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How to Preserve Hardback Books

Read more articles on Book Collecting.

August 6, 2006

Posted by Robin Shreeves

About This Editor: Robin Shreeves is a freelance writer who has been published both in print and online. She holds a Bachelor's of Science in Bible as well as a K-12 English teaching certification. Her hobbies include book collecting, reading, photography, wine, and traveling. She and her husband have two wonderful sons whom she is home with full time.

         

Book appraisers see it all the time – someone shows them a book thinking it will be valuable, but it isn’t. Sometimes the book simply isn’t an important book. But sometimes, the only thing keeping the book from being valuable is its condition. It wasn’t preserved well. If you want to preserve your books, whether it’s for monetary or aesthetic reasons, here are some steps you can take.

Keep Them Free From Writing and Marks

Do not write in your books or on the dust jacket. If a book is one you want to preserve, writing in it will take away from its value. Owners’ names written on the inside cover or notes jotted in the margin are considered undesirable. Also, any ink used to write with may cause damage to the paper over time. An exception to this rule would be if you are having the author sign the book. A signature could increase a book’s value.

Keep Them Free From Rips and Tears

Rips and tears, whether on the cover, spine or inside pages are considered damage. Be careful not to allow this to happen. If a rip or tear does occur, do not fix it with tape. Tape will cause more damage over time as it yellows the page. Take special care as you remove books from a shelf and replace them. Also, do not fold pages down in place of a bookmark as you are reading.

Keep the Dust Jackets in Good Condition

Dust jackets were originally intended to be thrown away. Their purpose was to protect the book while in shipment or on the seller’s shelf. But somewhere along the line, dust jackets became an important part of a book. Collectors will pay many times more for a book with its dust jacket in good condition than one with a damaged dust jacket or none at all.

Keep the dust jacket free of rips, tears, folds and stickers. If you buy a book with a price sticker on it, carefully remove it as soon as possible. Do not cut the price off of the inside flap of the jacket. This practice, known as price clipping, is often done to books that are given as gifts. Even this small damage to the dust jacket can decrease a book’s value.

Protective Mylar covers can be bought to cover your dust jackets. These inexpensive, clear plastic sheets are easy to wrap around your dust jackets, and they offer a lot of protection from potential damage.

Keep Them Out of Temperature Fluctuations, Humidity and Sun

Keep your books in an environment with an even-temperature. Being stored where the temperature varies greatly can cause the pages of a book to swell and then contract, leaving them damaged. Storing books in humid conditions can warp the pages and the binding. Because of these factors it is best not to store your books in a basement, attic or garage.

Also, keep your books out of direct sunlight. Books that receive sunlight through a nearby window can begin to fade. It is quite common to see a book or its dust jacket in really good condition with the exception of fading on its spine. This usually occurs when the book has been on a shelf that has been exposed to sunlight. The spine fades while the rest of the book that was not exposed to the sunlight stays bright.

It is best to store your books in an upright position on a shelf. The books should not be shoved in tightly, but they should be snug enough as to not lean. There should also be a way for air to circulate around the books.

Keep Them to Yourself

Do not lend your books out if you wish to preserve them. This may seem selfish, but a lot of damage could be done by someone who doesn’t mean to. If your goal is to preserve the book, then you need to say no.

If there is a book that you absolutely love and you want to share the story with others, purchase another copy, preferably an inexpensive paperback, and use that as your lending copy.

Preserving a book will not guarantee it will be very valuable in the future. There are many other factors that go into value besides a book’s condition. But, if you enjoy books and want to keep them in good condition, then following these steps will help you do so. And, you never know, one of the books your preserve now may end up being worth money down the line.

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