CONDITION ON RECEIPT: The full rigid parchment binding was very worn and deteriorated. The boards were warped. The joints were broken and the binding was detached from the text block. The parchment was stained and there were small areas of loss particularly along the edges and on the spine. Turn-ins had sprung causing the pastedowns to tear. Sewing supports had torn away from the boards. The text block consisted of pages with entries in a variety of manuscript inks. A few graphite pencil notations appeared throughout. The inks varied in intensity and some inks were faint. The ink had bled through to the reverse of some pages and several pages were blank.  Entries were written beginning at both the front and back of the volume. The text block consisted of six-folio sections sewn on four parchment slips. The sewing was broken and several leaves were detached. Exterior leaves had been oversewn onto the text block. Two loose leaves were tucked into the text block. At least two leaves had been cut from the volume; two narrow stubs remained. The pages were dirty, discolored and acidic. Most of the pages had many small tears along the edges.  Many pages were broken along the fold. Some of the exterior leaves were particularly torn and had suffered losses.  Inks tested on a few pages were soluble in ethanol and water. A small document written in ink was adhered to the front pastedown; the adhesive used had discolored the paper.

 

TREATMENT PERFORMED: Written and photographic documentation was provided.  The volume was collated and disbound. The inks were tested for solubility. The head, tail, and pages were surface cleaned where necessary. The pages were washed in a solution of ethanol and filtered water and then alkalized (deacidified) with calcium hydroxide. The pages were sized with a ½% solution of gelatin.  The pages with soluble ink were not washed. Tears were mended and folds guarded where necessary with Japanese kozo paper and wheat starch paste.  Handmade paper endsheets with linen hinges were attached. The volume was sewn on ramieband and vellum tapes with linen thread. The volume was case bound in full parchment using a limp structure. A sheet of buffered interleaving was placed between the pastedowns of the previous binding. The loose leaves were mended and were placed in polyester sleeves in a buffered folder. The volume, loose leaves and previous binding were housed in a custom drop-spine box.