Featured Japanese-french silk handbooks dated 1904 - how to preserve them?

Hello! I'm new here, english is not my mother tongue, please be kind with me.

I've inherited a dozen of these silk handbooks printed in Japan and written in french, but I'm not an expert and I have no idea how to preserve and protect them (honestly, they are still wrapped up in a single plastic bag since they gave me). Can you please help me with some suggestions? Thank you!

 

Hi Tom! Welcome to Antiquers!

Wish I could help.......

 

Welcome, Tom. We have members from many different places and your English is very comprehensible. Your question would be best answered by members who are knowledgeable about textiles, not books, but your title will alert them to your need.

 

Not an expert but I do know that, typically, valuable books are stored in archival boxes. They shield the books from sunlight and dust. They also contain no chemicals that would cause damage over time. This company specializes in them. As you will see, different types are available.

http://www.gaylord.com

Debora

 

Hello, Tom. Can you please post a few photos of the individual book covers, the first page with the title and author, and any page that shows information about a publisher or date of publication? I don't immediately recognize the series, but I might be able to find some information about them for you.

Debora is right, an archival box would be the safest way to store them.

 

My favorite words in the English language -- "Debora is right."

You Know Who

 

Oh, and they're not silk. They're crepe paper. Your books are likely part of series described here.

https://www.metmuseum.org/blogs/in-circulation/2016/crepe-paper

Debora

 

How cool! I thought books posted looked like stories.

Will add that archival tissue paper is also made. Since the main difference between archival paper products & regular paper is that it is lignin-free, not sure how useful it is to protect something with lignin already in it. See it is recommended for silk.

 

I'm a firm believer... when in doubt, ask. Blog post by Watson Library "Senior Book Conservation Coordinator." Very possible she'd be happy to give advice. And very possible she'd be interested in French volumes as they don't appear to be in the Met's collection. (She might also be willing to give some idea of value.)

Debora

 

Her contact information is here:

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/libraries-and-research-centers/thomas-j-watson-library/staff-directory

 

Archival papers come in two basic types, buffered and unbuffered. Both are acid free, meaning they contain no lignin or other acidic products. Most archival papers are also buffered, meaning they have an alkaline material, like calcium carbonate, added so that they have the ability to absorb some acidity from their environment and still remain neutral or above pH. The second type is unbuffered. These papers have a neutral pH, but no added alkaline agent. The general rule of thumb is to use buffered paper to protect objects derived from plant materials (such as paper), but to use unbuffered paper around objects derived from animal materials (such a wool, silk, leather, etc.). Alkaline materials have the potential to harm animal materials over time.

 

Hello Tom! What country are you in? Those books look interesting.

 

Thanks for this. When I was writing my post, started to mention buffered/unbuffered, but did not feel I really understood well enough to be accurate. As someone with a lot of money invested in calcium carbonate (shell cameos), it has been important to me to know how best to prevent Byne's 'disease'. It seems counterintuitive that buffered paper wouldn't be the better choice, but can see that it might lead to a sort of contagion unless you changed it regularly.

Tom, you will become accustomed to our having side conversations on threads that are about some other thing. It is another way we share knowledge.

 

Yes, shell may be one of the exceptions to the rule of thumb. They are a combination of protein material and calcium carbonate. Bynes was first recognized as a problem in shell collections stored in oak cabinets. Oak is very acidic, and the acids can react with the shell to form calcium acetate and calcium formate crystals. The reaction seems to be catalyzed by any chlorides remaining in the shells from their original salt water environment. So you want to avoid any acidic storage containers or materials. A good compromise might be to use archival, buffered boxes, and unbuffered tissue around the cameos. With cameos, you are also dealing with whatever the mounts are made of, which might themselves be sources of contamination. It is always more challenging to deal with "composite" objects.

 

For anyone who wants more on this topic:

https://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/11-15.pdf

 

https://www.google.ch/search?q=chir...dAhVOyRoKHVO8CtoQsAR6BAgGEAE&biw=1120&bih=540

 

Thank you so much for all the answer! I live in Italy, Milan. Yes, it's the series that Debora linked.

The first one is dated around 1886 as the website says (18th year of the Meiji period).

Unfortunately I noticed the series is of 20 handbooks but I own just 14 of them.

Do you think it is worth spending money to preserve them or ask for an evaluation? Some of the covers are not in a good condition also. .

 

buongiorno.
JMHO. if you intend to sell them, simply put them into fresh plastic bags.
prices seem to vary from very little to extremely high.
German site:
https://www.zvab.com/buch-suchen/textsuche/takejiro-hasegawa/
best prices for editions in French would probably be achieved in Paris at auction houses like Drouot:
https://www.drouot.com/
or simply try it at a specialised auction house for asian art in Milano.
buon pranzo.

 

Hasegawa was an important Japanese publisher, producing many series of pretty little books such as yours.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasegawa_Takejirō

Prices in America tend to range from $100-250 each, sometimes more if the condition is exceptional, or in areas with a large Asian population. English versions might be priced higher here.

Be careful about using plastic bags for storage, or even temporarily while for sale. In some cases (during times of high humidity, or out in the sun) they can trap moisture inside the bag and cause serious damage to the book (or ruin it outright). Archival cardboard boxes and paper are usually the safest material to choose for storage.

 

From the titles, these look delightful. See the 20 of them came as a boxed set.