The Framers Forum

Hi,

I'm wondering what the best way would be to frame a hard cover book in a shadow box. The book would be open to show the signature on the first page and would also display the front cover of the book jacket. I have seen some online pics of this project but I am not sure the best way to mount it. I have done other shadow boxes in the past but, this is a first.

Thanks,
Hal

I don't know a lot about it, but I have heard that leaving a book permanently open is a sure way of damaging it.

If it's of monetary value I would advise the owner to seek advice from a book dealer.


** Our friend Mark will no doubt chip in come daybreak.

I was informed that this was an extra copy purchased just to have framed. I believe we have permission to do with the book as we please to get it framed but, I prefer to keep any damage to a very minimum.

Thanks for your help.
Hal

Try some of those clips used for clip frames. They could be attached to a board to support the the book, and clipped over the edge the hard cover to hold it in place. Use Melonex strips to hold the pages open. You would probably have to construct a support so the book is not held open flat so as not to stress the binding.

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/journals/c ... -of-books/


summit like dat....

The open side of the hard cover should be supported from behind to ensure that the hinging materials are not under any strain and that any mylar used to restrain the open hard cover cannot bend the boards in the hard cover. I hope that the signature is in pencil, as the graphite of the pecil lead will never fade, unfortunately the same cannot necessarily be said about signatures in ink.

Unfortunately displaying a book standing vertically with it's covers open may over time allow the weight of the pages to distort, or even damage the materials which hold the book together. Museum curators generally don't allow books to be opened at all except when laying flat on a horizontal flat surface, I believe that the same rule is observed by the British Library as well.

Books described as in mint condition are expected to have nice tight bindings. Books which have been displayed open in a vertical position and the weight of the pages has strained the binding are unlikely to have the same nice tight bindings. Therefore it is not a particularly smart idea to do this!