Brittle Books and Broken Bindings: Saving Gettysburg’s Early Treasures

Special Collections, 4th Floor, Musselman Library


In the early days of Gettysburg College, the few books the college owned were kept at the nearby home of a professor. Eventually the holdings were housed in a small campus library and the halls of two debating societies (Phrenakosmian and Philomathaean). Later these merged into one library with the earliest texts eventually making their way to Special Collections. These are some of the same books that Ameduri is now restoring.

Prior to the 19th century, bookbinding was a craft that was carried out by hand, so repairing them is done the same way. This can include hand-sewing, repairing leather, making ‘cased-in' covers and more. Ameduri explains these processes and shows remarkable "before and after" examples.

Tools of the Trade Leather bound volumes
 Library Circulation Book