Preserving Books In A Tropical Climate?

[JamesC]

Hi

Do any of you have any tips on how to store books in a non air-conditioned room, so as to minimize deterioration due to humidity? I'm thinking of a monk in a forest monastery.

Thanks for any suggestions!

James

[MJP]

How about a dry cabinet? Sold by camera shops.

Dry cabinets

Or pack them in nitrogen. Like those packet sandwiches you get in the UK.

[Soutpeel]

How about a dry cabinet? Sold by camera shops.

Dry cabinets

Or pack them in nitrogen. Like those packet sandwiches you get in the UK.

Or pack them in a box with bags of Silica Gel, replace Silica gel periodically

[MJP]

How about a dry cabinet? Sold by camera shops.

Dry cabinets

Or pack them in nitrogen. Like those packet sandwiches you get in the UK.

Or pack them in a box with bags of Silica Gel, replace Silica gel periodically

Now that's a really good idea.

[aussiebebe]

Although expensive, if you want to store valuable books then the air-tight bags you can attach to a vacuum cleaner and seal would help protect them from moisture - you must bear in mind that not only humidity but grease and moisture from people's fingers is a prime cause of mildew and decay. If you want to read the books regularly, though, just make sure the room is well ventilated and bear in mind that by the time the books age noticeably, Google will have finished scanning every book ever written, Thailand will have rolled out nation-wide 3G and the monk in the forest will probably have gotten himself a Kindle.

[anonymouse]

stick them in plastic bags and cellotape them up, this has protected my book collection for the last few years. Keeping them out of sunlight helps as well. If the books are rare/ worth big money they do need be kept in a humidity /temperature controlled environment.

[JamesC]

Great Answers. Thanks!