In the Victorian era, textiles were colored with a green copper aceto-arsentite, used from 1814 to the late 1800’s. (Side note: this green is sometimes referred to as Paris green or emerald green and was widely used by impressionist painters.) And since books were bound in textiles, it’s no surprise that these vivid green cloths were used to bind publisher’s bindings. Therefore, it’s entirely possible that these copper arsenic covers are lurking within our library collections dating to the 19th century. In 1855, Viridian green was invented which eventually replaced Paris Green; therefore, green cloth bindings from the 20th century to today are of likely no concern.
When faced with the question of how to ID these textiles in the past, I’ve referred researchers to textile conservators who may be more familiar with this subject – as well as paintings conservators since they deal with pigments on a regular basis. The best resource on the subject I could track down was an adjacently-related conservation study on Navajo Textiles, titled, Coping With Arsenic-Based Pesticides on Textile Collections by Jae R. Anderson, Nancy Odegaard, Martina Dawley, Delana Joy Farley, and Werner Zimmt from the American Institute for Conservation ‘s Objects Specialty Group Postprints, Volume 21, 2014.
However, new research being conducted by Melissa Tedone and researchers at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library shines new light on the subject. They provide helpful recommendations on ID, handling, and storage. Please see https://www.iiconservation.org/content/poison-book-project to learn about the Poisonous Book Project being performed by Winterthur Library.
While our lab does not currently perform x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy to confirm whether a book is poisonous, there are some visual clues to be aware of. When handling a copy of Rustic Adornments for Homes and Taste (1857) Melissa Tedone notes how “the bright green colorant flakes readily from the bookcloth with even the gentlest touch of my porcupine quill.” This pigment seems to be impregnated into the cloth rather than dyed, and therefore prone to brittleness and flaking.
Recommendations to those without the ability to ID pigments: If you suspect that your book may be bound within the Victorian era of the 19th century, treat the book as though it may contain arsenic.
Place it in a polyester or polypropylene jacket and house it inside an enclosure.
Handle it with gloves that are disposable or are washable
When handling, lay it out on a table with paper liner that can be disposed of after use (or clean the table after use)
If you are in need of a box for storage, University Products and Talas are great resources for purchasing archival housing supplies.
Additional recommendations for libraries by Melissa Tedone and the Winterthur crew include:
Digitize bindings to provide researchers a non-toxic option of handling these texts
Identify and store these books together in one location within collections storage. If these materials are affected in a potential flood or disaster, this will help to streamline handling and containment of these dangerous materials.
Curious to know if there are specific titles of books that have tested positive for “poison?”Check out this link for a table of books identified by the Poisonous Book project and compare against duplicate titles in your collection:
Since testing continues, the Winterthur research team has created a color swatch bookmark to assist with identifying potentially arsenical green bookcloth. The library asks for the consideration of of $5 or more to help cover printing and mailing costs. Email reference@wintherthur.org for more information.
To learn more, check out the 2023 Connecting to Collections (C2C) Care Webinar The Poison Book Project.
Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer (CHPL) – Rare Book and Paper Conservator, Lab Co-Manager
Admittedly the title of this blog is a bit dry, but whenever I see the phrase stationery binding my eyes dart and the corners of my mouth start to move upward. Since trying my hand at an accounting book at Paper and Book Intensive 2017 in Chela Metzger’s workshop Early Modern Record-Keeping Book Structures, I have enjoyed learning more about their variations, creating historical models, and using the form as an inspiration for artist’s books.
After digging into Katherine Beaty’s essay Tackets, Buckles, and Overbands: Italian Stationery Bindings of the HBS Medici Family Collectionthe in the latest volume of Suave Mechanicals (http://www.thelegacypress.com/suave-mechanicals-vol-6.html), I decided to attempt a model of the second largest laminated archival bind. Beaty’s essay provides excellent descriptions of the various accounting books within the Medici collection, helping guide me in the construction of the model and filling in large gaps in my knowledge.
Katherine Beaty’s essay is not a “how to” manual, so all the errors and false assumptions that present themselves in the final model are mine alone. Making this at home with materials I had on-hand provided some challenges, so there are some missteps in terms of historical accuracy. But, in the end I’ll give the final product solid B for effort! And I had a great time making it.
Laminated leather archival binding with buckle fastening, size 34 x 27 cm.
The Ohio Preservation Council has updated grant procedures andawards to reflect the current emphasis on remote learning and virtual conferences.
In 2020, the Ohio Preservation Council will offer four awards of up to $250 each in support of continuing education for Ohio Students and Professionals with an interest in preserving our cultural heritage. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and awardees will be notified after the 3rd Thursday of: August, September, November, December. Full details can be found here.
The Ohio Preservation Council serves as a coalition of preservationists, conservators, librarians, archivists, curators, records managers, the institutions they represent, and other concerned citizens who recognize the serious threat to documentary heritage. The Council’s mission is to provide a network for preservation education and to support preservation activities within the state of Ohio. The Council believes in cooperative, state-wide efforts across geographic and professional lines are needed to meet preservation challenges.
The Ohio Preservation Council recognizes the value of professional meetings, conferences, and other educational opportunities to advance the field of preservation and provide a forum to voice the need for ongoing stewardship of our documentary heritage. When possible, the OPC shall provide financial support to individuals to develop skills, expand knowledge, and gain experience relevant to the mission and goals of the Ohio Preservation Council. Applications are due the first Mondays in March and September.
Individuals requesting financial support must meet the following criteria:
• Working in the state of Ohio OR pursuing an advanced degree or certificate in the state of Ohio;
• Working directly in the field of preservation (as described above) OR pursuing a degree or certificate within the field;
• Request is for professional development that clearly relates to preservation issues and/or preservation skills;
• Have not received financial support from the OPC Grant within 3 calendar years.
Each year, the Preservation Lab hosts an annual open house during ALA’s Preservation Week, inviting the entire community to visit the Lab and tour our facilities. Each Preservation Week we choose a theme and dedicate our annual open house to that theme. For instance, last year was dedicated to the history of the codex, where the community was able to discover and explore hands-on the evolution and history of the codex, through various book models created by the Preservation Lab staff. This was a great opportunity to share, with the public, the importance of the materiality of the book and how we can use primary resources as teaching tools.
The history of the codex is a subject that I am deeply interested and has led me to meet and learn from great scholars such as Julia Miller, an expert in early book forms. As a result, I have been developing my own research skills, learning more about the history of the codex, creating historical book models, and sharing this knowledge with my colleagues and with different communities through opportunities such as Preservation Week.
One of the most famous pictures of the Nag Hammadi Codices. Image retrieved from https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/the-nag-hammadi-codices/
My interest in the history of the codex has led to a fascination for the Nag Hammadi Codices (NHC), also known as Gnostic Gospels. The Nag Hammadi Codices were discovered in 1945 in Upper Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi. The Nag Hammadi Codices appear to have been written during the fourth century. These codices are among some of the oldest codices to have survived with their bindings still intact. There were thirteen codices found, but only eleven bindings have survived. At the time of the discovery eleven covers were found with their texts, text fragments of a twelfth codex, and one text unbound (Codex XIII – tractate (treatise))1.The codices were leather bound with Coptic text written on papyrus sheets. The writings in these codices include fifty-two mostly Gnostic treatises, but they also include other works, such as the Corpus Hermeticum.
This discovery was extremely important, since there were many texts within the Nag Hammadi Codices that were not known elsewhere at the time. For instance, one of the most famous writings is the Gospel of Thomas which is only complete in the Nag Hammadi Codices2. This was an incredible discovery not only in the world of paleography, religion but also codicology.
Because of my fascination with the Nag Hammadi Codices, I decided to dedicate some time to creating my own Nag Hammadi models over the years; creating to-scale the eleven bindings found in 1945.
There are many reasons one chooses to make a model of a book structure, to learn its unique features, how the different materials work together, among others. In my case, I wanted to understand the differences between each of the covers, what features made each cover unique and not exactly the same as the others, and the differences between cover and quire attachment, as well as why some of the codices were more elaborate than others, with cover decoration and blind tooling. This has not been an easy task and has become much longer journey than expected. The tremendous research conducted by scholars and researchers over the years on the study of these texts within the Nag Hammadi Codices, as well as the bindings itself, has helped a great deal in my task of model making. I still have so much more to learn.
The long journey of model making
I should start by saying that over the years, Julia Miller has been a great mentor to me; providing resources, guidance and advice throughout my endeavors to complete my full set of the NHC models.
My first NHC model with its many mistakes, such as parchment tackets (not found in any NHC).
My first attempt to create a Nag Hammadi Codex (NHC) model was back in 2013. I started by reading The Archaeology of Medieval Bookbinding by J.A. Szirmai, where the NHC are explored in the first chapters related to single-quire codices. I also based my initial model from one created by the Lab’s conservator, Ashleigh Schieszer. At that time, I knew little about the unique features of each Nag Hammadi Codex and their bindings.
In 2017, I was able to attend a week-long course at the American Academy of Bookbinding (AAB) on early book forms with the conservator and researcher, Julia Miller. It was at the AAB that my interest for these historical structures solidified and where I learned a lot more about early codex forms. It was also in this workshop that I learn about the mistakes I had made with my first NHC model. This only deepened my interest and conviction that I had to make my own set of NHC to understand how these early codices were made.
Codex VI created in the Morgan Conservatory workshop
Codex VI – A very interesting feature of Codex VI is the fact that Codex XIII was found loosely inside the cover of Codex VI. Codex XIII has been left unbound.
Codex XIII, also created at the Morgan Conservatory workshop
I would come to learn from Julia Miller again when I attended a weekend workshop at the Morgan Conservatory. During this weekend workshop, I created my first full-scale Nag Hammadi Codex VI model. In addition, as a side project I was able to create a small version of Nag Hammadi Codex VIII. This was a great opportunity to learn about each codex and their unique binding and quire attachment features. With the full-scale model of Codex VI, I was on the right path to continue with my other full-scale models.
Another model created at the Morgan Conservatory workshop.
This model illustrates the different quire-cover attachments found in the NHC.
Two resources that have been extremely helpful in creating the full-scale models are the Meeting by Accident, by Julia Miller, where there is a dedicated chapter on the Nag Hammadi Codices with full descriptions, measurements and pictures of each codex; and The facsimile edition of the Nag Hammadi codices by James M. Robinson. At times I became lost reading Robinson’s description of the measurements of each codex cover, and other features as it is all written in a continuous text. Luckily, Julia Miller’s book has each description organized, which makes the task of taking notes and model making a lot simpler.
Another resource that has helped me immensely in this process was studying Julia’s own set of NHC models and paper templates. Seeing Julia’s physical models provided me further insights into visualizing and understanding the descriptions within her book and Robinson’s descriptions.
For the rest of the NHC models, I started by attempting to make Codex I without any paper template. I soon learned that this was a big mistake, as I ended up making the wrong dimensions of the cover and ruining the model. I realized that by first making a paper template, it allowed me to make mistakes without wasting materials such as leather and papyrus. Even though these were only models, representations of the NHC, I wanted to be as accurate as possible.
Paper template for Codex I
Paper template for Codex IV
As I mentioned before, my model making journey has been long; each model beginning with research and note taking. Once I am satisfied with my research, I create a paper template that I will use to create the model with materials used at the time, such as leather and papyrus. This process of model making has been a great learning opportunity for me.
Paper template for Codex VIII
Paper template for Codex X
This past Spring I was able to share what I had learned more broadly when the Preservation Lab co-taught a Book Arts class with UC’s English Department. I taught our students about the Nah Hammadi Codices, and together we created a small model of a Nag Hammadi Codex VIII.
The Book Arts students learning about the Nag Hammadi Codex VIII (photo courtesty: Melissa Cox Norris)
As we continue to work from home, I have been able to dedicate time to continue my model making of the NHC, and research more about early book structures and their discoveries. So far I have completed the following NHC models:
Codex I
Codec IV
Codex VI
Codex VIII
Codex X
Codex XI
Codex XIII
Model of Codex I
Model of Codex I
Model of Codex IV
Model of Codex IV
Model of Codex VIII
Model of Codex VIII
Model of Codex X
Model of Codex X
Model of Codex XI
Model of Codex XI
These models are not perfect, but they represent the unique features of the different Nag Hammadi Codices found in 1945. I am hopeful that these models will be a great addition to the teaching collection at the Preservation Lab, and that perhaps I have inspired others to start their own model making journey during this Preservation Week 2020!
All the models that I have created so far: Codex I, IV, VI, VIII, X, XI, XIII.
References:
Miller, J. (., Spitzmueller, P. J., & Legacy Press. (2018). Meeting by accident: Selected historical bindings. Ann Arbor, Michigan: The Legacy Press.
Layton, B., & Sieber, J. H. (1991). Nag Hammadi codex VIII. E.J. Brill. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.kent.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip&db=cat02507a&AN=ohiolink.b31949312&site=eds-live&scope=site
Robinson, J. M. (1972). The facsimile edition of the Nag Hammadi codices. Leiden: E. J. Brill.
Robinson, J. M. (2000). The Coptic gnostic library: a complete edition of the Nag Hammadi codices. Netherlands: Brill.
Make sure to check out our Instagram (@thepreservationlab) where we’ll share Catarina’s process of making her Codex X model later today. And, if you missed yesterday’s Instagram stories where Jessica shared the exciting journey of photography the choir psalter then take a look at our “PresWeek 2020” story highlight (see below).
Book & paper preservation and digitization seem antithetical in many ways; the former focuses on the physical and the hands-on, while the latter hones in on the digital and the technical. Even though there are differences between the fields, I like to think of them as partners in crime. Both preservation and digitization work to ensure that books filled with precious knowledge are around for learning well into the future; they just take different (often intersecting) paths to get there.
A few months ago, I had the opportunity to digitize a beautiful choir psalter from the UC Classics Library. This large book is theorized to have been used as a choir book in 15th century Italy, possibly the north-eastern area of Veneto. Its knowledge laden parchment pages and mysterious past rendered it the perfect candidate for both preservation and digitization. After it received treatment from the Lab’s conservator, I whisked it away to be digitized.
A book this distinguished required the care and attention of more than one person (it had nothing to do with how heavy it was… really). I was joined by the Lab’s photographic documentation extraordinaire Jessica, and that’s when the collaborative magic between preservation and digitization happened. Jessica and I sprinkled in some preservation-oriented photographic documentation as we digitized, allowing us to get a closer look at the materiality of the book while we had it on the copy stand. One of the most impactful imaging techniques we used on the antiphoner was that of raking light.
Raking light involves the use of one lighting source to illuminate an object from a low angle, highlighting texture and depth. Using this technique on the choir book allowed us to see and feel the true age and history of a book that survived centuries of use; the mountains and valleys of each aged page suddenly revealed themselves in the same places they hid in normal illumination.
Normal Illumination
Raking Illumination
The normal illumination used to digitize allows us to read the book as it was meant to be read, and preservation-focused raking light allows us to experience the materiality of the object. The combination of both techniques allows for those who cannot physically interact with the book to experience (almost) all it has to offer. While there’s really no substitute for seeing the antiphoner in person, we’d like to think we can replicate the experience a little better by utilizing tools provided by our partners in crime: preservation and digitization.
You can read more about the research done on this choir psalter in the Classics Library’s blog post, “Mystery at the Library”.
Also, make sure to check out of our Instragram (@thepreservationlab) where Jessica will be sharing some conservation photography of this beauty.
This Spring the Preservation Lab is partnering with the English Department to co-teach Book Arts (ENG3097). The Lab is leading the hands-on experiential learning portion of the course, with Gary Weissman (Associate Professor and Director of Literary & Cultural Studies, Department of English) leading the seminar portion.
During the Lab portion, students will be exposed to a brief history of the codex, make western-style paper, learn to a variety of sewn structures, have an overview of printing techniques, and explore ways to add interest to the codex structure (movable structures, closures, enclosures, material choice, etc.), among other activities.
For the February 5th class session, students made a model of the Nag Hammadi Codex VIII. Catarina Figueirinhas, Assistant Conservator, began the session with a short lecture on the discovery of the codices and the importance of the find to papyrologists, and book history and religious scholars. She then led the students through the creation of the half scale model.
It was a wonderfully successful afternoon thanks to a group of very engaged students and an amazingly prepared, as always, Catarina Figueirinhas.
Catarina Figueirinhas building up the cover structure – cartonnage.Nag Hammadi models created by Catarina Figueirinhas.
Holly Prochaska (UCL) — Preservation Librarian
All images provided by Melissa Norris (UCL) — Director of Communications
The Preservation Lab is gearing up to co-teach a Book Arts Course with Gary Weissman in the English Department, Spring 2020. Jessica Ebert and I prepped for the closure session by securing these two books. The idea of creating this sampler was borrowed, with permission, from our friend and fellow bookbinder Fran Kovac.
That’s a lot of security! From top to bottom – bone clasp, two hole tie, O ring wrap, toggle, and 6th century wrap (wrapped two directions so as to see the design). Holly Prochaska (UCL) — Preservation Librarian
When this mid-19th century Treatise on Operative Surgery came to The Preservation Lab, little did we imagine the twists and turns the treatment would take. We certainly did not expect the treatment to turn into a Frankenstein’s monster, pulling inspiration from three different types of binding structures, although this monster found more successful results than Victor Frankenstein’s.
This 1844 full leather tight-back binding came to us from The Henry R. Winkler Center. The binding was in disarray with both the front and back boards having become fully detached, with only the back board remaining. Very few spine fragments remained, but there was clear evidence of false raised bands. The leather that remained on the spine and back board was severely red rotted. The textblock was sewn on recessed cords and remained beautifully intact. The textblock consists of 360 pages containing descriptions of surgical procedures, as well as 80 illustrated plates depicting some of these techniques.
Prior to any rebinding, the placement of the false raised bands was measured and recorded; the book’s spine was cleaned; the front and back flyleaves were mended and hinged; the back cover was housed in a polyester four-flap; new endsheets were sewn onto the textblock; and the spine was lined. Several of the linings attached will bring us to the first bookbinding structure that inspiration was pulled from… The Split Board Binding: Because of the large size of the book, a split board binding attachment was chosen to add strength to the board attachment. After the spine of the textblock was lined with Japanese tissue and wheat starch paste, creating a reversible layer, a secondary spine lining with flanges was created out of linen and attached with Jade 403 PVA. This linen is an integral part of the split board structure, as it, along with the first endsheet and sewing supports, will create the “laminated flange” that will be pasted in between the two boards (hence, split board). This flange and split board structure can be seen in the uppermost book model in the stack pictured above.
Now that the book has the structure and stability of a split board binding, we can pull from another binding structure to attach the raised supports…
The “Baggy Back” Binding: A “baggy back” structure, also referred to as a conservation case, is what will allow the spine of the binding to be formed to the spine of the textblock, without being adhered directly to it. Another way to think about it is an alternative to a hollow tube structure. Sized linen was non-adhesively shaped over the spine of the textblock, and was pasted in between the split boards on top of the laminated flanges. The open book model in the image on the left shows what a typical “baggy back” structure looks prior to casing the textblock. Comparing that to how the linen can be integrated into the split board structure, we start to see our Frankenstein’s monster take shape.
To prep for the final stages of rebinding, some elements were added to stay true to the original structure of the book. False raised bands were cut and shaped out of 4-ply mat board to mimic the shape and location of the original false raised bands. Hollow tube segments were also attached in between the false raised bands.
These spine elements will finally be covered up using inspiration from one final book structure… The Quarter Linen Binding: The book was decided to be finished as a quarter linen binding, instead of a more historical full leather or quarter leather binding for conservation purposes. The third model referenced, shown above, depicts the end result of this style of binding. In this structure the linen is stretched over the spine of the book to add the definition of the raised bands, or in the case of this treatment, false raised bands. The linen also allows for a strong attachment between the textblock and the boards. The hollow tubes laid between the bands allow for a better opening once the linen is in place.
During this treatment the linen was stretched over the spine of the book and onto the front and back boards, making sure the linen is securely and evenly applied around all of the spine elements. The book was then secured in a tying press to ensure definition of the bands.
Turn-ins were properly secured, and the linen was trimmed to the proper length on the boards. A brown book cloth was used to cover the remainder of the boards, the color chosen to mimic the color of the original leather used in the binding. The internal flanges from the split board binding structure (as seen in the right image above), along with the pastedowns, were applied to the inner boards. And no book is complete without a stamped title and a matching cloth covered clamshell.
Using three different book structures to plan this treatment does seem like a Frankenstein’s monster of a project, but the success of the treatment pays homage to the integration of bookbinding techniques we find in book structures throughout history. And this book will certainly look like no monster when it is on display for tours at The Winkler Center.
Occasionally the lab is asked to teach simple book structures to students in other academic departments, usually to assist with the physical presentation of their final projects. Here is the slideshow presentation that accompanied our on-site training for a photography class for the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning on 7/15 and 7/16/2019.
Structures included an accordion book and crown book, with bonus instructions on a one-page wonder that can be made outside of class. Click the link below to access the slideshow and Enjoy! https://mailuc-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/prochah_ucmail_uc_edu/EXm-2wHSzLtGqERd9T2UaSYBfDnS6ArPWSJdX-Ei4cQxCw?e=lhE9Rz
Since it’s Tuesday, but you’re probably wishing it was Friday, I thought I’d share some fun gifs of a 16th century German ophthalmolgy book from UC’s Archives & Rare Books Library that was recently treated and returned. But first, let’s take a look at the treatment carried out by our conservator, Ashleigh Schieszer.
This full vellum binding suffered the same fate as many other stiff board vellum bindings: significantly warped boards, a result of fluctuations in humidity. The volume arrived in the lab with vellum losses along the head and tail of the spine. There was also evidence of two ties at the fore edge that would have originally been used to keep the boards from warping, however, all but a small fragment of these ties were lost. Ashleigh humidified and flattened the upper and lower boards and added new alum-tawed ties sympathetic to the placement and size of the original ties. The binding was then housed in a cloth covered compression clamshell (created by our box-making magician, Chris) to help keep the boards from warping in the future.
Here you can see the fragment of the original tie with the new tie inserted below it.
Now onto the gifs. This volume has several anatomical flap prints that explore the inner working of the eye. Here are two of the flap prints, one which takes a look at the brain from above and another that examines the eye from the side:
We were in luck that these particular anatomical flap prints were in relatively good condition when they came to the lab. However, that is usually not the case with these very fragile multi-component prints. If you are interested in the learning more about the history, treatment and exhibition of these prints, check out Meg Brown’s article “Flip, Flap and Crack”. Jessica Ebert [UCL] – Conservation Tech/Photographic Documentation Tech
