| Caring for Your Books
Let me begin by saying that I am not a book collector in the classic sense: that is, I care much more about the content of a book than I do about its age, value, or condition. Therefore, I will not be recommending here that you purchase room-size humidity-control systems, special shelving units, or anything else beyond the scope of what a normal, sane person would be willing and able to do. Caring for your books takes only a little common sense. Don't leave them around for the toddler to chew on. Don't lend them to Uncle Ned, who still hasn't returned your copy of Love Story from the 1970's (when he borrowed it). Using them as frisbees is right-out. Oh - and make sure that the dust jacket is aligned with the book before shoving it onto a shelf: I have mangled more than a few book covers that way. Other than that, there are really only three basic considerations: And you thought there was nothing to like about Seattle's weather
Yes, displaying those beautiful Marilyn covers is tempting, but don't do it unless you have a room that is shielded from direct sunlight (or live in perpetually-overcast Seattle). Sunlight can fade colors in a remarkably short amount of time. The dank at the bottom of the stairs
The culprit here is humidity and rapid fluctuations in temperature. Both can harm your books and magazines. Besides - have you ever been in a basement that didn't smell funny? Do you really want your Marilyn books to smell that way? I rest my case. Don't give them a hand Unfortunately, oils on your own hands can damage paper (particularly the older stuff). Some bibliophiles recommend wearing gloves when handling collectibles, but this seems awfully drastic for the average person (besides, you'd feel like a butler - "Oh Jeeves, be a good chap and fetch me my copy of The Prince and the Showgirl"). I get around this problem by purchasing dust-jacket protectors from a library-supply company. The particular company from which I order my dust-jacket covers also carries an incredible supply of materials for book collectors, such as archival-quality storage boxes and binders ("archival-quality" meaning basically that the materials will not damage paper), Mylar bags and envelopes, book-repair kits, and a whole host of other items. If you are interested, the company's information is as follows - call and request a catalog (and, no, I have no personal connection with this company other than that I have ordered from them in the past and have been happy with their products and service):
Demco
Orders within the U.S.: 1-800-356-1200
Fax orders within the U.S.: 1-800-245-1329
International orders: 608-241-1201
Fax orders outside the U.S.: 608-241-1799
Customer Service: 1-800-962-4463 Happy collecting. |
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