Ho Chi Minh CityNguyen Van Binh Book Street first introduced a stall to restore antique books, many of which are hundreds of years old, on the morning of April 24.
Little cat was built with the model of a kiosk specializing in repairing and binding art books. Cao Van Han – the founder of the project – said that the booth was the group’s wish, stemming from love and respect for intellectual heritage.
The representative of the unit said that the need for readers to restore old books is not small. In addition to books and ordination, many people have come to ask technicians to “heal” genealogical books with hundreds of years old, hoping to keep the priceless treasures of the family. After receiving, the experts will find out the status of the work, come up with the most suitable care and cover plan to improve the current state of the work.
Bui Tien Phuc – book restoration expert, event guest – said that he had encountered many cases of poorly preserved books that scared him when he received them. Many people, when they see damaged books, only use clear tape or 502 glue to glue them back. Technicians have to spend a lot of time removing each piece of sticky tape before fixing. In addition, many antique books have thinner paper than normal paper, just touching it will break into pieces because the paper is too brittle when left for a long time.
Ancient works were restored and displayed at the event. Image: Mi Nguyen
According to Mr. Phuc, restorers need to dissect books to observe and identify the type of paper, printing technique and binding style. They will detail the condition of the book, numbering the pages and cleaning according to the condition and requirements with special materials. The technician will then check the pH and acid test of the paper. The ones that have been heavily acidified, the paper is brittle, and easily crumbles, the “book doctors” will use an additional drug to increase the pH of the paper. A stage that requires a lot of meticulousness is to cook the glue and patch up the books, making the foundation for the book.
Each type of book has its own method of repair. For example, Han Nom bibliography needs many different stages than Quoc Ngu, French (Western style) books in the stages of folding pages, pressing books, folding pages, fixing the book’s intestines with paper nails…
Once, Mr. Phuc received a genealogy book of a Lo family in the Central region. When brought in, the book was so old that the paper was twisted together, making it impossible to read the contents. This expert couple must use the technique of water ironing to smooth each page. After being restored, the family members were touched because for the first time they read the messages of their ancestors. “We realize that is the small happiness of those who work as ‘doctors’ to save ancient books,” said Mr. Phuc.
Bui Tien Phuc – book restoration expert – talks about his journey to a career as a “book doctor”. Image: Mi Nguyen
During the event, the booth also displayed a number of specialized tools used to restore books. Many devices are not domestically produced, must be imported from Taiwan, Japan, the UK, the US… Mr. Le Hoang – director of the Ho Chi Minh City Book Street Company – said that the old book restoration booth is a new feature in Vietnam. book streets and streets across the country. He hopes that Book Street has a meeting place for readers to feel secure about the works that need to be taken care of.
Mai Nhat
at Blogtuan.info – Source: vnexpress.net – Read the original article here
