Older Naval History; Curious

Drew

Major
Joined
Oct 22, 2012
I've come to possess an original addition of J. Fenimore Cooper's 1839 work, The History of the Navy of the United States of America. It looks really interesting and I'd like to read it. The problem is, the bindings of the two volume set are shot and I don't want to destroy the books in the process of trying to enjoy them. There are companies out there that can do the repair work, but it won't come cheap.

The question I have is whether or not it's worth it to try an preserve them? There's some sentimental and personal value to this, but we all have our limits. Thanks in advance for any insight.

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Drew, I have no idea what these might be worth, or how to go about restoring the bindings, or even if your should. But Cooper's naval history was a landmark work, and important on that count. A wonderful thing to have. I personally wouldn't try to read them in that condition, but would turn to online editions for the content.
 
Thanks, Andy. That the work is important is what I wanted to know. I'll preserve the books and weigh the binder's estimate on whether or not to restore them.

You can't really see it in the picture, but the apparent original owner, Arthur Stewart, wrote his name at the top of the title page in both volumes and dated them, "September, 1839." That's pretty cool. I hate to let things like this disintegrate.
 
Thanks, Andy. That the work is important is what I wanted to know. I'll preserve the books and weigh the binder's estimate on whether or not to restore them.

You can't really see it in the picture, but the apparent original owner, Arthur Stewart, wrote his name at the top of the title page in both volumes and dated them, "September, 1839." That's pretty cool. I hate to let things like this disintegrate.
Drew, if you can't afford the restoration it may be worth your while to donate them to a museum that could conserve them. You could take a tax deduction for the donation, and be assured that they would be properly restored and available to the public for posterity.....
 
Thanks, folks, for the insight. We'll try and bite the bullet and have them restored. There's people who can do it, it's just a matter of finding someone who'll do it without a mortgage.
 
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