“A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age.” [Robertson Davies]

Brockhaus 1833

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Abstract

Leather bookbinding is sensitive. If not properly cared for, it dries out, becomes brittle, and cracks. Every 4 years, it should be treated with a suitable leather care product. The recipe presented here can be made at any pharmacy. It comes from a librarian of a library in Göttingen.

Brockhaus 1851

Ingredients

Ingredient Amount
Thymol 5.5 g
Hoof Oil (oleum pedum tauri) 100 ml
Beeswax (cera flava) 30 g

Brockhaus 1892

Production as an Ointment

First, 5.5 g of powdered thymol are measured and placed in a beaker on a balance. Then, 100 ml of hoof oil is added (bringing the total weight to 105.5 g). Meanwhile, the small beeswax chips (30 g) are separately heated in a separate container.

To help the thymol-hoof oil mixture combine better, the beaker is placed in a hot water bath and stirred continuously. The beeswax must be added at the same temperature as the other mixture to ensure it mixes well.

A thermometer is placed in both containers, and at 60°C, the liquid beeswax is poured into the beaker. During this process, the mixture is stirred to ensure it combines properly.

Finally, the liquid ointment is poured into two small (100 ml) jars. Now, the mixture must cool down and solidify a bit. While the ointment is cooling, the labels for the jars can be written.

Meyer 1893

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This article as PDF document:

Plumhoff_Book_Leather_Care.pdf [875 KB PDF file, open and use at your own risk]

![Meyer 1923](/pic_Meyer_1923.jpg