The day of the book and of the roses: april 23rd

Written by Francesca Di Turo

Translated by Sarah Fortunée Tabbakh

Italian Version here

“Books are not made to be believed, but to be subjected to inquiry. When we consider a book, we mustn’t ask ourselves what it says but what it means.” 

The Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco

On April 23^rd 1996, UNESCO established the day of the book and of copyright to promote reading and publishing and to protect the authors’ original works. This day was created following a Catalan tradition that Vincent Clavel Andrés had created. 

The book has always been a symbol of knowledge, which in itself represents liberty: no wonder books have been the main targets of those who wanted to restrict a people’s freedom. Leaving aside their intentional and drastic elimination, books are one of the most difficult and delicate cultural good to conserve. Their priceless value, in their materials and in their essence, is the main reason they should be safeguarded in the best way possible, so that future generations can comprehend on what foundations our culture was built. 

Long story short, paper is made of cellulose and other substances (lignin, hemicellulose…) that can or cannot be found depending on the raw materials and the technologies used to fabricate it. The quality of the paper has changed in the centuries along with the technological evolution of the machines used for its production. It is no surprise that older books are better conserved than many of the modern books: the mechanical degradation and the microbial attack also depends on the quality of the paper. 

The cellulose and the glues used for binding can be tasty food for some microorganisms, which are one of the main causes for degradation. The chromatic alteration known as foxing is caused by microorganisms and mushrooms but the nature of such decays is not clear yet. Even so, as every diagnostic problematic, the phenomenology of the degradation is very complex: depending on the conservation environment, the microorganisms and mildew can grow. By now, it has become obvious, and also indispensable, that the microclimatic control of the relative humidity and of the temperature is fundamental in order to reduce the microbial attack. 

Aside from the biological damage, the problems caused by the inks should not be forgotten. Indeed, it is a topic we could talk about for hours: the iron gall ink has been wildly used thanks to its easy production but has caused many conservation problems since it penetrates deep in the paper, thus breaking the cellulosic chains. Without getting into chemical details, the iron gall ink tends to be acid and even to fade with time. 

Every avid reader knows how wonderful it is to leaf through a book that contains centuries of history, and to know that no multimedia support can replace this treasure made of cellulose and so little other material. 

P.S.: In Catalonia, following in the footsteps of an old medieval tradition, for every book sold on April 23^rd, you get a rose… take advantage of this opportunity to brighten a book lover’s day!

For further reading:
 • Biodeterioramento
 • Inchiostro Ferrogallico