Book Repair for Old books ... cover and spine

Hey fellow Easton Pressers folks ...

I know I should post this in a more generic group but i thought I would start here because I have been a long time member of this group and I trust and value many of the folks opinions in this forum.

Just looking for any info on going about repairing the cover/spine of an old 200 year old book.

If you can point me in a good direction.

If you can tell me any good stories or horror stories I can learn from.

Any posts on this topic or websites that will get me head down a good path.

Anything to think about before doing this?

Just any advice would be greatly appreciated.

And if anyone is from Southern California, USA and they know of a place that handles this with good results ... that would be great.

Thanks in advance!!!

>1 thisGuy33: In 2021 I had a bookbinder repair an early 17th-c copy of Francis Quarles's Emblems, the cover of which was almost completely decayed. She put a new lambskin cover on the book and also repaired the stitching. I liked that she researched what the look and materials would have been for that era, and matched the new cover accordingly. (Then again, if I had asked for a wildly anachronistic cover design, she would have obliged me.) My only complaint was that the repair took almost a year. I suspect that you, living in southern California, will have more rebinding options than I did.

Wishing you luck here. I don't have personal references, but sounds like to be done right, one need to get referrals from others who have experience here and mail the book to them, rather than just looking locally.

Following this thread

I have had a few books repaired by a professional book binder and it is worth the price. I was able to use the book binder that binds books for my university. That might be a place to start. Phone your local college or university and see who they use.

Thank you all for you guidance ... it's been super helpful. Much appreciated!!!