Taking a Chance on a Nancy Drew Library Binding

 I saw this Nancy Drew library edition for sale online.

The tape was a big drawback.  However, the book was still worth purchasing depending upon the condition of the spine underneath the tape.  I knew that the tape would no longer be sticky and that the adhesive backing would be dry and stuck to the book.  It wouldn't be pretty, but the situation was salvageable depending upon the condition of the spine.  

I knew that the spine could be completely intact, partially intact, torn, or missing completely.  I decided to take a chance, and I purchased the book. 

You might wonder why I wanted to purchase the book, since I have nearly 200 examples of this binding, and eight of them are copies of Black Keys.  

Did I need a ninth copy of Black Keys?  Why yes, of course I did.  The one with tape on the spine is another variant.  The book is the same as the one seen in the top left corner of the above image except that the series name and author name on the front cover are in white.  That's why I wanted the book.

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Once I had the book in hand, I was certain that the spine was intact under the tape.  The above photo shows the outer spine visible at the bottom edge.  I proceeded to remove the tape.  I used manicure scissors with the book open so that the tape was pulled away from the hinges.  I cut through the tape at the front hinge.

Excellent!  Yes, I am serious.  The spine looked bad because of the dried adhesive, but I knew that would be the case.  I was thrilled that the spine was still intact, although a bit worn near the top and bottom edges.

A blue and white multi endpaper can be seen at the top edge of the photo.  It fell out of the book while I cut through the tape.

I finished removing the tape.

The next step would be the hard part.  Getting the dried residue off of the book is very difficult.  I have done this before, and it is impossible to remove all of it.  The goal is to remove as much as possible without damaging the cover.

I first took a dry paper towel and rubbed at the book, freeing the dusty remnants of adhesive that weren't firmly stuck to the cover.  I next used some lighter fluid on a paper towel and rubbed at it.  I also tried some Windex on a paper towel.  Each attempt removed some dried adhesive.  I then quit because it was late, and I planned to do more the next day.  The book's appearance had already improved.

The next day I realized that I was going to have to start scraping the residue off.  There was no other way.  I have a rounded plastic scraper that came with a bottle of Un-du adhesive remover that I purchased around 20 years ago.  I use it for scraping.  Library edition covers are durable enough that they can withstand some scraping.  I wouldn't do it on a regular edition.

During a few sessions over approximately a two-day period, I scraped at the dried adhesive.  I finally decided to call it "done" even though I could probably remove more of it.  I'm satisfied with where the book is now.  I knew that this would be a worn copy, and I'm okay with that.

I love owning all sorts of variants, and I don't mind if some of them are quite worn.  

This book is now shelved with the rest.