Quick Fix for a Cracked Leather Spine

Here are the before and after photos of this cracked leather spine of an old book. As you can see on the left, the spine is only cracked for a couple of inches.

• This Book: Presbyterian Education Repository
• Type of Book: Leather, half-bound in sheepskin with marbled sides, hollow spine (or at least it is heavily lined with papers so it is easy to lift)
• Issues: Three inch crack in the outer joint of the front board. Weak inner hinge.
• Treatment: “Archival band-aid”
•  25 Minutes of Video
• Suggested Prerequisites: 4-101 Care and Repair Guidelines for Leather Books, 4-106: How to Apply Klucel-G Leather Consolidant 
• PERPETUAL CAVEAT: Never repair rare and/or scarce books. When in doubt only do preservation treatments and consult an accredited professional.

Tools and Materials: You will need elements from the Basic Book Repair Kit, the Page Repair Kit and the Leather Book Care Kit plus Level One Tools and Materials Lists. See the Lesson for a comprehensive list.