We’ve all been there, living in small spaces made even smaller by the ever-increasing accumulation of books: heaps growing like mushrooms on the floor, stacked twice on shelves, tucked under chairs or sofas. when we eventually escape to a larger apartment or house, we pack the books hastily and only as we begin the process of re-shelving in our new space do we notice the damage that has accumulated: bleached spines and covers, yellowed page edges, mold , spider webs, scratches on previously immaculate dust jackets, folded or torn covers, crooked spines, pages dropped or loose from the binding…
we decided to do better, but usually we do no more than alphabetize the collection before the loop starts again.
You are reading: How to store collectible books
So how should we store our books to prevent common spoilage?
See Also: Janice Holt Giles – The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning
1. careful shelf
Unless a book is very old or delicate, place it on a shelf in an upright position, as you would in any bookcase. (Medieval manuscripts should be stored flat, if you’re lucky enough to have some in your collection.) Shelve books of similar size together, as they benefit from the support of other books on each side. but don’t pack them so close together that you have to pull hard to remove one, as you may tear the top of the dust jacket or the spine. a good rule of thumb is to stop when you think you could probably fit one more book in there.
note: the featured image above shows a variety of good and bad ways to stack books, including diagonally, which can lead to bent and crooked books.
See Also: Janice Holt Giles – The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning
featured element:
gilead (first edition)
See Also: Janice Holt Giles – The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning
toronto: harpercollins publishers. fine in fine dust jacket. 2004. first edition; first impression; signed by the author. 1/4 fabric. an attractive first edition/first printing in excellent condition with a matching dust jacket. The Canadian edition was published three weeks before the American edition, signed by author Marilynne Robinson on the cover.
Offered by Tell Why Books, Inc.
See Also: Janice Holt Giles – The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning
2. keep books out of direct sunlight
While professional archives may employ climate controls and store books in dark rooms, most of us won’t have the space or means to go to such extremes. Common sense steps like placing bookcases away from windows and out of direct sunlight will help minimize yellowing of paper or fading of jackets. (Keep these considerations in mind when shopping for books; if a bookstore displays shelves of books in its window year-round, those volumes won’t stay in good condition for long.)
If you have the means, install windows with a solar window film designed to block ultraviolet rays, as these are what fade book covers, carpet colors, furniture, etc. window films can block up to 99.9%. other options include sheer shades or roman blinds to block out direct light.
See Also: Janice Holt Giles – The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning
3. try to regulate humidity
See Also: The 50 Best-Selling Books of All Time, From Novels to Non-Fiction
Don’t store your books in a musty basement or in cardboard boxes in the attic. Temperature swings in an attic can be extreme, and air doesn’t circulate in tight boxes. choose a room with decent airflow and don’t store books directly under or above a heating or cooling vent. an oscillating or ceiling fan can help regulate airflow.
You want to keep the humidity below 60% (files aim for no more than 35%). above 60% humidity, mold spores can form and once present, mold can spread rapidly through the air. When deciding which room to use as a library, make sure there are no water pipes in the ceiling above the bookshelves – a burst pipe would be catastrophic!
See Also: Janice Holt Giles – The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning
4. prevent dust accumulation
Clean gently (with a feather duster or small brush) and regularly. If you can afford glass-fronted cabinets or law cabinets, these can be a good investment—they keep dust at bay and make cleaning less onerous. for extra security, buy lockable cases.
However, be careful where you place them. glass-front cabinets in direct sunlight can increase humidity in certain climates.
See Also: Janice Holt Giles – The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning
featured element:
See Also: Janice Holt Giles – The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning
Gone with the Wind (signed, first edition)
new york: macmillan, 1936. first edition, with “published May 1936” on the copyright page; jacket of the first number. 1037 pages 1 vol. 8th original gray fabric with blue letters. minor shelf wear, otherwise a fine, tight copy, in a very good first issue dust jacket, no clip, costing “$3.00” and with “spring novels” ad on bottom panel which shows this job as the second title on the right hand column.
short closed tear at top edge of front panel, some wear at ends of spine panel, small closed square tear at back panel. half green morocco case and cloth camisole. first edition, with “published May 1936” on the copyright page; jacket of the first number. 1037 pages 1 vol. 8th first edition, dust jacket, with a letter. Posted is a one-page typewritten letter, signed (“Margaret Mitchell Marsh”), from Mitchell to bookseller Robert Wilson, then a student at Johns Hopkins University, on personal letterhead titled “Margaret Mitchell,” dated Atlanta, Georgia May 21, 1941.
offered by james cummins bookstore, inc.
See Also: Janice Holt Giles – The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning
5. keep books away from smoke or cooking
Our popular conception of a comfortable home library comes largely from the jane austen novels (or their film adaptations): shelves of beautifully bound books, a comfortable chair by a fireplace and a glass of port on the side table. Unfortunately, the smoke from those fires will not have been very good for the books. it’s best to keep books away from a fireplace (or kitchen) as the smell of smoke can permeate the pages and the heat can dry out the bindings.
See Also: Janice Holt Giles – The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning
6. keep food away from books.
The greatest danger of combining food and books is not stains, but damage caused by insects and rodents. bugs may come for the crumbs, but stay for the glue on your bindings; rodents will eat the covers; and both will leave droppings that stain.
See Also: Janice Holt Giles – The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning
7. plastic protective covers.
See Also: 50 Cute Puppies You&039ll Have to See to Believe – American Kennel Club
If you’re going to be handling your books, adding a protective plastic cover (often called a “mylar” cover, though that’s just one of many brands) can be a very good idea. it will keep the jacket safe from spills, dust and oils from our fingers. If the covers have delicate design elements, cutouts, or raised elements, plastic covers can protect them from damage.
If you decide to use a protective cover, choose an archival quality polyester film and choose at least 0.005mm thickness (anything thinner won’t help).
Beyond the plastic covers, some collectors have special protective boxes made for individual volumes, but these custom boxes are expensive to produce, so they are likely only for the most expensive or delicate rare books.
See Also: Janice Holt Giles – The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning
featured element:
See Also: Janice Holt Giles – The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning
mud book
by john cage, lois long
new york: harry n. abrams, 1988. first commercial edition. good/almost good first commercial edition. signed by john cage on the cover. Bound in brown editorial cloth with gilt lettered spine. fine, with an almost fine dust jacket trimmed for the price and slightly worn. a precious copy.
offered by burnside rare books.
See Also: Janice Holt Giles – The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning
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(featured image source: stewart butterfield/flickr via cc license)
See Also: Janice Holt Giles – The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning
the producers of downton abbey go to great lengths to get the details of their time and history correct, and one of the ways they do this is by incorporating contemporary books into the conversations and sometimes even the plot major. (more information…)
See Also: Janice Holt Giles – The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning