Old book’s secret amazes restorer
Decorations on antique volume a rare example of vanished craft
The discovery of a rare double fore-edge book has delighted both its owner and a craftsman repair specialist. The craft of fore-edge painting is usually spotted only on antique volumes, with the picture revealed when the book’s spine is twisted to leave the page edges on a slope.
To have a double fore-edge painting means that when the spine is twisted different ways, a different picture is revealed.
When book repair specialist Bill Tito first saw the copy of Cowper’s Poetical Works, the book had started to fall out of its cover.
But when he saw the foreedge paintings, he knew it was something special.
He estimates it would be worth $4000 or more at auction.
“Being leather and gold, I had to be very careful how I lifted everything up [to repair],” Tito said.
“I put new leather under the front and the back cover, then placed the old spine back over where it should have been.
“And then with leather, you have to polish it, so I did. But I didn’t fix the scuffed corners because I want it to look its age.
“It’s one of the most exciting books I’ve ever done, and I’ve never met anybody who didn’t go ‘wow’. This was an absolute privilege.”
Tito started his line of work as an apprentice at the Government Printing Office in 1963. But in all those years, he said, he’d never seen a double foreedge book in person.
“This is unbelievable, it’s like meeting the Pope. And the Pope just says, ‘G’day, Bill, how are ya.’”
Owner Sandra Elmore, 58, said the book was one of two that she inherited from her father, who in turn inherited them from his uncle.
“My dad knew that I love books, so he left them to me, and that’s really special.
“I took them to some antiques people to have them valued, and they were blown away, had never seen anything like them.
“It doesn’t seem to be the books that are worth anything, but it’s the paintings.”
Despite their high value, Elmore said she could never bring herself to sell the books because of their sentimental value and beauty.
While she didn’t consider herself a collector, she now kept an eye out in case any other rare finds were hiding in plain sight.
“Apparently if you look for old books with gold on the edge of the pages, sometimes you’ll find them hiding a painting like that.
“So now I have a look when I’m in old book stores, see if I can find any like these. But I never have.”
This is unbelievable, it’s like meeting the Pope.
Bill Tito, book restorer