The discovery that paper could be made from wood was the key that made the mass market in books and newspapers possible. But unlike parchment, vellum or rag-based papers, paper made from wood pulp has a limited life. Librarians have begun to realize that modern books are deteriorating rapidly.
The problem is that they contain chemicals, including acids from the bleaching process, that eat them away. For most readers, it hardly matters, because they have read the books long before the decay becomes evident. But for archivists and librarians it is a disaster. It means that potentially all the books that have been published since 1850 could be slowly self-destructing.
‘The irony is that the paper of older books published since the beginning of printing in 1475 can be in much better condition than something printed only 40 years ago, which is collapsing’, says Mr Mike Weston of the British Library.
Librarians are now trying to find some inexpensive way of treating their vast stock of books. At present, the only way is to strip off the bindings and treat the pages one by one to remove acid. While this might be justified for some valuable first editions, it is impractical for the bulk of books. However, some manufacturers are now producing paper which has a neutral sizing, to prolong its life.
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