FEEDING THE BOOKS.

Evening Star, Issue 15076, 7 January 1913, Page 6

FEEDING THE BOOKS.

“It is almost time to feed the books,”

woman librarian casually remarked to ’a Now York ‘Sun’ reporter the other day. Her visitor stared. " Feed the—excuse me ; but did you say feed tire books?” “les. Mo feed them twice a. year cm vaseline. They all like it. They’d cry for it if they could—especially the old books, which are drying and dying for want of skin food. Jn this library, which is a private one, there arc thousands of pounds’ worth of rare old books whose leather bindings would crumble to pieces in oiu- overheated buildings if they we nr not regularly fed with oils to supply those t'hich avs constantly drying out of them. We make a little pad of cotton, and with it mb the vaseline thoroughly into the leather, especially into the place where the cover breaks when the book is opened. You will notice that in old books that is always the worst point. If the leather had been Kept supple by vaseline or a similar food the break would have been avoided.” “But won’t the books be so greasy that it will be unpleasant to handle them except, after providing oneself with a. kitchen apron and old gloves?” “ No. not if the vaseline is thorouglrly rubbed in,” said the librarian, in conclusion. “ You have no idea how the leather fairly gobbles it up. Old leather, I mean. Newer hooks Jo not need it so much, and therefore we do not feed them so often. ’