Restoring my old rulebook.

[Blue Ghost]

So, the pages of my venerble "The Traveller Book" are starting to yellow some. I've searched the net on how to revitalize books with aging pages and ink, but am pretty skittish about the whole process of dipping a book into a special solution, or wiping down each page with a different solution.

Has anyone ever done a book restoration?

I lost the dust jacket with Keith's art ages ago ... there's still a few out there that cost an arm and a leg. I'm not sure I want to rebuy a new edition for a game I don't play anymore, though it would be nice to have.

 

[mike wightman]

You can buy a brand new copy as print on demand from drivethru - I have bought three of them so far (one for me and two as gifts) and I have no complaints about the quality.

The only negative is the lack of the dust jacket - I wish there was a way to pod that.

 

[Condottiere]

I recall that acidity of the paper is an issue later nineteenth century onwards, something that a lot of comic book collectors should have noticed, and the reason I think late Eighties the comic book publishers switched the material.

 

[aramis]

If you want a less drastic solution for reducing the further yellowing...
1) note that most copies were not printed on high acid stock, so the yellowing is most likely environmental
2) the yellowing, and later, browning of pages is caused by acids in the paper and/or ink.
3) humidity exacerbates the process.
4) anything yellowing/browning from age next to it or even in the same box can exacerbate the process.
5) Acid migration also causes iron based inks to change from black to red-brown.

You can reduce the acid levels with dry mild bases, such as baking soda (not powder). It's not always safe for the ink nor paper, however.
Full restoration is practically impossible; the archives generally isolate the browning pages, then replicate on low-acid paper.

And it's a problem with paper of all ages. I've seen 20 year old books already thoroughly brown. My copies of Palladium's THe Mechanoid Invasion is, last I checked (5 years ago) dark brown text on tan paper.

 

[whartung]

None of my old books have yellowed at all, but it's pretty dry down here in So Cal.

 

[Spinward Flow]

it's pretty dry down here in So Cal.

That's because ...

It never rains!

 

[Grav_Moped]

That's because ...

It never rains!

Man, it pours...

(But not lately.)

 

[Blue Ghost]

Just FYI, the pages aren't terribly yellow, but there's a very slight tinge of yellow. I lived in a waterfront home for thirty some odd years, and SF Bay salt water and mist did come into the house. Whether that was the source or not I cannot say, but the book's pages are showing some age.

And I really feel uncomfortable wiping it down with some strange chemical reagent or elixir to restore it ... though I may give it a try anyway just to see what happens.

 

[aramis]

Just FYI, the pages aren't terribly yellow, but there's a very slight tinge of yellow. I lived in a waterfront home for thirty some odd years, and SF Bay salt water and mist did come into the house. Whether that was the source or not I cannot say, but the book's pages are showing some age.

And I really feel uncomfortable wiping it down with some strange chemical reagent or elixir to restore it ... though I may give it a try anyway just to see what happens.

Your best bet is to bag them with some desiccant (it can be in a small coffee-filter packet for ease of handling). The Bay area's humidity is undoubtedly part of the issue. It won't cure the extant yellowing (only bleaching would, and that damages the paper). My TTB is still pristine white, dating back to 1983. But it's been in usually dry environments.