London: Robert Barker, 1610

 

CONDITION ON RECEIPT: The volume was bound in a sprinkled full calf asymmetrical panel binding. The binding was previously rebacked with leather and the repair had failed. In addition, strips of brown cloth tape were applied to the spine and joints to attach the boards to the volume. The tape had also failed and both boards were detached. The binding was worn and abraded. Leather was missing from the corners exposing the paste boards, which were separating. The spine leather was dry and powdery. Gold tooling on the spine, not contemporary to the style of the original binding, had worn away. The top headcap and a portion of leather from the first panel were missing. A textile stuck-on endband remained attached at the tail of the spine. The blind-stamped lettering piece was dry and skinned. The text block was printed on laid paper and consisted of four-folio gatherings sewn on four raised cords. The sewing was intact, although several leaves at the front of the text block were detached. Pages were dirty, discolored and stained in places. Pages had creased corners and small tears along the edges. Detached leaves at the front of the volume were particularly torn and tattered and there were some losses. These leaves were tipped together along their spine edges. The title page was laminated to another leaf and the offset impression of a musical score was evident on the verso. Pressure-sensitive tape was used to repair some tears and attach loose pages and the paper was stained as a result. Some tears and losses were crudely mended with paper. Original endleaves were replaced with a wove paper single flyleaf and pastedown. The surface pH of the text paper where tested was 4.5; the surface pH of the endleaf was 6.0.

 

TREATMENT PERFORMED: Written and photographic documentation was provided. The volume was collated and disbound retaining the original sewing. Exterior leaves were removed and the ink on these leaves was tested for solubility. The pressure-sensitive tape was removed mechanically and residual adhesive stains were reduced with acetone. The head, tail, and pages were surface cleaned where necessary. The exterior leaves were washed in filtered water and then alkalized (deacidified) with calcium hydroxide. The exterior leaves from the front of the text block were leafcast and sized with a 1% solution of methyl cellulose. Tears were mended and folds guarded where necessary with Japanese kozo paper and wheat starch paste.  Exterior leaves were reattached to the text block and the sewing was reinforced. Handmade paper endsheets with linen hinges were attached and endbands were sewn with linen thread. The volume was bound in full goatskin leather using a laced-in structure. Lines were blind- and gold-tooled on the spine and the boards were blind-tooled in a pattern sympathetic to the previous binding. The volume was titled using a gold-stamped leather label. The volume and previous binding were housed together in a drop-spine box.