Monday, January 15, 2007

BOOKS: Kimbooktu, Kimbookmoi

Well, the weekend got away from me before I could wrangle the time for some serious posting, but in lieu of my own effervescent charm, may I introduce you to one of my new daily online pit stops? The site is called Kimbooktu, and its owner, Kim, updates it several times a day with some of the niftiest books-related gadgets available on the web. I've already been digging this site, but this recent post, about The Booklover's Repair Kit, clinched the deal:
The "repair kit" includes a hardbound instruction book, The Booklover's Repair Manual, which deals with the damage books receive in the home, with clear, step-by step, illustrated instructions on how to handle, among other problems, page tears, damaged dust jackets, frayed cover edges and recent minor water damage. (The authors advise that badly stained books, or leatherbound collectibles, be taken to a specialist; and they include a list of these.) The kit, packaged in a box that resembles an oversize hardcover, contains much more than the book, however. It holds all the non-household tools one needs to undertake the covered repairs, including, among other items, pH-neutral adhesive, cotton library tape, a microspatula and a bamboo brush. [From Amazon's description]
Given that I've just completed a brutal patch job on one of Sam's books (not that he tore it intentionally, let me clarify; Sammy don't roll that way), I've realized that book fixin' requires more than Scotch tape and a steady hand.

[Ups to Ragdoll for the link!]

1 comment:

Quillhill said...

Tempting, but only for fun and practice. Take an old unwanted book apart to see how its constructed, so you know to what end you are working with your other books. (Yes, I know, there are probably people from the Book Anti-Cruelty Society that will rebut that such useless sacrifice and experimentation on defenseless books is unconscionable. I'm sorry.) But if it's anything that I want done right, I would take it to an expert.