Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;2manybooks, post: 10294339, member: 8267&quot;]Conservators still don&#039;t fully understand the phenomenon of foxing. Sometimes it&nbsp; seems to be caused by fungi, but often it seems to be related to metal contaminants that came from the machinery used in papermaking. Sometimes it may be a combination of interactions - the metal contaminants causing localized degradation of the cellulose, which renders it more subject to fungal activity.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the case of your book, it may be an example of what has been termed &quot;reverse foxing&quot;, where there is a loss of color rather than a reddish-brown stain. This is even less well understood, but is probably another complex interaction between materials, contaminants, environment and opportunistic fungi. Curiously, it has often been observed related to blue pigments (although not exclusively). </p><p><br /></p><p>I don&#039;t see any tide lines on your book, which would be indicative of serious water damage that would lead to mold and mildew. The spots are more scattered, as is also typical of foxing, and they appear to be more concentrated on the fore-edge half of the binding which would have been facing the back of the bookshelf. This might suggest some interplay between components of the cloth binding and more or less exposure to air and moisture toward the back of the shelf.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in