northman wrote:
ShadowFx wrote:
That's a lot of £...
that's an extremely uninteresting price
Ridiculous price.
huan68 wrote:
And wrapped in plastic for 31yrs too! Lovely and moist I bet.
Depends how it has been stored, tbh. If it was in a box with some silica gel it will be fine. If it was in Florida, maybe not so much. I've personally never seen a plastic wrapped book have any damage. I think if the general storage conditions are fine it actually makes no difference. And if the general storage conditions are poor, the book will suffer either way. Theoretically we have the issue of some plastic/cellulose wrappings not being acid neutral, but I've never seen any browning or issues on older things I have picked up still in the wrap. That said, I don't personally see any reason to leave the wrap on.
As an aside, I have books wrapped in paper and then bubble wrap, taped, sealed and the put in boxes with a few silica gels. occasionally I will open one up - they all look exactly as they did when wrapped. And they got wrapped for shipping 9 years ago. Obviously the boxes are stored in air-conditioned household conditions, not shoved in a loft of such.
I agree with you on how the storage is initially, Mr Underhill. I have heard a nightmare story or two, however. And I personally don’t buy books for investment so never see the reason for keeping them wrapped up in the first place.
From my experience in the UK, the biggest problem I encounter is with books that have been stored/kept somewhere that is (even just slightly) colder &/or damper (higher humidity) than my own property. The amount of books that I have bought that have developed instant board buckle or page "crimping" after I brought them into my (I think) relatively dry/warm house is quite high; with older books it tends to be boards, newer books pages. They noticeably change when introduced to different conditions. Not a massive issue, once you understand & manage.
Khamûl wrote:
From my experience in the UK, the biggest problem I encounter is with books that have been stored/kept somewhere that is (even just slightly) colder &/or damper (higher humidity) than my own property. The amount of books that I have bought that have developed instant board buckle or page "crimping" after I brought them into my (I think) relatively dry/warm house is quite high; with older books it tends to be boards, newer books pages. They noticeably change when introduced to different conditions. Not a massive issue, once you understand & manage.
The only times I have had that was where the books obviously were exposed to quite a bit of dampness during transit. If I'm doubtful, I stick a weighted board on top for a couple of days during acclimation. Never had anything that remained bowed.
Not saying it happens all the time. But as a precaution most newly purchased books sit under a few others for a day or so, and get acclimatised.