Seeking advice on 1793 book

Hello,

Hoping someone has some advice on a book i have.
It is the works of Horace, in Latin, printed London 1793.
Not in great shape, but all quires complete and both
covers survive.

Not sure if rebinding would raise or lower the books value?

Before you answer, there is some historical relevance to
the book. There are two sets of markings throughout,
one hand in quill pen went through the book correcting
typographical errors and complaining about the printer
in margin notes. Pen scribe not named, but gives date
of 1815.

Second hand wrote in pencil, a child's handwriting, with
notes about translation and underlining some phrases.
Clearly, this book was used by the second scribe as a
textbook to learn Latin. He signs his name: Cyrus P.
Mendenhall. G-G-grandson of one of Pennsylvania's
original colonists.

Cyrus was involved in founding Minneapolis, was Mayor
of Greensboro, NC in the 1870s, and was one of the
last people to purchase slaves in the US, during the
Civil War. After he died, his Greensboro estate became
the campus of the Univ. of NC. Cyrus was a high-ranking
Mason, and hosted Jefferson Davis when the Cabinet
of the CSA met in Greensboro in 1865.

So Cyrus was a real player in US history. My question is
this: rebinding the book today would increase it's
bibliophilic value, but would a new binding destroy the
historical value?

SL

Scaly Lizard wrote:

> rebinding the book today would increase it's
> bibliophilic value, but would a new binding destroy the
> historical value?

Interesting question. I'm inclined to say that it wouldn't increase its
bibliophilic value much beyond the cost of the actual rebinding itself,
and it wouldn't really affect the historical value very much either.

It depends a bit, though, on what kind of binding it has at present. You
say both covers are intact. Does that mean the spine has gone? What
condition are the boards in?

Books of this period were frequently rebound by their original owners
(certainly in the UK and I think also in the US, though others may set
me straight on this). If the boards are not original it may not make
much difference whether they are preserved or not. If they are original
- and in sufficiently good condition - it might be worth incorporating
them into the rebinding.

One hint as to whether they are original is whether they are leather or
cloth. Most original bindings were cloth and rebindings were almost
always leather. It's not 100% foolproof, but it's generally the case.

Either way, if the book is falling to pieces the repair work is
necessary; an unrepaired book of similar provenance in fine condition
would doubtless be more valuable, but once the damage is done the only
way to preserve the book is to do the repairs. A rebound book of
historical significance is better than a book of historical significance
that has deteriorated beyond repair and is basically falling to bits.

The main thing is to do a repair that is in keeping with the book. A
contemporary-style half-leather binding would be appropriate. A bright
pink cloth binding would not!

John