The Care of Books by Vera Mueller

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Mar 4, 1909

The Care of Books

By Vera Mueller

HAVING had opportunity during the past few months to learn something of the care of books, it occurred to me that what I had learned might prove beneficial to others, especially to the church-school teacher. So much depends upon the manner in which a book is used, that it would seem advisable for even small children to know something of the care of these, our precious friends.

When first opening a new book, the pages should be carefully separated, never turning the covers back, as this injures the binding. Books are so cheap nowadays that not even the higher-priced ones are well-bound. Children's books will wear much better and soil less easily if covered with one or two coats of shellac. Unless very fortunate in mixing the shellac, it is better to buy that already prepared. Do you wish to have the books labeled? With a clean cloth apply ammonia to a place just the size of the label, and allow it to dry. This removes the dressing, and helps the label to stick. Now paste on the label, and rub until dry. Then write the book number with India ink, and cover with shellac. Thus treated, the label will endure considerable wear. Unless a book is strengthened (and I believe most school-books are), paste a strip of cloth, an inch wide and as long as the book, at both the front and the back of the book, letting it lap an equal distance on both cover and fly-leaf.

When pages come out, they may be tipped in. On one side of the inner edge of the loose page put a little paste. Take a strip of gummed paper, fold lengthwise, and paste against the loose page and the page opposite. Frequently we see a book with the covers off, or nearly off. If they are only hanging on, tear them off. Now hold the book without the covers firmly in one hand, and paste a piece of white cambric over the back, which it should exactly fit. Cut a much wider piece, and paste the edge on the back of the book over onto the fly-leaf, then across and back on the cover, which must be held tightly against the book. After doing this at the front and the back, you have a book with a good cover. Torn pages may be mended with oiled or invisible paper. The paper should be cut according to the shape and size of the tear. A piece on either side makes it less liable to further tearing.

Children soil their books in a short time unless the books have an extra cloth or paper cover. I suppose none of us like to handle these sticky germ-breeders. To clean the covers, rub with a cloth saturated with ammonia; to clean the pages, rub them with finest powdered pumice. Some may very effectually be cleaned with a paste solution, but this is tedious and slow work. It can not be done on all kinds of paper.

It might be well to add that, when using paste, a small quantity should be put into a saucer, and stirred until thin. This makes it smooth, and easy to work with. VERA MUELLER.