Book collecting is simply the acquisition of books, and my grandfather collected books dealing with American history. He did not collect rare books or first editions. He was a booklover who obtained books that he thought members of our family would profit from reading.
Time after time my grandfather told me that to him book collecting was one of the most rewarding of hobbies, and for him it was a serious study of American history, specifically the Civil War.
When he was a young man, he started with the works of two or three authors and built a library of over 200 books, which were kept in a large glass and mahogany cabinet. He encouraged family members to borrow any books we wanted to read, but we had to follow the rules he established.
All books would have to be handled carefully so as not to break the backs or loosen the covers. To open a book, we would have to place it flat on a table or desk and open it a few pages at a time, working from the front and back covers toward the middle. He also told us not to fold the covers back against each other or the entire book could be seriously damaged.
Underlining or writing in a book was taboo because this destroys the value of the book for another reader. He said the best practice is to take notes on separate pieces of paper and to never touch book pages if your hands are not clean.
My grandfather repeatedly instructed me over a period of years, to the point that I remembered most all of his instructions. He said that if a book does not have a protective jacket, one can be made from a piece of wrapping paper about 3 inches larger than the open book. He taught me to cut two wedges from the top and bottom of the paper to fit the back of the book, and then fold the paper around the book covers.
The family was told very clearly to never turn a book face down when it is open, because if this is done, the glue on the spine of the book may break and loosen the pages. This admonition came when he saw Gene do just that.
He told me that when a book is not in use, it should stand upright on a book shelf with other books and be just tight enough so it will not sag or lean. However, long atlases are to be placed on their sides.
One time when I was examining the pages of one of his books, I was told I was turning the pages incorrectly and that I should turn the pages by slightly lifting the corner of each leaf.
When cleaning his leather-bound books, he wiped the outside of these books with a protective solution consisting of a few drops of paraffin dissolved in 2 ounces of castor oil. Since I had mostly paperback books when I was in high school, I simply wiped these books with a dry cloth from top to bottom.
When my grandfather died in 1955, my bookish Uncle Hubert inherited the collection.
Over the years, I have followed grandpa’s rules in preserving my own modest hard cover book collection with very fine results.