The Care and Feeding of Books Old and New: A Simple Repair Manual for Book Lovers

This breezily written guide to repairing books (and many other aspects of book buying and collecting) is a good introduction to its topic for the casual collector. The writing is extremely clear and simple, and the authors do not give advice on more advanced repairs in which you might do damage to the book. It is more of the "how do I get the price tag off the jacket?" or "what do I do about a dirty fingerprint on a page?" variety. And that IS helpful. At some point, the reader becomes aware that the book is no longer talking about book repair but about various topics that become less and less related to the original topic: how to store books, how to handle books, libraries, book borrowing, and so on. I found this somewhat entertaining, though it does not fit into the book's putative topic, as given in the title and subtitle. The authors write in a style that is very informal, with many references to their own lives and experiences. This makes the book easy to read, and it is generally not overdone so much as to become cutesy-wutesy. However, the authors' constant references to dog, including the most far-fetched analogies between book care and dog care, did become tiresome. No matter how much the authors love dogs, they should understand that most such references are not actually useful and that some readers may be cat people--or even just book people. However, the effect of this was not to impede understanding; it was simply annoying a few times. Overall, a good, short introduction to this topic that is easy to read.

The Care and Feeding of Books Old and New is a lovely little volume that provides the novice book repairer with all the information they need to make minor repairs on damaged books. The authors do an excellent job of describing the tools needed and methods to be used, and are very clear about what sort of damage should be tackled only by an experienced book binder. The repair of loose pages and broken hinges are covered, as well as what to do about a stinky book. I believe this is an excellent book for any bibliolater (defined by the authors to mean anyone with an extravagant devotion to books) to have on their book shelf. With the dust jacket in a protective cover, of course.

If you are serious about your book collection or if you buy antique or used books add this one to your collection. It is really quite charming. The authors are entertaining and give valuble information in a way that novices can understand and appreciate. You don't have to get out an archivist catalog and buy a $100 kit to take care of your books. Margot Rosenberg and Bern Marcowitz show how to use perfectly common household items to do the same thing. Buy this book right now. It will pay for itself within the week.

Margot Rosenberg and Bern Markowitz wrote "The Care and Feeding of Books Old and New" after repeatedly being queried by their customers on how to care for old books. The couple owned Dog Lovers Bookshop in Manhattan (now on the web), which specialized in the literature of dogs, including many old and esoteric volumes. Inspired by basic handbooks for new dog owners, they set out to write a common sense guide to book ownership that covered routine care and basic first aid. In that, they have largely succeeded. This book would be a useful and much appreciated addition to the collection of any reader who isn't an expert, but is interested in keeping his or her books in top shape through preventive measures and minor repairs. It's a fantastic help for anyone who frequently purchases secondhand books that would benefit from a little clean-up. The book starts out with an explanation of the common household products, as well as some specialized products, that will be of use to you in maintaining and repairing books. Then the authors talk about conditions which pose a threat to books -mold, insects, water, dirt, etc.- and what you can do to remedy the damage. There is a chapter on cleaning books and a chapter on repairing them. Both chapters address all parts of the book, including dust jackets. Most of the advice is for hardback books, but some of it applies equally to paperbacks. The discussion of book repair includes a section on professional bookbinding in case your book's affliction is beyond the scope of an amateur. There is a lengthy and informative interview with John Landau, owner of Find Binding and expert bibliopegist. The authors go on to recommend the best ways to handle, store and protect books. And this guide to book ownership concludes with some fun ideas on how to promote the good care of books, followed by a glossary of terms, an amusing list of words pertaining to books whose root is "biblio", recommendations for further reading, a list of suppliers, organizations that offer classes in book arts, and, finally, a little travel guide for those who want to walk "a bibliomaniac's Manhattan mile". I'm giving "The Care and Feeding of Books Old and New" five stars because it contains so much useful information, presented in a humorous tone at a jaunty pace. I have one reservation about the book, however: It would benefit tremendously from some illustrations. A diagram of a book's "anatomy" with parts labeled would make it so much easier to understand instructions, as would a few additional illustrations of the more complex repairs. The absence of any illustrations sometimes seems like a major oversight. But I'm sure that book lovers will find a lot to like and to use in this little guide. And it would make a thoughtful gift for any amateur bibliophile.

This is a wonderful reference book for all book lovers and collectors. It has great tips for maintaining, repairing and storing books. It included a lot of information I had to glean from dealers over the years, such as: creating a book press to flatten warped books, how to choose a public storage unit so as to best protect your books, how to repair books when the pages are coming out, dealing with humidity, removing odors from books, etc. I suspect that this book will be in print for decades. Its a very "real world" book and is written simply, not bogged down with antiquarian terms. It also has a great bibliography and list of online resources. The only negative things I can say about this book is that I got tired of hearing about the dogs (the authors run a bookstore devoted to all things canine) and that not enough information was given about the special considerations of vintage paperbacks. Overall, an indispensable book for the "everyman" book collector.