The conservation of a manuscript cookbook with a distorted parchment binding dating from the early 18th century.

This full vellum stiffboard binding had badly cupped boards. The upper joint was split at the tail and the inner joints cracked. The tail cap was missing. The parchment in the joints is extremely stiff.

There is a typed label of pressure-sensitive tape on the spine.

There is an intact front bead headband at the head, and remnants of one at the tail.

The sewing on four cords is intact.

Ink writing extends to the edges on most leaves.

There are torn or crumpled leaves at the front. There are several damaged leaves at the back.

The leaves were mended using remoistenable tissue in areas with iron gall ink, otherwise with kozo paper using wheat starch paste.

The binding humidified with damp blotters and flattened between dry blotters under weights.

The loose leaves were hinged back onto the textblock with kozo paper using wheat starch paste.

There are whipstitched shoulder hinges of airplane cotton.

The cracks in the joints and the tears and losses in the parchment cover were reinforced with airplane cotton and/or heavyweight kozo paper using wheat starch paste.

The mends were toned with acrylic pigments.

The pastedowns were lifted along the spine edge and the new hinges were adhered under the pastedowns.

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