Avoid too much mending.

Paper used for mending should be cut lengthwise with the grain of the paper.

Cloth should be cut the long way of the material.

In mending always use paper of lighter weight than the book. For books printed on heavily coated paper, tissue or bond is too light, but paper cut from margins of advertising pages of magazines is a suitable weight.

PAGES

Torn through the printing may be mended as follows:

(1) Use ungummed, transparent mending paper, cutting it the size and shape of the tear, and about one-half inch wide. Apply a thin coat of paste to the strip and fit it carefully over the tear, having first placed a strip of waste paper under the torn leaf to absorb extra paste.

(2) For finer or better class of books, upon which more time and care may profitably be spent, rub a very little paste on the torn edges, place torn edges together, then take a rather large piece of ordinary tissue paper and rub it gently along the tear so that the tissue paper will adhere to the torn edges.

Put under press, and when dry the superfluous tissue paper should be torn off, using care to pull always toward the tear and from both sides at the same time. The delicate fibre of the tissue paper acts as an adhesive and it is almost impossible to discern the way in which the mending has been done.

Torn in the margin

Use thin, firm mending paper, preferably a tint to match paper of the book.

Cut a strip one-half inch wide corresponding to the size and shape of the tear, apply paste and trim even with the edge of the leaf.

When these processes are used, place books in press or under a weight, until thoroughly dry.

There are gummed papers for this purpose but care should be taken in their selection as some are likely to darken and discolor.

LEAVES

When loose leaves are replaced the greatest care should be taken to make sure that they do not extend beyond the edge of the book. If this occurs, it shows careless or inexperienced mending.

Loose leaves may be inserted in several ways:

(1) If the leaf fits exactly into the book, it may be tipped in by applying paste to one-eighth inch of its inner margin.

Place the loose leaf in the book, the outer edge even with the book, and rub down the pasted inner margin against the next leaf with bone folder.

Put the book in press until dry.

Illustrations may be tipped-in in this way when it is desirable to preserve them.

(2) If it is found by measuring that the leaf when inserted, will extend beyond the edge of the book, fold the leaf at the inner margin over a ruler edge, or other straight edge, slightly more than one-eighth of an inch, thus making a hinge. Apply paste to this hinge with the finger. Place leaf in the book and push well back; rub the little pasted hinge down with bone folder, being careful to leave no free paste.

(3) In case the quality of the paper of the leaf to be inserted will not stand the tipping-in process, or is badly worn at the inner margin, it may be inserted by a guard. Fold a half-inch strip of onion skin paper, lengthwise. Apply a thin coat of paste to the outside of this strip. Attach half of the strip to the inner edge of the loose leaf, and the other half to the adjoining page in the book, close in by the fold. Trim edge of leaf if it projects. Put in press until dry.

Do not use gummed muslin for this work. It destroys the chance of proper rebinding and detracts from the appearance of the rebound book.

SECTIONS

When more than one section, sometimes called signature, is loose in a book which is worth rebinding, it should be rebound at once.

When the thread in one section only is broken, or one section only is loose in a rebound book and the rest of the binding is intact, the section should be inserted. To avoid further ravelling, it is necessary to secure the broken threads of the book either by fastening them together, or attaching to new threads; also that the loose section is sewed or tied through the super on the back of the book.

Loose sections may be inserted as follows:

If the folds of the leaves in the loose section are torn or thin, they should be mended before replacing the section. Take a half-inch strip of thin, firm paper, the length of the page; fold through the middle lengthwise and paste down through the center fold of the leaves. A touch of paste along the fold of each will hold all the sheets together.

Open the book at the place where the section is loose. (When the book is open the back of the book separates from the cover.)

Open the loose section and place it in the proper position in the book. Near the top and bottom in the center fold of the section will be seen the holes which were made by the binder.

Thread a needle with Barbour's linen thread No. 40, or Hayes' linen thread No. 25, and tie new thread to broken end of thread in book.

Pass the needle through the hole at the top of the loose section and out between the book and its loose back. Do not pull the thread clear through.

Drop the needle and thread down between the back of the book and the loose back to the bottom.

Run the needle and thread from the outside in through the hole at the bottom of the loose section.

Pass the needle and thread around again in the same way. Draw tight and tie with a hard knot at the point of beginning.

JOINTS

Books in the ordinary case or publishers' binding will, after a short period of use, show signs of weakness in the joints (where the book and cover are attached). The paper cracks and both it and the super on the back of the book loosen and unless immediate attention is given the stitching breaks and the book must go to the bindery.

This super is a loosely woven cotton cloth which is glued on the backs of books to help hold the sections together, and extends from the back of the book to the inside of the cover to help hold the book and cover together. In the publishers' bindings, this super is usually all that holds a book in the cover.

Loose joints may be

Reinforced by tightening and stripping.

Hold the book open in an upright position on the table. The back will separate in a curve from body of book; with the round brush apply paste between the loose back and the book, along the joints only. If too much paste is used it will spread over the back, causing the cloth cover to become wrinkled and title illegible. Close the book, care being taken to push book well back in cover, and with bone folder rub well along the joints, squeezing out any extra paste at head and foot. Dry under weight for a half-day at least.

Then with knife clean off the ragged edges of torn paper along the joint inside the cover. Place the book flat upon the table, the front cover open, take book of similar thickness and place under open cover.

Take a strip of muslin or paper. Cut this strip the exact length of the book, and apply thick paste so that the paper or cloth will not stretch.

Paste one-half of this strip to the fly-leaf and the other half of the strip on the cover of the book. Make sure that the strip is smoothly laid, not stretched too tightly from book to cover, or it will pull up first pages when book is used; if too loosely stretched it is unsightly and fails of its purpose; allow the book to remain open until the strip is dry. Repeat this process for the back cover.

RECASING

When the stitching has not broken, and the paper is of good quality a book may be removed entirely from its cover and recased.

In recasing, painstaking care is required and books must be in condition specified to obtain satisfactory results.

Take a sharp knife and cut through the super at both joints. This super is easily lifted from the inside of the book cover. Pull it off the back of the book, taking great care in this, and remove all particles of dried glue.

Take white outing flannel, which is light in weight and double-faced, or canton flannel (downy side towards the book), or cheesecloth. Cut a strip as long as the back of the book and two inches wider; paste this over the back only, allowing an inch extension on each side. Do not, in this first process, put paste on the extensions. Draw the cloth over the rounded edges of the back (or joints); rub the back well with bone folder and also over the rounded edges, but do not paste the cloth down beyond the rounded edges. During this process hold the back of the book so that the sections, or signatures, will not separate. After thorough rubbing let dry.

Apply paste to inside of book covers one inch next to the joints; do not put paste on back of book. Place book in cover, pushing well back, making sure that it is correctly placed. Paste down the one-inch extension of cloth, laying waste paper between it and book; close book, rub joints well with bone folder and allow to dry thoroughly.

Strip joints, following instructions for re-inforcing; paste clean paper lining on book covers, press and dry. The book should then be opened as carefully as a new book.

PRESSING

This adds greatly to the appearance of the mended or repaired books. Do not place weights over the rounded back of a book.

Place the pressing boards or tins over the covers of the book only, even with, but not extending over, the joints.

Pressure on the rounded back will weaken a book in the most vital part.

DO NOT—

use too much paste.

use Lepage's glue or any mucilage.

use cloth strips in a book except at the joint.

paste heavily up the back unless a very old and not valuable book.

overmend on a book which will ultimately be bound.

allow loose pages to be slipped up in the book above the top of book.

use heavier paper for patching than paper of book.

ALWAYS—

handle books carefully.

allow sufficient drying.

have plenty of waste papers and discard when soiled.

wash brushes well each day.

pile up books alternating the backs with the foredges. They will stand erect and not slip or slide.

MISSING PAGES

When a page is missing and it is impossible to replace the book with a new copy, the page may be typewritten and tipped in.

When it is necessary to rebind the book, the margin of the typewritten page should be left an inch wider on each side than the regular margin. This is for the convenience of the binder, who will trim down the margin in process of rebinding.

Make typewritten page conform to size and shape of printed page.

NOTATION FOR DAMAGES

When there is an injury to a book which is allowed to remain in circulation, the reading public should be made aware that the damage is known to the library by a notation, with date, near the injury, e.g.,

"Damage noted 1 Mr. '20, Free Public Library."