Much of the value of a modern first edition resides in the book jacket. In addition to its promotional role, the dust jacket protects the book covers from damage. Put a piece down the side of the cover onto the book, and then place a piece of tape diagonally over the corners of the dust jacket, folding the end of the tape over onto the book itself and not the dust jacket. Contact the studio for a quote for your own special volume. I dont remove it when i read the book, but i only buy specific books that have dust jackets and if it doesnt come with one, first priority is getting it into a brodart or gaylord protector. Simple dust jacket cleaning, such as the gentle wiping with a soft cloth that can be done with the jacket in place around its book, is just the start. Kim and i have been restoring books and dustjackets professionally since 1998. Day of the triffids dust jacket in need of restoration.
Ability to buy only the dust jacket replacement cover. First of all, do not use scotch tape to repair the dj. In addition to providing protection to the cover of your book, our dust jackets include two 3. The bad news is that you cant buy replacement dust jackets for books. The archives and rare books library at the university of cincinnati believes the standards used today are more or less the same as the standards literary historian and bibliophile johann vogt recorded over 250 years ago.
What do you do with the dust jacket from a hardcover book. Collection of book jackets nypl digital collections. Never, ever, ever send any book with a visibly poor dust jacket into fba. As always, remove the dust jacket from its mylar sleeve i. Simple techniques for the maintenance and repair of books. This easytofit adjustable sleeving is available in four widths to cover all books up to 380mm 15 inches. You should be able to buy plastikleer tape or adaptaroll book jacket covers from a craft shop. I have a book with a delicate book jacket, and my book jacket is not have dust on it and it doesnt have dust or debris on it. Restoration of the dust jacket of a 1st edition grapes of wrath by.
Commentary meet jack and taff fitterer, the wizards of book restoration posted friday, january 17, 2020 6. I feel these dust jackets are an important part of our culture. The bottom edge is open to make it easy to insert the dust jacket. I trim to fit, then i wrap the new dj in a brodart paper backed mylar book cover then put it on the book. Be sure to list it the dj, not the book as acceptable if it looks at all bad. In my view, the use of a pure mylar book cover on a hardcover book without a dust jacket still poses a problem of getting the cover folds to stay in place without the use of tape the books are too. Book collecting, book history, dust jackets as most collectors are aware, a dust jacket in fine condition can greatly enhance the value of a book.
Jul 26, 20 dust jackets clearly dont actually protect a book from dust, and a quick skim of the wikipedia page for dust jackets shows that they never did. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. Good repair cannot be done to a book while the jacket is attached. Also would be handy to be able to order a new dust cover for our other books. A brief history of the dust jacket books tell you why, inc. Mend torn pages, reattach loose pages, replace the ends h e e t 3. Repairing torn or chipped djs by hand requires rice paper of different weights, wheat paste, a steady hand and the ability to match colors perfectly and fill in the missing art. How to clean, repair and protect book dust jackets and covers. I used to work in a bookstore and sometimes we would receive good clean copies of new hardbacks with a damaged dustjacket, and depending on who the publisher was they would either send you a new jacket on its own or tell you to claim credit for. The dust jacket sometimes book jacket, dust wrapper or dust cover of a book is the detachable outer cover, usually made of paper and printed with text and illustrations. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options.
When in doubt only do preservation treatments and consult an accredited professional. My goal is to scan and archive images of as many vintage dust jackets as i can. I also tend to take the dust jacket off of novels more than nonfiction. The community of book collectors, as usual, had the final word. They allow us to escape from everyday life, teach us new skills, help us learn new languages and take us to faraway lands without ever leaving the comfort of our armchairs. Book repair quick tips from leonards book restoration station for tears in the paper or dust jacket, use gaylord or any document repair tape. To these the restorer of dust jackets must add a high level of skill in color matching and a high level of ability in copying the original image. I used to work in a bookstore and sometimes we would receive good clean copies of new hardbacks with a damaged dust jacket, and depending on who the publisher was they would either send you a new jacket on its own or tell you to claim credit for the book.
A book jacket, or dust jacket, protects the hardcover book from spills and wear, and so they sometimes deserve a little maintenance themselves. These dust jackets could remain on the book when it was opened, providing protection for volumes even as they were read. If its a recent, brandnew book, you could try contacting the publisher. Gilded book covers digital paper, gold ornamental decorative book dust jackets, printable 5x7 invitation backgrounds, vintage antique books digitalcurio 5. If the spines are yellowing or fading get books out of the sun, as sunlight will bleach dust jackets and covers. Dont lay books face down to keep your place, use book marks. When repairing paper collectables it is always important to get a result that is invisible, or very close to it. Nov 28, 2006 put a piece down the side of the cover onto the book, and then place a piece of tape diagonally over the corners of the dust jacket, folding the end of the tape over onto the book itself and not the dust jacket. Dust jacket restoration and paper repair jack and taff fitterer. Many factors are considered before defining a book as rare. Never repair collectible books and especially dust jackets. This is a followup question from my previous inquiry about creating covers for hardcover books that do not originally come with dust jackets.
In light of the skills ive learned this summer, i decided to offer my services in repairing the dust jacket. Dec 21, 2011 during the 1990s, when restoration of dust jackets reached a high art, it soon became a controversial subject for rare book dealers and collectors. Dust jacket covers custom book dust jacket printing. I am wondering, what is the reason behind adding a dust jacket when a book has a hardcover as well. I was fine with the remainder of the dust jacket being white. Take care to repair remember, everyone judges books by their covers. Fragile in nature, wrapping around the hard covers, they have received the hardest wear and often discarded when they became. Despite the fact that dust jackets often include useful information about a book and its author, including biographical notes and often a portrait, it has long been research libraries practice to remove the jackets from new books during processing for their permanent place in the stacks. Unfortunately, over time and with normal wear and tear, some of your book cover jackets may. A book with its dust jacket present will always bring a premium.
As you can see by the diagrams left, they consist of two parts. However, the idea of protecting something quite durable with something way more fragile while using this outer, fragile layer also as a medium for the visual. Bell used no more than two or three colors for her book designs, but the dust jackets remain some of the most beautiful in literature. Ive gotten accustomed to reading with the dust jackets on and really dont notice their presence. Learn how to clean, repair and preserve the dust jackets on your treasured tomes. A letter from lewis carroll to his publisher in 1876 provides insight into how dust jackets were viewed in the period. Book dust jackets are essential to ensuring a books longevity.
Often the back panel or flaps are printed with biographical information about the author, a summary of the book from the. My current favorite sources assume a dot com afer each name. Dont work on rare or expensive dust jackets except to preserve the pieces all together. Many of the most recognizable dust jackets were designed by artists handpicked by the author or their publisher. Because dented book jackets are really common with other people. Browse all books by category at facsimile dust jackets, llc. If you want the entire dust jacket of your book to be covered in coloured paper, you may have to buy some bigger sheets. This space can be used for any number of things, such as a book summary or an about the author section. This outer cover has folded flaps that hold it to the front and back book covers. Clean the book jacket cover or insert the jacket into a new cover.
Ensure that the bottom shelves of your bookcases are a few inches off the floor to protect against flooding. The starting point for any repairs to torn pages, dust jackets etc is filmoplast p. Jul 12, 2018 book dust jackets are essential to ensuring a book s longevity. If youre using the tape to repair dust jackets or onesided documents, then i would suggest making the repairs on the reverse side of these things so that no tape is visible from the front.
Seek advice regarding archival cover for hardcover books. Feb 06, 2017 i love dust jacketsto me they are a piece of art. As others have mentioned, i, too, take the dust jacket off while im reading a book and put it back on when im finished. When a dust jacket rips, the book may never circulate again. If the book gets remaindered you may be able to pick up a cheap copy just for the jacket, but usually by the time theyre remaindered the jackets arent in pristine condition any longer. An integrated adhesive strip means that rolls of tape are not needed to produce the perfect sleeve. We stock this book and it is an invaluable reference work. Repairing torn or chipped djs by hand requires rice paper of different weights, wheat paste, a steady hand and the ability to match colors perfectly and fill in the. For more information be sure to take the free book repair foundations 1104. Like to be able to edit the dust cover and just print it. This entry was posted in dust jacket repair and restoration and tagged dust jacket restoration and repair paper repair on november 12, 2014 by taff this is the second part of a dust jacket restoration see part one here where i am removing a torn, wrinkled heat set plastic covering the entire front and rear panels as well as most of the flaps.
If its a relatively thin book, ill use the dust cover flaps as a bookmark. Indeed, for modern first editions, a book without the dust jacket will sell for only a fraction of the price. Jan 22, 2020 facsimile dust jackets llc is the sole funding for mark terrys dust jacket archive project. How does one properly repair torn dust jacket on an older book. Careful dust jacket restoration includes removing any tape or other poorly made repairs, properly mending tears and filling in paper losses. Japanese tissue, paper repair, talas, tape removal during a recent visit to my favorite used book store, the brattle book shop, i stumbled across a book that i thought would make a great gift for a friend of mine, who will soon be moving out to chicago to start work on. Avoid direct sunlight that can dull colors and fade leather, cloth or paper dust jackets.
So heres how i created my diy dust jackets and made my bookshelf look 100x better. If you want to do a good job, you have a few choices. Follow this simple process to protect and maintain your books without breaking the bank buying professional book. If its a thick book, i usually take the dust jacket off until im finished reading, then put it back on for storage. For dirty matte finished dust jackets or pages, the best book treatment is a document cleaning pad.
Restoration of a steinbeck first edition dust jacket book and. Sep 02, 2012 this is a followup question from my previous inquiry about creating covers for hardcover books that do not originally come with dust jackets. During the 1990s, when restoration of dust jackets reached a high art, it soon became a controversial subject for rare book dealers and collectors. This is a tissue tape that is peeled from the backing and applied. Twist the bag a bit to loosen some dust and rub it around gently on the surface of the jacket with your clean fingers, a soft brush or the pad itself. For travel, thats really the only time i use my ereader.
However, since it is itself relatively fragile, and since dust jackets have practical, aesthetic and sometimes financial value, the jacket may in turn be wrapped in another jacket, usually transparent, especially if the book is a library volume. I protect the dust jackets with a clear archival cover to keep them pristine or in the case of a used book, to keep them from deteriorating. May 30, 2010 if its a recent, brandnew book, you could try contacting the publisher. Turns out there was a extra letter in black font on a black background in lightroom. I have already tested this on one dust jacket and one document, and repairing from the opposite side only works exceptionally well. Aug 11, 2011 dust jacket repair post on august 11, 2011 by jackie divis doyle tagged. Commerial dust jackets were typically printed onto nonarchival paper which become yellow and brittle over time. The good news is that you can repair the damaged jacket. Facsimile dust jackets llc is the sole funding for mark terrys dust jacket archive project. Book repairs, leather binding, book restoration and rebinding. Jan 09, 2017 i was fine with the remainder of the dust jacket being white.
Dust jackets clearly dont actually protect a book from dust, and a quick skim of the wikipedia page for dust jackets shows that they never did. By the 1870s, dust jackets had become commonalthough in many cases, they were left blank. For true spring cleaning and repair, the dust jacket must be removed from the book and placed face down and open, its exterior exposed to whatever it rests on. Protecting your books should be high on your list of priorities if you are a book lover or intend to keep your book for a long period of time. Dust jacket repair post on august 11, 2011 by jackie divis doyle tagged. Seek advice regarding archival cover for hardcover books without dust jackets. Badly restored dustjackets often have a lot of glue on them, which permeates the paper, and you have to get all of that gunk off before making the repairs properly. Bloomsbury group member vanessa bell gave her sister virginia woolfs books a distinct modern style. I like to take a chance on new authors and hardback first editions.
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