Artificial Engine Blog

pbr /In this modern world of e-news, internet, e-mail and such itrsquo;s sometimes difficult to remember that our old friend the printed word is still around in various shapes and forms.nbsp; In this short article Irsquo;m going to give you some practical information as to how you can display and care for some of your more fragile friends, the printed page.br /br /Books, we all know that books are keys to wisdoms treasure but what happens when they get past 20 years old.nbsp; Many of the books printed in the 20th century are getting a bit long in the tooth.nbsp; Paperback books particularly printed in the 1950rsquo;s through to the 1970rsquo;s are a real worry now.nbsp; Even if they have been looked after the pages will be getting yellow and fragile.br /br /Why is this?nbsp; Basically the paper used through-out the 20th century was mechanically made; it will not last like the rag paper of the 1800rsquo;s.nbsp; Also many books were not bound by stitching but glued.nbsp; In the early part of the century this glue was often made using animal based products and the glue looses its vitality after 30 or so years.nbsp; How the books have been stored and cared for is also important.br /br /In truth the enemy of old and a title=Antiquarian Books href=http://ankhantiquarianbooks.com.au/ target=_blankantiquarian books/a is sun-light and damp. To maximize the life of your books you must try and keep them dry and away from strong light. nbsp;br /br /Also about once a year take them all off the bookshelf, sort out any that need attention.nbsp; Clean the shelves down with any good proprietary cleaner and using the low setting on your vacuum and the little soft brush gently vacuum the tops of the books and even a gentle flick through to pull out any dust.nbsp; Then place the books back on the shelves.nbsp; Sometimes if you are in a very dusty environment a plastic sheet across the top of the books will help protect them. nbsp;br /br /If silverfish are a problem in your house a little napthaline flakes will keep them away. (if you have children or pets remember this stuff is poisonous) or you might like to look for a herbal solution like lavender or eucalyptus oil. nbsp;br /br /Paperbacks -nbsp; I collect Penguin and Pelican paperbacks from the 1950rsquo;s through to the 70rsquo;s.nbsp; Even today you can still find really good editions in great condition for around $10-$40.nbsp; Itrsquo;s a great way to start collecting near antiquarian editions; however the fading problems are huge with these books.nbsp; Storing them away from light is paramount in keeping these books in tip top condition.nbsp; In years to come they will increase in value as they become rarer and are a good thing to collect.br /br /Laminated items, Mounted on boards ndash; although it is true to say once yoursquo;ve laminated or mounted a poster on a board its lost forever, so if you can avoid doing this; But sometimes you buy things like posters that are already laminated, or mounted.nbsp; These can be displayed by being pinned (in the corners), if dusty a quick wipe over is all they need.nbsp; However they should not be hung where direct sun-light can hit their surfaces.br /br /Photographs, I suggest photographs should be put into clear plastic sleaves for display, or else if very rare they should be framed on Ph neutral paper, or stored in folders or boxes between Ph neutral tissue paper works well with large collections.br /br /Newspapers and Newsletters.nbsp; Once again they should not be subject to direct sunlight.nbsp; The UV rays in sunlight directly affect the ink used in printing newspapers also as newspaper is really rather a poor quality paper they will brown over time.nbsp; The only way to slow this effect down is to keep them away from light altogether, so storage in boxes with if possible sheets of white paper between them will help to keep them longer./p
pa title=old and rare books href=http://ankhantiquarianbooks.com.au/ target=_blankOld and rare books/a are becoming more and more of a treasure in this age of technology. It is important to take the time to care for them as they can be passed on to the next generation./p