Antique books- What is this on the pages?

[Aluminum]

Well, jee! I sure hope this is the proper place to ask. I know absolutely nothing about the care and condition of antique books (or where to learn about it) and am wondering if you could point me in the right direction.

I have a beautiful 1852 copy of William Shakespeare. I absolutely love it, but I'm afraid to place it with the rest of my collection in case of contaminating something. Nearly every page is covered with little brown spots and there is one dark "spot" on the last two pages which I'm concerned about.

I have some photos,
The light brown spots- http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y94/Shoga-chan/DSCF4436.jpg
The dark spot-http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y94/Shoga-chan/DSCF4437.jpg

Thanks. xD

[*Classic*Charm*]

That's strange, Aluminum. None of my antique books have spots like that, and a number of them are as old as yours. I've never seen that before. You're sure the brown spots aren't water damage?

I think you'll be needing Mono's opinion in this matter!

[Niamh]

I think you will find its caused by moisture and damp. probably wasnt kept in the right place for years.

[Aluminum]

Ooh thanks so much! I sure hope it's only water damage. It completely makes sense too. It was "stored" in Pennsylvania and it's a very humid place here. I bet it was the humidity; it would make sense that the speckled shapes were formed from that.

[Niamh]

I have a few books like that.

[mono]

I think you'll be needing Mono's opinion in this matter!
How flattering! Thanks, CC. :blush: :lol:

Aluminum, I consider myself no expert, but I collect rare books, and have seen many like this. A book in this condition does not entirely reflect its age nor lack of care, but the combination of the two, and I will not point any fingers at all of the owners since 1852 (especially at you, as you clearly care for the book, having come here to look for help).
Prior to the 1950's, publishers and binders printed everything on acidic paper, made acidic by failing to remove certain enzymes from the tree pulp. One can neutralize these with bicarbonate compounds, but I would love to meet the owner who would coat every page of a volume of Shakespeare individually to save it from rusting. The acid of the paper has "rusted" from over-exposure to the air, dust, bacteria, and fungi (and all other sorts of things that flow freely in the room air); this came from oxidization, and all books printed before the 1950's have a risk of developing this.
As I see the dark spot on the back cover sits near a tearing of the spine of the book, that looks due to moisture creeping in through the cracks; the "branching" action proves this, much like when one's home has a pipe leaking through the ceiling over time. Hopefully the dark spots do not feel too soft, which means that the moisture may creep through the opposite side of the cover; otherwise, you could prevent it from spreading further by good storage, no exposure to excessive sunlight or further moisture - perhaps a good, sturdy bookcase.
Good luck!

[*Classic*Charm*]

See, I told you :D

[Aluminum]

Hehehe, you sure did Classic! ;D

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond, Mono! This was so incredibly helpful. I believe this book came from an estate sale so I can only imagine how it has been stored this whole time. I doubt I will coat each page with bicarbonate compounds, but thank you for mentioning this. I have another pre-1950 book which would totally be worth coating. I will do research on it. I certainly feel more comfortable storing this with my other books. I can't wait to add it to the shelf. :D