1870 Family Bible Restoration
I found this broken down beauty in a used bookstore just crying out for restoration and couldn’t resist picking it up for my personal collection. 145 years old, this huge Bible had seen a lot of wear and tear. Somewhere in the past century it migrated through the midwest, picking up newspaper clippings and losing a spine. Probably used mostly for display, the outer surface of the leather was worn almost completely away on the back cover from years of sitting on a table and being scooted from place to place. The leather on the edges had cracked, allowing moisture to seep in and warp the boards, popping them apart. Without a spine, the exposed stitching began to fail and the loose signatures took a beating. Something about the book’s history and former loveliness called to me, though, and hours of restoration later I can see why.
![The condition of the Bible at first glance](https://southwindsbindery.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/IMG_4617-e1450800548539-225x300.jpg)
![First step: dissemble and repair all torn pages](https://southwindsbindery.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/IMG_4666-e1450801241465-300x300.jpg)
![Sewing the whole book back together on sunken cords](https://southwindsbindery.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/IMG_4671-e1450801411638-300x300.jpg)
![Reattaching the covers](https://southwindsbindery.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/IMG_5022-e1450801757436-300x225.jpg)
![Fitting the new spine](https://southwindsbindery.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/IMG_5049-300x225.jpg)
![The Bible with new spine attached, just after repairing, toning, and treating the leather.](https://southwindsbindery.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/IMG_5055-e1450802009674-225x300.jpg)
![The finished result!](https://southwindsbindery.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/IMG_5066-e1450802329112-225x300.jpg)
![Spine and restored back cover](https://southwindsbindery.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/IMG_5075-300x225.jpg)