Bookbinding and The Care of Books
Librarians by Douglas Cockerell with Drawings
by Noel Rooke and other Illustrations
New York
1902
Book binding Chapter XXI
Part 1
which Books are Subjected
Arts Committee shows that
"Of all the influences to which books are exposed
in libraries, gas fumes-no doubt because of the
sulphuric and sulphurous acid which they
contain-are shown to be the most injurious." The
injurious effects of gas fumes on leather have been
recognized for a long time, and gas is being, very
generally given up in libraries in consequence. If
books must be kept where gas is used, they should
where possible, to avoid the use of gas at all in libraries.
Light - The committee also report that "light, and especially direct sunlight and hot air, are
shown to possess deleterious influences which had scarcely been suspected previously, and the
importance of moderate temperature and thorough ventilation of libraries cannot be too much
insisted on."
The action of light on leather has a disintegrating effect, very plainly seen when books have
stood for long periods on shelves placed at right angles to windows. At. Oxford and Cambridge
and at the British Museum Library the same thing was noticed. The leather on that side, of the
backs of books, next to the light, was absolutely rotten, crumbling to dust at the slightest
friction, while at the side away from the light it was comparatively sound. Vellum bindings were
even more affected than those of leather.
The committee advice that library windows exposed to the direct sunlight should be glazed
with tinted glass. "Some attempts have been made to ] determine the effect of light transmitted I
through glasses of different colors, and they point to the fact that blue and s violet glass pass
light of nearly as deleterious quality as white glass; while leathers under red, green, and yellow
glasses were almost completely protected. There can be no doubt that the use of pale yellow or
olive-green glass in library windows exposed to direct sunlight is desirable. A large number of
experiments have been made on the tinted' cathedral' glasses of Messrs. Pilkington Bros.,
Limited, with the result that Nos. 8I2. and 7I2. afforded almost complete protection during two
months' exposure to sunlight, while Nos. 704 and 804 may be recommended where only very
pale shades are permissible. The glasses employed were subjected to careful spectroscopic
examination and to colour-measurement by the tintometer, but neither were found to give
precise indications as to the protective power of the glasses, which is no doubt due to the
absorption of the violet, and especially of the invisible ultra-violet rays. An easy method of
comparing glasses is to expose under them to sunlight the ordinary sensitized albumenized
photographic paper. Those glasses under which this is least darkened are also most protective to
leather."
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