A VERY SPECIAL GIFT FOR THE ANNIVERSARY OF OUR MEETING
Today is the thirty-ninth anniversary of the day my hubby and I first met. To celebrate, he has given me a very special gift.
“The Quiver” – an ancient book
His original plan was to buy me another book with an unusual cover and blank pages, which I could use for art. We looked at many of these on Ebay and there wasn’t anything that particularly grabbed me. Also, I do have several already which I have not started. We then widened our search for “old books” in general, and one in particular seemed to leap off the page and I loved it straight away. He therefore went ahead and bought it, and gave it to me this morning.
Background
“The Quiver” was a weekly, then monthly, magazine whose heyday was in the late 19th century. It contained articles and stories designed for “Sunday reading,” and for general edification of the family. This particular book is the collection of magazines from the year 1884, and was being sold on Ebay by someone who was downsizing. It had belonged to his great-grandparents. If it were me, I would have been very reluctant to part with such a family heirloom! The book is not in a good state, particularly the early pages. The cover has come away from the book block, and many pages are loose and damaged. It is discoloured and the page edges are distressed with age, and the paper is fragile and brittle in the way of old paper.
For me, this is all part of its charm. The book has clearly been handled a great deal, and the wear and tear speak of many stories from a family history of over a century ago. The articles and stories are edifying and very much of the period, and it is illustrated throughout with beautiful engravings.
Here is a taste.
The cover
Inside the cover
The endpapers are a beautiful example of marbling, a traditional pattern for old books.
The initial blank pages before the title page
These pages are often blank in books, to allow for the correct multiples of leaves required to make up each signature of the book. In this case, they are quite badly foxed. The term comes from “Ferrous oxide” (F-Ox), staining caused by fungal spores, and there may be oxidation of ferrous metal fragments in the fibres used to create the paper in the first place. It is a common age-related phenomenon, and for me, again this adds charm as it is authentic ageing. In mixed media art we often add spatters of ink or paint to simulate this vintage look, but it is a great pleasure to find the genuine article.
The title page
Again, there is a great deal of foxing on this page.
Inside pages
Most of the articles and stories have a decorated initial.
A magazine title
Music page.
An example of some of the severely damaged pages. The paper is very fragile.
Some of the beautiful engravings found throughout the volume
My plans
I want to read all the stories and articles for starters! However, handling this severely damaged book is going to cause more damage unless I am very careful. To repair the binding and fix the damaged pages is really the job of a profession conservator. In order to give the book a new lease of life, I propose using the cover, endpapers and many of the illustrations and text pages for further book making and collage. The book’s new life will be spread over many projects! I shall save favourite stories in their entirety as long as the pages are strong enough, and bind them as single signatures where possible, for insertion into new books. I am currently researching the best way to repair, stabilise and preserve severely damaged pages.
This book is really going to be an ongoing resource from which I will mine useful material. It does seem a shame to destroy its entirity in this way, but in its current state it really isn’t viable. In any case, the contents of the book themselves are a compilation of different magazines, so its deconstruction will be a return to its original state in a way.
Since the book is now out of copyright, I shall be able to scan and print pictures or text on more stable paper. I shall also be able to add colour to these, should I so decide, or perhaps edit them digitally for use as collage papers and journaling pages.
As for the cover, this is definitely worth retaining and using for new material. It would make an excellent album cover with its vintage appearance, and I should also be able to retain the endpapers for this purpose.
The possibilities are endless, and it is going to give me years of use and pleasure.
