Restoration of Family Bible

[NickT]

Hi,

Can anyone advise me how to go about having a Family Bible restored?

It needs rebinding and a few pages are damaged, loose or missing but otherwise mainly intact.

Nick

[dennford]

Hi there
      Book restoration and conservation is something that has to be tackled with care, using materials that will not damage or react with the original paper,glue and thread.
       You have two alternatives as far as I can see, the first and most expensive is to use a book restoration service, making sure that they are reputable and experienced inrestoring old books. The second is to enroll in a bookbinding coarse - these vary from basic to in depth coarses, if you have some degree of manual skill this may be preferable and the satisfaction of completing this by your own effort would add to your own value of the bible.
                                               Denn
P.S.     I would imagine Prue would have some good advice on the matter  - her skills lie in that direction.
                                               Denn

[PrueM]

Did I hear my name?? 

Denn has given you very good and sound advice.  Both of those options are totally acceptable and it's up to you which route you follow.   If you decide to take your bible to a restorer/conservator, you must make sure that the person is qualified and preferable a member of their professional organisation - that way, you know that they will know what they're doing, and be bound by a professional code of ethics and practice.

I see you are in the UK - in that case, you can have a look at http://www.conservationregister.com/Search.asp to find a conservator in your area.  You need either a book conservator or a conservation bookbinder.

Hope that helps

Prue

[NickT]

Thank you for your advice.  I think I may look into taking a course myself.

Nick