Originally published in The Baum Bugle, vol. 57, no. 1 (Spring 2013), pgs. 20–25
Citations
Chicago 17th ed.:
Riley, Michael O. “Collecting Oz Books: Repair, Restore, or Conserve?” Baum Bugle 57, no. 1 (2013): 20–25.
MLA 9th ed.:
Riley, Michael O. “Collecting Oz Books: Repair, Restore, or Conserve?” The Baum Bugle, vol. 57, no. 1, 2013, pp. 20–25.
(Note: In print, this article was supplemented with illustrations that have not been reproduced here. However, typographical errors have been left in place to accurately reflect the printed version.)
Part of the title—“Repair, Restore, or Conserve?”—has been taken from the name of a required course offered by the American Academy of Bookbinding, and it concisely states the three possibilities that face an Oz collector when dealing with a book in less than perfect condition. Restoration is by far the most complicated of the three options because restoration work is a combination of specialized skills that have to be learned and practiced over a long period of time, and not every bookbinder also specializes in that area. Because I have been a bookbinder and a book restorer for many years but do not take commissions professionally now, I am often asked for an unbiased opinion about the advisability of buying a damaged and/or incomplete copy of a rare book to have restored. This is a question that is fairly easy to answer for any particular book, but almost impossible to answer generally. The ideas fueling the question are usually that the book is one that the potential buyer has not been able to find or afford in good condition and that restoration will make that damaged or incomplete copy worth the money spent on it. Increasingly booksellers, both professional and amateur, are encouraging this idea by noting in their book descriptions (after a long list of the book’s defects) “a good candidate for restoration.” On the surface, this sounds like a good idea, but too often what the phrase really means is “if you’ll swallow this idea, I can charge more for a defective book than it’s worth.” And what the phrase also implies is that good book restorers are easy to find, that the expense of the restoration itself is negligible, and that the book’s value is restored by restoration. Unfortunately, all these implications are untrue.
The most basic things collectors should know about book restoration—good book restoration—is (1) that it is expensive and (2) that really good book restorers are not in large supply. Yes, seemingly miraculous things can be accomplished through restoration, but the more that has to be done to the book, the more it costs, until the bill can be many times what the book is actually worth. The following very sensible advice is given on the web site of Tulip Bookbinding: “. . . it is important to note that it is far more cost effective to find a replacement for your damaged book(s). For this reason, most of our effort is targeted on books that cannot be replaced, or have tremendous sentimental value.” (www.tulipbookbinding.com)
With that said, there are many circumstances where restoration can be a good idea, but the book collector has to know what those circumstances are by doing the homework. The collector needs to know the difference between book repair and book restoration, to recognize the difference between good repairs and bad repairs, to know what it is going to cost, and to recognize when a book “restoration” goes too far and verges on facsimile (forgery—which is not a good thing and can involve fraud). And probably most important, the collector needs to know the bibliographic make-up of the actual book that is to be restored. Even the best book restorer cannot know intimately every book that he/she works on; that is the responsibility of the collector, and it is up to the collector to consult with the restorer, to direct the restoration, and to provide all important bibliographic information vital to the restoration of the volume. For example, even very skilled book workers often restore the cover of the Hill Wizard with the green band running continuously across the back cover, spine, and front cover. It was not originally continuous; there were separate blocking dies for the green band on each which left a small gap at each joint of from 1/16 to 1/8 inch. Because many copies have the spine cloth torn in those areas, the gap is not visible to the book worker who has to make an assumption about the book’s original appearance. This kind of information has to come from the owner if the book is to be restored authentically.
The Rare Book World in General
Even though Baum/Oz collectors have a specialized area of interest, they are still part of the larger world of rare book collectors and need to be aware of the cri-teria by which that world operates to make informed decisions about restora-tion. The cardinal rule for any rare book collecting is: Buy the best possible copy available. Condition really is all-important. And that is as true of children’s books as it is for any other kind. Yes, children do often love a book to death, but in most cases, with enough diligence and patience, acceptable copies can be found. However, books in that condition are quite rightly more expensive. What if the collector cannot afford those prices? Then the advice is: Buy the best copy that you can afford and then upgrade to a better copy in the future.
Anyone with a more than passing interest in col-lecting books should own some reference works about collecting. One of the most helpful, most comprehen-sive, and most respected is John Carter’s ABC for Book Collectors. This book is an education in itself and the standards it adheres to are those of the larger book-col-lecting world, including rare book libraries and high-end private collectors. Under the entry for “CONDITION,” Carter notes: “the two most urgent considerations in the mind of the book-collector are probably (a) the rarity of the edition, (b) the condition of the copy.”[1] And by “condition,” he means “original condition.” But he goes on to say that “. . . there are occasions when a restored, MADE-UP, RE-JOINTED, RE-BACKED, CROPPED, WASHED or even RECASED copy may be welcomed to the shelf. The collector should learn enough about the restora-tion of books to be able to recognize such shortcomings from fine original condition when he sees them; for the exceptions must be very carefully calculated, and nothing is so mortifying as to discover an imperfection in a book which has been on one’s shelves for years.”[2]
While the copy in fine and un-doctored condition is the goal of the serious collector, most of us do not always have the resources to aim so high or the patience to wait until such a copy appears on the market. What about all the stages of condition from that perfect copy down to the copy ready for the dumpster? And how does this apply to Oz collections? It would seem like restoration would fit somewhere in there, and of course it does.
Oz Collections in Particular
As an Oz collector myself, I can offer these ideas from my years of collecting, bookbinding, and observation. Those of us who specialize mainly in the books—the entire Oz series and all of Baum’s works—usually evolve through three levels.
(1) The collectors who want to obtain copies of all the important texts. There has never been an easier time for this because of the reprints offered by Dover Publications, Books of Wonder, Hungry Tiger Press, and a host of print-on-demand services. And because the Oz books, at least, were published for a number of years in much the same formats as their original appearances, it is even possible to have a collection of Reilly & Lee editions without spending great sums of money. It is also fairly easy to acquire many of Baum’s other books in older editions if condition is not important. Because most of us begin collecting as children with limited resources, this is a good way to start; however, some collectors legitimately choose to remain at this level because the texts are what are important to them. And of course, at any level of collecting, the urge to improve the appearance of the books is almost irresistible so we often, after learning some elementary skills, try to make necessary repairs to make the books more useful. In fact, that is exactly how I got interested in bookbinding and book restoration many years ago. Usually, though, these books would not repay the services of a professional bookbinder or book restorer, and so home repairs carried out with some knowledge of good conservation practices are probably the best way to go.
(2) Usually the next evolution in Oz book collecting is to be bitten by the “first edition bug.” Most of Baum’s first editions are more sumptuous than the later printings, and many are also important books in the history of book design. When the aim of the collector is to assemble a set of first editions, this brings the collection up to a new level. Collectors often move to this level when their resources increase and they can spend more on the collection. And while the first editions will be more expensive, it is still very possible to collect at this level without spending an inordinate amount of money if the collector exercises patience and vigilance. Although the desire to build the collection quickly and snap up any needed book when it appears regardless of condition is hard to resist, the reality is that, with the exception of some of Baum’s self-published titles, none of his books, or the later Oz series, is exceptionally rare as rarity is understood in the book world—no, not even the Hill While we would like to believe that we are part of a huge collecting community, the number of aggressive collectors of Baum and Oz has never been large, as some dealers learn to their sorrow. And in recent years, eBay and books search sites like ABEbooks have radically altered our idea of rarity.[3]
And on the subject of value, there is another issue that becomes of concern at this level of collecting: the potential re-sale value of the collection. While most of us blanch at the thought of selling our beloved books, at this level, justifying the money spent on the collection usually becomes an important issue. Even the most avid collector does not want to throw money away. I think that it is at this level of collecting that the idea of purchasing a defective or imperfect copy of a first edition and having it restored is probably most appealing, and the significant thing to keep in mind here is that not every defective book is “a good candidate for restoration”. For example: a book that is damaged but complete is usually a better choice than a book that may be damaged less but is incomplete.
(3) The third common level of collectors is the “serious” ones who are willing and able to put even larger resources into their collections. Of course, we are all serious about our love for Baum and Oz, but I label these collectors “serious” because they have moved up to the level where their collections are judged by the high standards of the general rare book world—judged against collectors and collections in other areas—and are held to the standards of the best rare book libraries. These collectors have to be even more concerned with the value of their collections and with maintaining that value in the open market whether they intend someday to sell the collection or whether they intend to donate the collection to a library or museum. At this level, the rarity is determined by the condition of the book—the type of copies these collectors seek are those in the very best condition—and 99% of the time this means the best complete original condition—clean, un-doctored, and unrepaired. These are the copies that command the big bucks, and of course, these are the copies that need no or, at the most, minimal and very skillfully done restoration.
Intent
The boundaries among these three levels are not sharp, and probably most of us have aspects of each one in our collecting habits, but the majority of us fit into level two where restoration is often a most attractive option. Why then, not make our books look as good as possible even if it means patching together several defective copies of a book? Why not a heavily worked over copy where the cover has been repainted with acrylic paints? Why not have the old tape stains painted over? Etc., Etc. At this point, final intent should be the guiding force behind how the collection is treated.
Very few individual collectors collect rare books in general—even rare book libraries have their special areas of interest. So why should the individual pay all that much attention to the guidelines of the rare-book world at large? To answer that, the collector needs to ask: “What is my ultimate intent for the collection I’m spending so much time and money on? What do I plan to do with the collection before or after I die?” These are not questions most of us like to consider because they remind us that the collection is something separate from our love of it and that it will continue after we cease to. But it is a question that needs to be answered because the answer can determine how we collect and how we treat our collections. Very few book collectors would answer that they do not care—that the books can be donated to Goodwill or put in a yard sale. Most of the time, the answer is something along these lines: I plan to sell the collection to help finance my retirement; I plan to donate the collection to a good rare book library for the use of scholars and lovers of rare books; I plan to leave the collection to my children/spouse as their inheritance. Any of these answers puts you in the greater world of rare books where the agreed upon criteria for condition (fine and unrestored) do very much affect the value of the individual book and to the collection as a whole. To ensure that the collection maintains its value, the matter of restoration is something that has to be dealt with. When looked at by experts, the questions about restoration will be asked book by book: Yes? No? How much? Too much? Well done? Botched?
The Options
And finally, this brings us back to the three options the collector has: “Repair, Restore, or Conserve?” Repair can be dealt with quickly because it is focused on making the book usable and durable, and while all bookbinders want to do pleasing work, beauty and authenticity are secondary considerations when the goal is repair. All good bookbinders are skilled in book repair. In addition to repair, all good bookbinders are usually also skilled in doing period or designer leather bindings. This is a good alternative for a treasured book whose cover has been so damaged that restoration would mean making a replica of the original cover. Good designer bindings are valuable and collectable in their own right.
Restoration, however, involves taking a book back as close as possible to its original condition and appearance, and not all bookbinders are trained in it. And sometimes the demands of restoration and repair are at odds with each other. For example, when restoring a copy of the Hill Wizard, should the original (thus authentic) sewing pattern[4] be followed even though the pattern has a built in weakness in it, or should the restorer opt for a stronger, but inauthentic, pattern? It may seem that strength is an easy answer, but a serious collector may decide to keep the book totally authentic in its construction. After all, the restored copy will not be subjected to the use it got originally so the authentic sewing pattern may be just as good as a stronger one. These are the kinds of decisions that have to be made in discussion between the owner and the restorer and that cannot be left totally to the discretion of the book restorer. The collector should always remember that a good professional book restorer will offer a full range of services that can be applied to most books, from the most minimal up to the point where there is serious danger of the book become a facsimile of the original. It is the responsibility of the collector to decide just how much work should be done within this range of possibilities—striving for a balance where the book is improved but still can be said to be original.
Since “restoration” in some fields such as architecture can stretch to include reconstruction from scratch with new materials, it is possible to say that anything can be restored depending on how loosely the word is defined and/or how much money can be spent. But with books everything always returns to “original condition.” The better the beginning condition of the copy, the more judicious restoration can do for it and preserve its value. The more damaged and incomplete the copy—the more the book has to be pieced back together, patched, and re-painted, the less authentic the finished book is and the more of its value it loses. Just as the owner of a house must disclose any problems and past repairs done to the house before sale, an honest bookseller will disclose all work that has been done to a book. A basic rule of restoration is that all work is documented, and that documentation should always accompany the book when it is bought and sold. It is an illusion to think that good restoration work is completely undetectable; it will be detectable by any bookbinder or knowledgeable dealer.
And finally, we come to the third option: Conserve. High-end collectors usually protect their especially rare books with boxes—either slipcases or clamshell boxes—made especially for the individual books. These boxes can range from cloth covered to highly decorated leather covers that mimic the look of a fine binding on the shelf. They range in prices depending on the elaborateness of the book.
This is also becoming the dominant trend in the great rare book libraries, although the boxes made are more utilitarian. These boxes are less expensive to make than the cost of restoration would be, but economy is not the main reason for doing this. These libraries have had much experience with the long-term effects of bad and inaccurate restoration—with the sometimes-irreversible damage to the book itself done by untested materials used in restoring books. But an additional reason for conserving the books in boxes is that in many cases not enough study has been done on a particular book to enable accurate restoration work to be done. This may even be truer of modern books than ones several centuries old. It was the lack of detailed knowledge about the various combinations of elements in the Hill Wizard that led to my study of the book A Bookbinder’s Analysis of the First Edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Book Club of California, 2011), and even with the new bibliographic description I was able to make and the six common variations the book is found in that I was able to identify, there is still much we do not know about The Wizard, especially the sequence of the binding cases in 1901 and 1902. We may now understand why certain of the plates fall out and go missing, but we now also understand that there were more printings of the color plates than previously thought, and that makes it more difficult to get it right when replacing a missing plate with one from another more defective copy. Therefore, for a rare book library, another advantage of conserving the rare book in a box is that when more is known about it or attitudes change in the future, the book has not been harmed and can be dealt with appropriately then.
Slipcases and book boxes then are good solutions for libraries and high-end collectors, but they are also good solutions for collectors at all levels. After all, there is a limit to the extent that attractive bookcases and careful arrangement of the books can affect the overall appearance of the collection if some of the prize books look less than presentable on the shelves. And slipcases and clam-shell boxes, while highlighting these books in a pleasing way, have several distinct advantages over restoration: (1) they cost less; (2) many more goodbookbinders make them than specialize in restoration; and (3) the original binding can be preserved. This latter can be of especial importance in the case of one of the really rare Baum items like By the Candelabra’s Glare. Baum was a trained printer, but he was not a trained bookbinder and this book was very awkwardly put together by him and is, therefore, often found in loose or worse condition. Off hand then, it might seem like “a perfect candidate for restoration,” but some of the value of this book for collectors is that Baum himself actually handled it, that he sewed and glued it together, that even in its now less than perfect condition, it is still closer to the way he left it than it would be if restored. A clamshell box would be the perfect solution for the storage, display, and use of this unique item. What does it matter if the appearance of this book is not so attractive? Book boxes can be made as elaborate as you want and can afford. What better way to honor and protect a prize volume than to have a leather-covered, elaborately gold-tooled box made for it!
While book boxes have advantages over restoration, there really is no need to separate restoration and the protection of a book with a book box or slipcase. When a collector has opted to have good and expensive restoration work done on an appropriate and deserving copy, that copy should be protected in a book box. That is the perfect combination: a copy that good judicious restoration has made even more valuable preserved in a beautifully constructed book box.
At the beginning of this article, I said that it is easy to answer the question of whether to buy a book that needs restoration for an individual volume, but very difficult to answer the question in general terms. I hope, however, that I have suggested some approaches to the question and possible solutions that will give the collector food for thought when managing his/her collection. One of the aspects of collecting that is little addressed is the joy we collectors get out of arranging and displaying our collections. The arrangements themselves are statements about the collections and about us. The decisions we make about restoration and preserving the books are also statements—we hope positive.
Notes
[1] John Carter, ABC for Book Collectors, Seventh Edition Revised by Nicolas Barker (New Castle, Delaware: Oak Knoll Press, 1997),
[2] Ibid., 70–71. In addition to the terms in capitals above, the collector is also directed to Carter’s entries for “DOCTORED” and “SOPHISTICATED” for valuable information.
[3] In reference to these online sites, it is good to remember that just because a book is offered by a seller at a very high price does not mean that it is worth that price or that it will sell for that Also, be aware that in an auction situation, a high selling price can be the result of competition between only two interested parties and not a bidding war among hundreds. The selling price will most likely go down once those two have acquired copies.
[4] By “sewing pattern” is meant the number and placement of the stitches in the center of each The original pattern for Wizard leaves the bottom inch and a half unsupported except by the glued-on tail band. This is not a problem with light use but can encourage the sewing to begin to break down with heavy use.
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