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Archival boxesFig. 4

Archival boxes

Enclosures made to measure, from a simple four flap folder to a cloth covered drop spine box, cut to the millimetre around one book.

  • 2 to 3 weeks
  • No minimum
A cloth covered drop spine box opened flat, in three quarter view: the lid on the left, the spine in the middle joined to both by cloth hinges, and the tray on the right with its board walls. The title label sits on the outside of the spine, drawn dashed because it faces the table. opened flat, cut to the millimetre 4 Title label 4 2 Lid 2 5 Cloth hinge 5 1 Tray 1 3 Spine 3 6 Board walls 6
  1. 1Tray
  2. 2Lid
  3. 3Spine
  4. 4Title label
  5. 5Cloth hinge
  6. 6Board walls

Fig. 4 A drop spine box opened flat

Why a Box

Three things wear out books on a shelf: light, dust and rub.

Light fades cloth and dries leather, and it does it most to the spines, which are the only part on show. Dust settles on the head of the book and works down between the pages. Rub is the slow damage from books going in and out beside their neighbours, which takes the corners first and then the joints.

A box stops all three. It also gives a fragile book something to be carried in, so the hand holds the box and not the binding.

Measuring to the Millimetre

Jitka measures the height, width and depth of each book at three points, because old books are rarely square. Boards warp, spines swell where a book was read most, and a fore edge can be a few millimetres thicker at the tail than at the head.

A box made from measurements taken at home is usually a few millimetres out, which is enough for a book to slide about inside or stick on the way out. So the book is best brought to the workshop or posted to it, and the details for posting are on the page for writing to the bindery.

Two Kinds of Enclosure

  • Four flap enclosure in archival board

    450 to 750 CZK

    A folder of acid free board that wraps the book on four sides and closes with a flap. Light and quick, and the right answer for a pamphlet, a thin book or a book that will travel.

    • 2 to 3 weeks

  • Drop spine box, made to measure

    1,300 to 2,600 CZK

    Two trays of board covered in bookcloth, joined by a spine with a title label. The box opens flat on the table and the book lifts straight out, without being pulled.

    • 2 to 3 weeks

The title on the label can be stamped in foil, at 350 CZK per line, or left for you to write by hand.

Runs of Boxes

There is no minimum. A single four flap enclosure is as welcome as a run of twenty boxes, and a run is quoted per size, so books of the same height and depth share a price.

For a shelf or a collection of 30 books or more within 50 km of Brno, Jitka will come and look before quoting. A visit is free inside the city and 9 CZK per km beyond it, and the books stay where they are until the quote is agreed.

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