Deagol wrote:
Elwe - What did you use to clean it?
I didn't do much to clean that copy of the SD Hobbit. It had a somewhat waxy, but dry residue (a little of which was powdery), primarily in the hinge area, to each side of the spine. However, in my case, it was a brand new book with pristine leather, not faded or worn whatsoever. To remove the residue, I used a very soft dry cloth at first, which removed most. For a couple stubborn spots, I very lightly dampened the corner of said cloth with water. I wiped the residue clean and followed with the dry cloth. Probably not the best practice, but the damp cloth never came close to paper, and wasn't allowed to remain on the leather for more than a second or two. Although I never observed any ill effects of my treatment, if faced with the same situation again I would probably only use the dry microfiber.
You would think there would be 'leather conditioning' products available specifically for books, but I don't know of anything I would use regularly or trust for use on rare or antiquarian books. I know that the best thing for leather books is actually to handle them and allow the oils from your hands to condition the leather. However, my hands are usually so dry that they would be pulling oil from the book instead of giving it, and most of my books never get handled anyway for fear of damaging them. So, what to do?...
That said, if it were copy #90 of the Super Deluxe Silmarillion (or any other copy of the SD Silmarillion) that needed cleaning, I wouldn't touch it. If any restoration/cleaning were required, I would send to a professional. If this were an Easton Press Silmarillion, I might consider attempting to clean it myself, but those books are easy to replace and relatively cheap - not even in the same category as the Super Deluxe Sil.
Congratulations to whomever is the new proud owner of #90!
-Steve
I think we all know who the proud owner is (Khamul), congratulations once again (no editing of my post this time)
Yes, okay, it's me! Apologies for editing your post Trotter .
I just wanted to gauge opinion of the auction itself without the bias of everyone knowing I bought it. (I didn't actually have it when I first opened the thread.) I'm totally bloody smitten! [There are some issues with the condition, but I'll ignore them for now...]
BH
I just wanted to gauge opinion of the auction itself without the bias of everyone knowing I bought it. (I didn't actually have it when I first opened the thread.) I'm totally bloody smitten! [There are some issues with the condition, but I'll ignore them for now...]
BH
Khamul wrote:
Cheers! I'll post some pictures up in a bit.
BH
Glad it was someone from TCG that got it (and for love, not profit!). It always irks me when one of the major dealers picks things like this up.
Stu
PS. I may have to kill you and steal it, though :)
Yes, Khamul, I am also pleased that someone here got it. In fact, I can't think of anyone I would rather had won it. (Well, maybe one person ... )
- wellinghall
- wellinghall