Leatherbound Book Works aims to take weak, failing bindings and transform them into robust, readable books. Clients regularly bring in ailing books with a loose front cover or missing spine. Occasionally, the sewing itself has failed and a large book has split. Maps are torn and plates missing or loose. With care and attention, these books can be brought back to life for future generations and for actual use. There is nothing quite like reading a two hundred year old book…or repairing a book that will be read several hundred years into the future!
Any book that you want to continue to read is a candidate for repair, whether it’s your grandmother’s Joy of Cooking or a 400 year old edition of Raleigh’s History of the World.
Rebacks incorporate the original boards and spine (when available) while allowing for robust use of the original book.
Repair includes incorporating torn pages, reinforcing bumped corners, washing and deacidifying weakened papers, and replacing missing pages with facsimiles.
Restoration involves making repairs that respect the condition of the original book while also preserving its original function: to be read.