"Research in Book and Paper Conservation" attempts to give an overview of the state of the art of research in book and paper conservation-restoration in Europe through a summary of articles published in that field. It illustrates the richness and variety of results in research involved in and needed for the daily practical work of preservation and conservation-restoration of books, prints, drawings and other works of art on paper.
The book touches on all three areas of study: basic research, applied research and experimental development, and questions where the profession presently is in book and paper conservation research in Europe. It hopes to serve as a starting point for decisions that need to be made and a tool to guide (political) authorities in the making of those decisions.René Larsen, in 1998, published an outstanding paper defining the science of conservation-restoration. He expressed his opinion that the establishment of conservation science in Europe had just started and foresaw the creation of a European Centre for Basic Research in Conservation-Restoration within 25 years.
Now, 10 years after Larsen's call for action, the moment is certainly ripe for a step in this direction. The cultural heritage involved is too valuable, too important for mankind, for us not to work together in all respects. This effort must be aided by an exchange and far deeper sharing of possibilities and resources in all three areas of basic, applied and experimental conservation-restoration research in European book and paper conservation.
The historic enterprise of building a united Europe is destined to succeed or fail at the grass-roots level. This is true for all specific areas of human activity. Research in the preservation of culture, and books in particular, is one of the areas where much closer common effort is long overdue.
The book was aimed to point at the need for more support in research in book and paper conservation, targets politicians, conservators and book collectors at the same time. Especially the contributions by Schädler Saub, Fischer and Gallistl are "well readable" also for laymen.
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