Best way to preserve and safely ship a rare book domestically

July 10, 2017 8:10 PM

I need to ship a large, 270 year old book. How should I protect it from damage? How should I pack it for shipping? And how much should I insure it for?

I'm currently looking after a first edition of Polymetis by Joseph Spence, published in 1747 (happy 270th!). I need to ship it to its rightful owner on the other side of the country.

It measures about 11" x 16" x 2.5". It's in its original leather binding. The binding is tight, although there's a very small crack on one edge, and you get that orange-brown leather dust all over your hands if you pick it up.

The first thing I want to do is preserve it. I'm assuming I'll need to shrink wrap it, but I've never shrink wrapped a book before, and I don't know what kind of supplies I'll need, or where to get them. There's also some light pencil markings on a couple pages (someone wrote Arabic numerals under some of the Roman numerals) -- is it worth buying something like an Absorene eraser to get rid of those? I'm shipping it to someone who isn't used to handling old books, who may or may not decide to sell it. I'd like to be sure that it's in the best possible shape when it reaches them.

As far as shipping goes, I guess once it's wrapped up I'll just pack it in bubble wrap and put it in a big box? Where can I get a box that will fit such a big book? I've been looking at book boxes online, and it gets far more complicated than I thought it would be.

Also, I have no idea how much this book is worth. I've seen a rebound second edition for sale for $1800, and I've seen other copies going for $500 or less. Do I need to just go with a high estimate for the shipping insurance? Who should I ship with for something (potentially) so valuable?

I can sort of figure out the answers to all my questions, but I've never had to deal with anything like this before, and I'd like to be sure I'm doing this right. I would appreciate any guidance anyone may have.

posted by shapes that haunt the dusk to Media & Arts (10 answers total)

Best answer: I would wrap it first in acid-free paper, then in plastic wrap, then in bubble wrap. Put in a box, padded with newspaper or foam peanuts, and put that box in another box and ship by registered mail, which can be insured for up to $25K.
LOC advises
"Choose boxes that are not too large or the packed box will be too heavy to handle safely.
Choose acid- and lignin-free storage boxes if the book will be stored for a prolonged period of time.
Pack books flat in the box with heavier and larger volumes at the bottom or pack books vertically, spine down.
Center the weight in the box for handling safety; pad out empty space; avoid overpacking the box."

Or wrap it, put in your carry-on bag and deliver it yourself.
posted by Ideefixe at 8:19 PM on July 10, 2017 [3 favorites]

Contact a local research or university library - they do this sort of thing all the time. They should also be able to help you source appropriate packaging materials.
posted by prismatic7 at 8:29 PM on July 10, 2017 [1 favorite]

Please don't try to erase the pencil marks; 1) they are part of the book's history, and 2) it's possible to cause a lot of inadvertent damage with an eraser.
posted by Scram at 8:47 PM on July 10, 2017 [5 favorites]

Best answer: Unless you made the marks on the pages, don't mess with them; it's a delicate art to remove pencil marks so I'd leave them alone. The biggest problem is the leather rot—that needs restoration but that can be really expensive. As you're not the owner, I wouldn't touch it and recommend to the owner that he consult a rare book dealer where he lives about it.

As to wrapping, what ideefixe said: paper, plastic wrap, bubble wrap. Seal with packing tape. Check at the Post Office for the box sizes—I think they have one that will fit a folio plus peanuts. If not, go to Office Depot or the like and buy a box (there are some that have grooves that allow size change.

We shipped internationally all the time and anything under 10K went by USPS, so I'd just ship it through the Post Office with insurance for 5K and signature required.
posted by MovableBookLady at 8:51 PM on July 10, 2017 [1 favorite]

Is there a local used bookstore that deals with first editions? Call them up and ask them how they would send it. Seconding not to touch the pencil marks.
posted by It's Never Lurgi at 9:05 PM on July 10, 2017

I would seek the advice of the owner. I presume the owner has other like books, and presumably has some experience in moving them around, if not personally then he will have something like an agent/bookseller/restorer he uses; get a referral to that person and do what they say. If appropriate, get the owner to ok the arrangements, and the cost (the owner is paying?)

And no, YOU do not want to preserve it, that is the job of a professional. You want to protect it in transit.
posted by GeeEmm at 9:38 PM on July 10, 2017 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I do want to clarify that no, the owner has no other books like this, and no experience whatsoever with handling, storing, moving, or selling rare books. The owner is a family member, and this is a book they inherited from a relative of ours who died recently. I've had it because I was able to pick it up in person. It's very cool, but it's not my book, and honestly, it's taking up a lot of room on a bookshelf (it's currently lying flat because it's too tall to stand upright).

(Also, I'm perfectly happy leaving the pencil marks alone.)
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk at 9:45 PM on July 10, 2017

I am currently vacationing at my father's house where his rare book stuff takes up the entire first floor. Ideefixe's description pretty much sums up the packages that are both coming in and going out.
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 12:12 AM on July 11, 2017

it's currently lying flat because it's too tall to stand upright

Depending on the quality of the binding, it's probably better to store it lying flat, anyway.

you get that orange-brown leather dust all over your hands if you pick it up

That should not be happening and indicates some kind of problem with the leather. Your relative should have a bookbinder check that out.
posted by beagle at 8:56 AM on July 11, 2017 [2 favorites]

Seconding the suggestion to contact local university archives. I used to work for an archivist in college and we often helped locals who were not students or faculty. Sometimes for a small fee.
posted by bunderful at 11:01 AM on July 11, 2017