Book repair appeared when the first page was torn. Of course, as books spread around the world, the need for craftsmen capable of repairing these books spread along with it.
A real treasure
Books, and Paper itself, were considered a real treasure in those days (the first book was printed in the 15th century). Professional restoration appeared at the time of accumulation of private libraries, when it became necessary to extend the life of books. The first information about professional restorers dates back to the Middle Ages, serious schools of professional restoration began to form in the 17th-18th centuries.
Book restoration is a whole direction in the book business, aimed at restoring an old or damaged book as close to the original as possible.
There are many types of restoration, which are divided according to different criteria. In all types, the main goal of restoration is to restore the losses of the object (defects resulting from use – chips, impacts, breaks and much more) and improve its appearance, as well as preserve the object.
There is commercial and museum restoration (museum restoration). In the first case, the goal of restoration is to restore functionality, in the second case, the main goal is conservation, that is, preserving the current state. At the same time, museum restoration usually involves only conservation, and intervention in the object is used only in cases of extreme necessity, for example, with obvious signs of reversible destruction processes.
