Tannhäuser

Identification and bibliographical details

Title/descriptive signifier: Tannhäuser

Author: Richard Wagner 

Dimensions (mm): 290(h) 196(w) 36(d) 

Collection/client details: Dr Matthew J Eve 

Provenance.  

The object has been stored at Marchpane in Soho.

Existing conservation documentation: N/A

Historical context and details of research: 

This first edition of 'Tannhäuser', published in 1911, presents Wagner's fabled German opera as a poetic narrative, translated into English by T.W. Rolleston. Illustrations are by the famed artist Willy Pogány.

Before treatment photodocumentation:

Description

Covering & board:

• Vermilion colour reversed calf full leather binding with gilt cover details to the left board and to the spine.

• Tight back, semi-limp binding.

• No turn-ins.

Textblock:

• Single folio decorative end leaves with coloured illustrations are tipped on.

• 16 tipped-in four-colour plates. 

• Numerous coloured illustrations, some full-page, decoration and ornamentation throughout. 

Gatherings & sewing: 

• The text block is composed of 28 gatherings (Figure 1).

• Machine sewn without sewing supports.

Text support & Media:

• The entire book is printed on stiff machine-made grey paper and every page is an illustrated lithograph. 

• It also includes tipped-in plates by Pogany. 

• The edges are trimmed. 

• The head of the text block is gilt. 

End-bands

• There are no endbands. 

Condition

Unacceptable - At-risk 

Category 4 - Major structural damage that prevents use. 

Boards:

• Boards are fully detached.

Cover:

• The case is fully detached from the textblock. 

• The left and right inner joints are broken. 

• Some dark marks are observed on the leather surface, which may be water damage. 

• All corners and turn-ins are abraded. 

• The cover is flaking and powdery, especially along the spine and the edges.

Spine:

• The spine leather is severely damaged - 10% loss of the spine leather from the head, exposing the top of the textblock. 

• There is a large crack running vertically on the spine leather; it continues to 1/3rd point of the spine. 

• Most of the gatherings are loose. 

• The leather is severely dried. Much of the gold-tooled title is lost, especially around the top of the textblock, and a few of them are stuck on the spine. 

Endleaves:

• The left and right pastedowns are broken from the textblock. 

Text-block

• The sewing is not stable enough; the first three gatherings are detached from the textblock.

• The paper is generally in good condition, with some surface dirt. 

Endbands

• There is no evidence of the existence of endbands.

Treatment description

1. 1. Dry surface cleaning: 

The text block was dry-cleaned using a soft Japanese brush to remove loose particles, especially along the joints. Then a chemical sponge was used to remove any further surface dirt. This was done throughout the whole text block.

1. 2. Leather consolidation: 

The covering leather, especially around the spine and turn-ins, was consolidated with a mixture of 2% Klucel G and IMS by gently rolling a cotton ball over the surface.

1. 3. Spine removal: 

The crumbling original spine pieces with the gilt lettering on them were faced using spider tissue paper and Klucel G as an adhesive to safely keep the pieces together. 

1. 4. Section guarding 

Three (3) detached gatherings and some gatherings where the joint was torn were guarded with strips of Japanese paper to be re-sewn. 

Before guarding, strips of Japanese paper were toned with acrylic to match the original paper colour. 

1. 5. Sewing repair:  

There were no sewing supports, and the board attachment was completely relying on pastedown, which is a very weak board attachment method. When the endpaper hinge fails, the textblock is detached from the cover. 

New sewing supports were added using linen tape and linen thread, and the sections were sewn onto the new tapes, 2-on sewn. 

The supports will be laced into the boards of the book to provide an initial attachment.

1. 6. Spine lining: 

After the re-sewing, the spine was lined with Japanese paper and wheat starch paste to provide further strength and smoothness when open. 

The inner side of the covering leather where the spine sits was also lined with Japanese paper. 

1. 7. Toning Japanese paper/ infilling the loss on the spine: 

Japanese paper was toned using acrylic to infill the loss on the spine. 

The loss on the spine was infilled with 3 layers of toned Japanese paper to match the thickness of the leather. 

1. 8. Board re-attachment: 

The pastedown was lifted, and the tape supports were inserted into the gap. Everything was secured and adhered to in place using wheat starch paste. 

1. 9. Reinforcement of inner joints: 

The inner joints were consolidated with toned Japanese paper as necessary to improve the board attachment and hide broken joints. 

10. Readhesion of original spine pieces: 

The original spine pieces were re-adhered to on top of the Japanese paper using wheat starch paste.

11. Custom book cover: 

A new custom Melinex book cover was made to protect the book from abrasion and flaking. 

After photodocumentation

Requirements/future recommendations

Storage 

• The book should be kept away from direct sunlight to prevent fading or discolouration. 

• The relative humidity should be between 45-55% RH to prevent mould growth. 

Handling 

• Clean, dry hands are recommended for handling the object.

• When referencing the book, it can be held in a position that supports the spine.   The book can be open at most 120 degrees.

• If needed, a book cushion can be used to support the book, using light weights to keep the book open to the required page.