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How to Care for Hardback Books

Hardback books are designed to last for many, many years. You can read and treasure them not only for your lifetime, but throughout that of your children and even your grandchildren, if they are given the proper care during use and storage. Follow a few simple guidelines for caring for your books and they can become family treasures to be passed down through the generations.

Things You'll Need

Bookshelf
Dust cloth

Instructions

- 1
  Treat the spine carefully. Do not crack it to make the book stay open in one place. If you are finished reading, close the book -- using a bookmark to locate the spot -- rather than leaving it open, which can damage the spine.
- 2
  Avoid bending a corner to mark your place. Again, use a bookmark to mark your spot in the book. When you bend a corner, it weakens the page, making it more likely that the corner will tear off.
- 3
  Dust your books regularly to keep them clean. Dust can work its way into the book, damaging the spine, the cover and its pages.
- 4
  Store your books vertically on a bookshelf. Do not lay them on their sides and certainly do not stack them this way, as the weight can damage the spines. Books are designed to be supported while standing on their ends.
- 5
  Store your books out of direct sunlight. Sunlight can bleach your books, damaging the covers and even the pages, depending on what is exposed.

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