Though I usually refuse to do book repair, this case was a bit different because my customer wanted a completely new cover for the pages (I did not have to save the old cover or work with any old rotten cover material).  My customer wanted to have this vintage Romanian cookbook re-bound for a friend of hers.  This cookbook was give to my customer's friend by her mother on her wedding day.  When it arrived, the book had no cover at all and some of the front pages in the book were torn.  I repaired the pages with Filmoplast...an archival material that looks like semi-translucent tape, but is actually very thin paper with an archival adhesive on it.  It strengthens torn pages and you can see through it to read the words.  I also added several blank pages to the book which were sewn onto the original, printed pages of the book block.  The endpapers are acid-free parchment-look paper to go with the aged, slightly darkened look of the book pages.  For the cover, my customer requested a bright, electric blue goatskin.  This is her friend's favorite color.  She also wanted her friend's wedding photo mounted in a recessed area on the front cover; the photo had special significance.  I enjoyed giving this well-loved family heirloom a completely new cover in an unexpected color.

A book like this would cost around $210, partly due to the cost of the leather.  It could cost more if the pages need more work and/or re-sewing by hand.

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