Volume 13, Number 5
Sep 1989

Editor's Page

Corrections

• In the article by Edward Tenner in the June issue, "The Paradoxical Proliferation of Paper," the last three complete paragraphs on p. 44 belong at the end. Somehow our system for keeping track of the order of material was not used with this article. Abject apologies to Mr. Tenner and the readers. When the article was reprinted for the Alkaline Paper Advocate, however, it was done correctly.
• Jim Dorsey, who puts out the Binders' Guild Newsletter, wrote in to say that he did not review The Practical Guide to Book Repair and Conservation, by Arthur W. Johnson, as the literature item on p. 73 (July issue) said, but The Practical Guide to Craft Bookbinding, by the same author.

pH Pens Available

An improved chlorophenol-red felt-tip pen is available from the Newsletter office for $2.00 plus P&H. This is the same pen that subscribers to the Alkaline Paper Advocate receive free with their subscription. When a mark is made on paper with it, the color is purple if the paper is near neutral or above pH 7.0; it is yellow or colorless below 6.0 or so, and tan or other in-between colors between about

6.0 and 6.5 or so. This is not an exact method of determining the pH of paper; for that you have to go to one of the standard methods. But it certainly is handy, and fun to use too. A picture of some people having fun using the pH pen is in the June issue of the Commission on Preservation and Access Newsletter. The pen itself is not identified, of course, but those are clearly Abbey pH pens. The occasion was the 1989 meeting of the Society for Scholarly Publishing in Washington, DC.

A Thank-You to Supporters

This year, $1322 has been received in contributions, which the Editor and Trustees acknowledge with gratitude:

Corporate Patron ($250 and over)

Bridgeport National Bindery

Patrons ($100 and over)

Joan T. Batchelor
Bookbinder's Warehouse
Colophon Bindery
Conservation Materials Ltd. Don Etherington
University Products

Sustaining Subscribers ($60 and over)

M. Susan Barger Bookmakers
Julia V. Miller
Northeast Document Conservation Center
Jeffrey M. Rigby
Hilda A. Robbins
Wei T'o Associates

The Abbey Newsletter: Bookbinding and Conservation is issued eight times a year and has about 1150 subscribers. New subscribers automatically receive all issues published in the current year, unless they request otherwise. All subscriptions expire on the last day of the year. Checks may be made out in dollars or pounds, payable to Abbey Publications; send to 320 E. Center, Provo, UT 84606 (801/373-1598).

Paid advertisements are not accepted, except for job ads. Any notice that is appropriate and newsworthy will be printed if there is room for it. Written contributions and bits of news are welcome. Claims for issues never received, or received in damaged condition, will be honored within a year of publication. A complete list of hack issues is available.

The Abbey Newsletter is selectively indexed in Art & Archaeology Technical Abstracts, the Institute of Paper Science and Technology Abstract Bulletin, and Graphic Arts Literature Abstracts. All issues but v.1 #2 are in print, and all volumes have their own index.

The Editor encourages readers to photocopy freely from the Newsletter; but before making more than 20 copies of any part, permission must be obtained from the Editor (who will contact the author, if a signed article is involved).

Abbey Publications is a nonprofit tax-exempt corporation (tax ID #87-0436104). Its other publication is Alkaline Paper Advocate.