Hi,

I own a couple of first editions magic books, but they are quite worn out. So I'd like to know about restoring them. ie: hard cover is unglued, shiny embroidering is erased, a soft back cover is torn...

Does it cost a lot to have done? and can it hurts the resale value of the book in the future?

Thanks for the time!

The most difficult part to restore is the gold leaf that was embossed into some of the old covers. That is best left alone. However, a good bookbinder can do wonders for an old book. The key here is "GOOD." A good bookbinder will have the resources to match some of the cloths that were used on the old hard covers.

Soft backs are another matter. They can be restored, but it's more difficult. The damage to the resale value of the book may have already been done. If the restoration/rebinding work adds life to an old book, there's not much to worry about. Just don't try it yourself, though, unless you learn how to do it correctly.

I prefer to let an already profesionnal do it. I've never liked experimenting with my collectibles...
So the keyword I have to search for in the yellow pages is "book binder"?

It may be easier to let us know what the titles and editions your books are. I have some of my rare books sent for repairs or just a tune-up, so I know a little something about what you ask.

Yes. I had purchased a "reader" copy of The Secret Out and another of Hanky Panky from Byron Walker a few years ago. There is a bookbinder in my area who has been in business for several decades. I took the books to him, and he analyzed the problems with both books.

A "reader" copy is one that has been really badly damaged. The collector's value is very low, but all the pages are there (presumably!). For about $25 for each book, this binder rebound the books, salvaged the original covers (which were not complete, just enough so the titles, etc, were legible) matched the background colors of the original cloth, and overlaid the salvaged cover pieces onto the new binding. The results, while not perfect, were good enough that the books will give me lots of good service and they will look reasonably decent on the shelf.

Good to know your experience Bill.

The books I have are not really rare but I'd like them to look nicer.

Royal road to card magic, 1th ed. (The binding is unglued)

Encyclopedia of card tricks, 1th ed. (Good condition but the gold lettering is faded)

Expert at the card table, drake edition (this one has a tear in the back soft cover... or perfect bound... is it how it's called?)

Thanks for the help. I'm sure it will also be useful to other people.

-Louis-P

I would take it that 1th means 1st. All of these are nice books, but not really rare or valuable. What is good is that these can be upgraded easily by buying the same titles and editions, but in better condition. This way when you find the book to replace the lesser grade one, you sell the lesser grade one to offset the cost.

I have to agree it's a good idea. I didn't think about it.

But the drake Erdnase has a stamp on the first page refering to a long gone magic shop in Montreal. It kind of surprised me when I saw that, considering I bought it from another province. Anyway, I don't think I'll mind buying more than one erdnase anyway...