This book came back split in half. I could have stuck some tape on the spine and plastered some tape down the middle, creating a hinged book, but I decided I would use it to show you how to repair a paperback. The first step I did not actually catch on film. Very shy paperbacks are during early surgery. Strip off the paper of the spine. Library people, its good to save the call number tag if you can. Then shave off all of the old brittle glue. You can damp it, it helps to keep the dust down. When you are done and each page is separate, DO NOT shuffle them like a deck of cards. Unless you are trying to cause the Head Librarian a nervous breakdown. Instead, bang the pages down as a whole, onto the front of the text block as shown below. If you look closely in this picture the front few pages are shorter than the rest of the block. This will disappear into the spine, but if you bang to the spine the front of your book will look, well, like crap.
Secure the book with rubber bands. Yeah, I know they say never do that, but this book is not 150 years old, trust me, it can take a well placed, a gently placed, eased into position, rubber band. Bang again to be sure your front and sides are all even. Next time, we will apply the glue. There is a special tool for that.
Good tip, thanks!
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