Solving Cases: Book and Paper Artefact Restoration

Solving Cases: Books and Paper Artefact Restoration is a collection of Italian restoration experiences documented by the author during his thirty years in this field. The author's intention was to take the reader by the hand and accompany him/her step by step as he confronts the complexities of each situation and resolves the case.
Anyone interested in or already studying conservation techniques for cultural heritage artefacts will find this book helpful as it is not a standard textbook but a series of cases where the author explains his reasoning and describes how he approached the investigation process that is necessary in any direct conservation procedure.  The discussions in this book highlight how even the smallest folds in an artefact can be read to increase our historical and technical knowledge.
This book is divided into three sections, each offering a detailed investigation into different types of artefacts: manuscripts on parchment and on paper; books needing minimal treatment on their bindings to books requiring completely new bindings; drawings, prints, miniatures, oil paintings, and finally a globe covered with printed maps. The final part examines a unique case of virtual restoration on one of the oldest surviving images on paper.
The book comes complete with a CD full of colour photos so you can visually follow the step by step description of the investigation process.

Nicolangelo Scianna, after completing a degree in Biological Sciences he was an apprentice at the Istituto di Patologia del Libro working on restoration techniques and the biology lab, then at other conservation institutes in Italy and France. In 1974 he started working as a freelance conservator-restorer and from 1994 to 2008 had a contract position as professor at the Faculty of Cultural Artefact Conservation with the University of Bologna where he taught Book and Paper Artefact Restoration.   Since  2004, N. Scianna has held the position of Scientific Supervisor of the Laboratorio di Restauro del Libro dell'Abbazia S. Maria del Monte in Cesena, Italy.