Bogle - Book Restoration Unveiled: An Essential Guide for Bibliophiles

First Editions Press

ashland, oregon

Copyright 2019 by Sophia S.W. Bogle.

All Rights Reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the author.

ISBN: 978-1-7324317-3-7 (paperback)

ISBN: 978-1-7324317-4-4 (ebook)

Cover and interior design and layout by Christy Collins,

Constellation Book Services

This book is dedicated to Bogles and more Bogles, starting with my amazing husband Adam Bogle, who sometimes startles me with his generosity; to Kamela and Christopher, because I love them all the world; to Charm and Lee, who always make things work out; and beyond to all my other wonderful Bogle family. This is also for my Smuda sisters, Meg, Bebhinn, and Cait, because they inspire me with their perseverance, and for my brother Sean, who has always inspired me to do what I love no matter what.

I couldnt have done this without my best friends: Lisa, Susanne, Holly, and Simone, who always believe in me even when I feel fictitious. Thanks too to David Weinstein, who taught me to be generous with book restoration knowledge, and to Gilbert Coronel, who would have been delighted to read this.

And... this book would not exist without the magic my mother Agnes Marie Therese Wolohan Smuda von Burkleo gave me, or the chutzpah from my father John James Joseph Smuda.

I started writing about book restoration for only one reason, but as I explored its influence and threads of connection in the book world it turned into three reasons. The initial impetus was to lift the cloak of invisibility that enshrouds book restoration. I was often puzzled by the way clients would examine the restoration work I had done. They would open the book and start reading it, or else they admired the illustrations or the pretty cover that I hadnt made. They didnt seem to know where to look to see my work. And while this was a compliment in a way, it got me wondering how common it was for people to unwittingly buy a book that had been restored. Not that theres anything wrong with buying a restored book. The problem is that sometimes books are not properly identified as having been restored when theyre for sale, and that can matter a great deal to book collectors.

In the course of my career, I have mended torn pages, replaced pages, plates and end-sheets, and even recreated entire spines and covers. Each of these treatments can be done at a repair level, a preservation level, or a restoration level (more about this in Chapter Six). The main difference between them is the amount of effort, time, and skill put in. What you are paying for is invisibility. Ok, not actual invisibility, but the aesthetics that make your eye skip over the transition areas of a restoration. While I had performed this sort of magic for many books over the years, one day, something shifted. I felt like I woke up and saw a bigger picture. I started asking myself if the work I had been doing could be considered forgery or fraud. I did some research and was relieved to discover that these nefarious acts require an intent to deceive, and that was never my goal. But what about once a book leaves my hands? I cant control the information that is given out about that book. Were my restorations disclosed when the book was sold the next time? If my own clients were having a hard time pinpointing the restoration work I had just done for them, what chance would future owners of the book have to notice it? Providing enlightenment is my first reason for writing this book. I want to provide the tools to spot restorations so that everyone can make more informed decisions when buying or selling books.

My second reason for writing this book came to me only after I started doing the research to make sure I was using the same book terminology familiar to the world of book collectors. What I found, instead of a simple list of clear terminology, was a distressing lack of agreement and even confusion about the most basic of book repair terms. It became apparent to me that the world of book collectors and the world of book workers were not in communication with one another. The real gut punch came when I read the most recent edition (the ninth) of John Carters ABC for Book Collectors. In it, restoration is defined simply as a term, once neutral and now pejorative, applied to the overzealous repair of leaves or binding.

I was just stunned. While I am sympathetic with the frustration of the book collectors who have experienced bad restorations, this was obviously meant to scare people away from them entirely. The editors, Nicholas Barker and Simran Thadani are basically stating that restoration equals bad repairs, and yet I know that the term restoration is used by many book professionals, from book conservators, to auctioneers and appraisers, to refer to excellent restorations. As much as I disagree with this provoking definition of restoration, I understand where it is coming from. It is indicative of a very real concern that some books are losing value, as well as historical authenticity through poor repairs that are being