"Identification of a white substance on 20th century leather bindings" by Pemberton and Nel (2008)

Pemberton, Briony; Nel, Petronella; "Identification of a white substance on 20th century leather bindings", AICCM Bulletin 31 (2008) 28-35

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Abstract:

The aims of this investigation were to identify a white substance visible on the spines of leather-bound volumes titled Victorian Law Reports and to address any issues of concern. Initially, it was thought that it was a mold outbreak. However, preliminary examination using visual and microscopic methods ruled this out. An analytical path involving environmental scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), microchemical spot testing, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy determined that the white substance was composed of one or more fatty acids and possibly their respective calcium salts. In addition, this investigation provides a review of the available literature and an analytical path for identifying white bloom on leather-bound volumes.

Bookbinding in England and France by Fletcher (1897)

Fletcher, William Younger; Bookbinding in England and France, Seeley & Co., London (1897)
URL (Internet Archive)

Arte della Legatura a Brera, Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense, Milano

Bookbinding 

Arte della Legatura a Brera  

Mostra virtuale - versione web
URL

Il sito è aperto dal 12 maggio 2002. Risultano consultabili le immagini di tutte le sezioni, ma le schede in lingua inglese sono disponibili solo in versione ridotta. Sono stati inseriti anche alcuni testi, tratti dal catalogo della mostra "Arte della legatura a Brera" e dai pannelli espositivi utilizzati per la stessa esposizione.
Oltre a una galleria d'immagini, con relativa scheda descrittiva, il sito potrà ospitare contributi, notizie, segnalazioni, attinenti alla storia e alle tecniche della legatura d'arte. La mostra Arte della legatura a Brera, in cui sono stati esposti 110 esemplari di legature italiane e di altre aree europee del Quattrocento e Cinquecento, oltre a 10 legature della Bibliotheca Colbertina possedute dalla Braidense e a vari strumenti e materiali utilizzati nell'arte della legatura, si è conclusa il 22 giugno 2002.

English version: Decorative bookbindings at the Brera (URL)

This website was created on May 12, 2002. Some texts from the exhibition catalogue, Arte della legatura a Brera, and the information panels on display at the Brera event are available for consultation on this website. An English version of all this was created, with reduced descriptive texts. Alongside a Gallery of captioned image files illustrating the Library's collections, this website will include, in time, contributions, reports, hints and tips, suggestions where a history and the techniques of decorative bookbinding are concerned. The exhibition, "The Art of Binding Books Through the 15th and 16th Centuries" housed 110 bindings from Italy and other European countries, along with 10 bindings from the Bibliotheca Colbertina and a host of instruments, tools and materials used in the art of binding books.

Deutsche Version: Einbände in Brera (URL)

Version française: Reliures d'art à Brera (URL)