Dream Life (1893) by Ik Marvel (Donald Grant Mitchell)

O R I G I N A L C O N D I T I O N

Publisher’s binding in thin purplish-brown cloth. Titled and decorated on the spine and top cover with gold, primarily worn away on spine but bright on boards. Boards well attached to textblock, interior hinge sound, “sewing” (stapling) apparently stable. Exterior hinge split and worn. Spine piece split horizontally at title. Spine lining revealed to be printing waste. Cover abraded heavily down to the board. Edges and corners worn.

T R E A T M E N T

The case spine was removed and the original covering material lifted. The textblock’s spine was lined with Japanese tissue. The areas around the staples used to attach the endsheets were lightly filled with a linen-cord paste to prevent the metal from wearing through the joints. A new spine piece was built from toned Japanese tissue and ten point folder stock and attached. The old spine was mended, trimmed, and attached. The corners were consolidated with paste. Cosmetic touchups were performed on the abrasions on the cover, edges, and spine area. A custom four-flap was created to house the book.

Date Completed: 10 February 2020