Rebacking

This treatment is normally used when a book spine, board or boards become detached from the book. The norm is for binding structures to break or split along the spine edge where it hinges, this can be due to some of the causes mentioned previously or it can be because of poor quality materials or improper binding construction.

The process

• The original spine is carefully removed where possible and set aside for use later
• Book linings are stripped away from the spine to reveal the original sewing, which is checked to ensure it is strong and unbroken
• The book is pulled down, repaired and resewn should this prove necessary
• The book is relined, the boards re-attached and a new near matching piece of leather pasted and drawn on over the spine but under the original leather on the boards
• The ends are turned in, the headcaps moulded and the booked tied up tight and allowed to dry
• The original endpapers are lifted down the spine edge and a new joint is set in before they are pasted back down again to dry
• The original spine is pared around the edges and pasted down over the new spine and allowed to dry before all the old leather is treated with a leather supplement dressing
• Gold spine lettering would be applied to the new spine should it not be possible to re-use the original

The above describes working on leather bindings but similar treatment is available for cloth bindings, especially where these are bound in ornate or gilt bindings.

The worn corners or edges of the boards often need to be repaired with leather or cloth strips to provide further strengthening around the edges.

In cases where the original boards and spine are missing or too badly damaged we would make new bindings in similar styles to the former, using materials and methods sympathetic to the way it was.