The Tale of Mr. Tod

Identification and bibliographical details

Title/descriptive signifier:  The Tale of Mr Tod (1st edition)

Author: Beatrix Potter

Dimensions (mm): 143(h) 116(w) 13(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: 

One of the famous Peter Rabbit books, featuring fox Mr Tod. This edition was printed in August 1969. The Tale of Mr Tod is a children's book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter, first published by Frederick Warne & Co. in 1912.

Beatrix Potter loved the countryside and spent much of her childhood drawing and studying animals. The Tale of Peter Rabbit, published in 1902, was her first book, expanded from an illustrated letter she had sent to a young friend. Beatrix Potter went on to publish more than 20 tales and collections of rhymes.

Before treatment photodocumentation:

Description

Covering & Boards:

• Case binding with the original yellow ochre paper cover with even margins of turn-ins. 

• The borderline, title & author are blocked in dark brown. 

• It is showcased on a strawboard. 

• The spine lining (mull) attaches the board. 

Textblock:

• The spine is rounded with a moderate shoulder.

• Coloured pictorial endpaper (single folio) tipped on. 

• 14 full-page colour plates, and several black and white in-text images. 

• The text block comprises 94 printed pages. 

• A single sheet of illustration tipped onto the first end paper.

• The interior joint of both boards is in good condition, but the right board exterior joint is broken. 

Gatherings & sewing: 

• The text block is composed of 7 gatherings with 3 folia.

• Structure (figure. 1): endpaper - single leaf - 1st gathering (2 folia) - 2nd gathering (3 folia) - C/D/E/F/G/H (3 folia) - endpaper 

• The text block is machine-sewn without any additional supports. 

• 3 sewing stations.

• The main body of the text block is sewn all along.

• Between p. 34 and p. 35, and p. 70 and p.71: the spine is gapping.  

Text support & Media:

• The paper of the text block is white, medium-weight, machine-made woven paper.

• The text medium is black printer ink. It includes several coloured and black-and-white illustrations. 

• The text medium is black printer ink. 

Condition

Fair - conservation needed

Boards:

• The boards are still attached to the text block by the pastedown and the spine lining material.

• The right board is  50% broken from the bottom. 

• All board corners are abraded and frayed. 

Cover:

• There is an aqueous stain (presumably tea or coffee) on the right cover (figure 2) which went through the text block. There is frass in that area, as likely when the stain was still wet, it attracted insects (probably flies) who fed on the stain and left their waste behind. 

Spine:

• 10mm from the head and the 1/3 bottom spine cover is lost.  

• The spine cover is broken from the right board but is still intact on the left board. 

• The middle part of the remaining spine cover is torn (figure 3).

Endleaves:

• Endleaves are in good condition.

Text-block:

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

• Partially water damaged from the right board, from page 88 to the pastedown.

• The first illustration (single leaf tipped on) is detached from the text block.

Endbands:

• There is no evidence that endbands existed before.

Treatment description

1. 1. Dry surface cleaning: Initially, it was carried out using a soft Japanese brush to remove loose particles on the text block, especially along the joints. Then, a smoke sponge was used to remove any further surface dirt. This was done throughout the whole text block.

1. 2. Colour matching: The selected choice of the Western paper that has a similar texture and thickness to the object was colour matched to the colour of the original cover using acrylic. 

1. 3. Cover lifting: The cover of the book was lifted using the lifting knife so that the new spine material could be inserted.

1. 4. Re-backing: Toned paper that is wider than the width of the spine was adhered to the spine of the book using wheat starch paste, and the remaining margin was inserted in between the book cover and the board.

1. 5. Re-attach the original spine cover: the original spine cover was adhered on top of the new spine cover with wheat starch paste.

1. 6. Re-attach the detached plates: detached illustrated leaf was re-attached using a strip of Japanese paper and wheat starch paste.

1. 7. Inner joint consolidation: Several loose inner joints were consolidated with a strip of Japanese paper and wheat starch paste.

1. 8. Corner repairs: The abraded corners of the book were consolidated by injecting wheat starch paste between the delaminated boards. The exposed boards were toned using a watercolour. 

1. 9. Lettering: Missing letters on the spine cover were retouched with acrylic.

1. 10. Stain reduction: 

1. Mechanical removal: Frass was removed by lifting it with a scalpel. 

2. Gel removal: 

1. 10. • 4% Gellan gum with water that was cut into the same shape as the stain was left, but the formation of a new tideline was observed — so it was removed immediately, and the tideline was brushed out with a wet brush to clear the line. 

       • 2% Xanthan gum with Benzyl alcohol was applied, and tissue paper was in the middle as a barrier. It did chemically absorb the discolouration of the paper and allowed the stain to be removed without introducing liquid into the paper. Also, it reduced the acidity of the stain. However, no dramatic change was observed. 

3. Local bleaching

1. 10. • 5% Hydrogen peroxide with Ammonia: no change

       • Sodium hypochlorite: slight change, but not a big difference was observed. 

       • Sodium borohydride: no change

1. 11. Covering the stain with Japanese paper: toned Japanese paper was cut to the shape of the stain and adhered on top of the stain with wheat starch paste. It is a safe and reversible method that could be removed by slightly giving it moisture. 

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.