I have a family bible which has mold around the edges on some pages. The earliest entry in 1887. My parents had the book rebound and it was in pristine condition about 40 years ago when it was passed to me. I've had it stored in a cardboard box in a spare room that has developed some mold. I now have it displayed in the lounge room and was dismayed to see the deterioration. Please see the attached image. I'm doubtful anything can be done to remove the mold stain but it would be good to kill it and to prevent it spreading. I'm hoping I may get some advice on the way forward. Thanks, Laurie.
Welcome, @LaurieMc. Looking at your photo, I assume you are referring to the darkened areas near the edges of the pages. This is not a typical appearance for mold, which usually occurs on the cover, endsheets, or outer edges of the text block before moving into the interior. Does the book have any moldy odor? Did the cardboard box or other items in the storage room show evidence of mold? What are the conditions of display now, and how long has it been there? You might try testing a small area gently with an eraser, to see if it is just a surface phenomenon rather than a stain. Assuming the Bible was fairly new in 1887, it was printed at a time when there was a great deal of experimentation in papermaking. It is possible that there has been some unique reaction between the environment and components of the paper that have resulted in the darkening. It is particularly curious that the discoloration begins a short distance in from the edge of the pages. Other types of environmental reactions usually start at the edges and proceed inward. It is important to have a correct diagnosis before anyone can suggest a "treatment". If there is an archives, museum, or paper conservator near where you live, you might see if they could examine your Bible to understand what is causing the discoloration.
Thanks for the response 2manybooks. You've given me a fair bit to follow up on. There is our local museum. Just a small museum run by volunteers. I'm in a rural area, a long way from the big cities but I may even get some advice about a paper conservator from someone at the museum. Does the book have any moldy odor? It smells old. I really don't know what mold might smell like but there's no strongly different smell. It's not what I'd call musty. The stained pages do not smell noticeably different from the clean ones. Did the cardboard box or other items in the storage room show evidence of mold? I wouldn't have noticed any staining on the box and it's long gone in the rubbish. The room has some mold on the upper wall which is the outside wall of the house which is also on the south side of the house facing away from the sun. I'm in Australia. What are the conditions of display now, and how long has it been there? The Bible is closed up, displayed on a small table near an internal wall. The staining comes in batches. That is: half an inch of pages are stained and then it's OK for the next inch and so on. It's been on display for about six months. I don't know how long the staining has been there. Maybe years unnoticed. I saw it the other week when I opened it at a random place and didn't know what to do. I see someone has used the Bible for pressing a small number of flowers. Not a good idea but apparently not related to the stained sections. I have no idea whether the flowers were pressed back in Scotland where the Bible originated or later here in Australia. You might try testing a small area gently with an eraser, to see if it is just a surface phenomenon rather than a stain. I'll see if I can find an eraser in the morning and give this a try. It's worth noting that when the weather cools off in a couple of months I'll have the air conditioner going a good bit with warm air circulating over the Bible from the other side of the room. I'll let you know how I go with the eraser and the museum people. Thanks, Laurie.
If you have an artist's supply store near you, I'd recommend picking up a kneaded rubber eraser. Much softer than a school or pencil eraser. It can gently lift dirt from delicate surfaces without damaging the paper/ink, making it ideal for something of this sort.
@LaurieMc - I would like to complement you on your thorough response, and detailed observations. This in particular: "The staining comes in batches. That is: half an inch of pages are stained and then it's OK for the next inch and so on." That is a strong indication that different paper stock was used in different parts of the Bible, and that the discoloration is probably related to the quality, chemistry, or history of each batch of paper that was used. Given the Bible's intercontinental travel, it might be difficult to sort out if or when environmental conditions may have played a role in the reaction. But at least it does not appear to be a mold situation. Going forward, I think the conservative approach would be to keep it in as stable an environment as you can - located on an interior wall (as you noted), out of direct sunlight, and away from excessive heat, cold, and humidity (if possible). You might select a few of the affected pages and "monitor" them over time with photographs, measurements and notes, to see if the discoloration remains constant or is changing in any way.
I got some antique books from my cousin. I found a site for antique books and they said freeze it for three days. I did that and the moldy smell went away. I got some acid free special book boxes to store them in when we weren't looking at them.
Just looking at the pic, I don't see any mold, but I don't doubt there's a smell. Old books often end up smelling "old". Do what TMB and Bev said. It could just be the acid content in the paper reacting with something, if there is acid in the paper.
I was going to suggest freezing, as well. It's the go-to choice for "old"-smelling vintage clothing, too. Put it in a ziploc in your freezer for a week. Then, if possible, vacuum it. https://www.canada.ca/en/conservati...on-institute-notes/mould-growth-textiles.html
