältlich sind. Das empfohlene Reinigungskissen, dass Stoffe absondert, die man nicht einatmen darf, sollte man von Büchern besser ganz fernhalten. Zum Thema Geruchsentfernung haben die beiden Buchliebhaber bisher nur das ordinäre Raumdeo entdeckt, das sie zusammen mit stinkenden Büchern in einen Karton geben. Einzig die Methode der Autoren, Risse in Buchseiten zu kleben, finde ich brauchbar. Ihre Ausführungen über Feinde des Buches namens Schmutz, Feuer, Wasser, Maus oder Insekt sind sehr amüsant zu lesen.
Wenn man keine neuen Methoden zur Buchpflege und -reparatur von diesem Buch erwartet, bietet "The Care and Feeding of Books Old and New" launige, nicht ganz ernst zu nehmende Betrachtungen, was stark strapazierten (alten) Büchern Gutes getan werden kann.
Während ihrer humorvollen Betrachtung kommen die Autoren immer wieder auf die Bedeutung eines Hundes für den Buchbesitzer zurück. Ihr Versuch, Schäden an Büchern verbal und ganz ohne Abbildungen zu beschreiben, wirkt sehr umständlich. Bei einigen der vorgeschlagenen Materialien (Klebstoffe, Klebebänder und Korrekturflüssigkeit) kann man als Buchliebhaber nur froh sein, dass sie außerhalb der USA nicht erhältlich sind. Das empfohlene Reinigungskissen, dass Stoffe absondert, die man nicht einatmen darf, sollte man von Büchern besser ganz fernhalten. Zum Thema Geruchsentfernung haben die beiden Buchliebhaber bisher nur das ordinäre Raumdeo entdeckt, das sie zusammen mit stinkenden Büchern in einen Karton geben. Einzig die Methode der Autoren, Risse in Buchseiten zu kleben, finde ich brauchbar. Ihre Ausführungen über Feinde des Buches namens Schmutz, Feuer, Wasser, Maus oder Insekt sind sehr amüsant zu lesen.
Wenn man keine neuen Methoden zur Buchpflege und -reparatur von diesem Buch erwartet, bietet "The Care and Feeding of Books Old and New" launige, nicht ganz ernst zu nehmende Betrachtungen, was stark strapazierten (alten) Büchern Gutes getan werden kann.
December 20, 2008
Lots of practical basics for improving and maintaining the 'health' of vintage books. Use of household or easy-to-acquire materials makes it more practical; charming and funny writing makes an enjoyable read.
December 27, 2009
A very humorous overview.
October 2, 2012
Great guide to mending books that you can use at home or professionally.
May 4, 2013
Absolutely marvelous and informative manual for simple repair of books, something every bibliophile should know. Highly useful to keep your antique books from further deterioration as well!
December 29, 2013
Informative, despite the cutesy dog stories.
March 30, 2017
A bit silly, but full of useful cleaning and repair tips for the average book owner. Also has a great section at the back with a glossary and references to other reading material and sellers of basic book maintenance supplies. If you don't like dogs, you won't appreciate the cutesy humour at all.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews