Caring for Your Family Treasures: Heritage Preservation (Paperback)

~ (Author), Richard W. Long (Author), Inge-Lise Eckmann (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

So you've had Great-Grandma's old oil painting appraised (you're a devotee of Antiques Roadshow) and, to your amazement, it actually is worth a pretty penny. Now that you know it's valuable, you want to store it properly. But how? According to Caring for Your Family Treasures, paintings are best preserved by keeping them out of direct light in a comfortably heated room (72 degrees with 50 percent humidity is ideal) and by handling them very carefully. By following the preservation guidelines laid out in Caring for Your Family Treasures, you can keep your precious heirlooms safe for generations to come.

"We know we cannot keep everything," says Heritage Preservation President Lawrence L. Reger, "and deciding what to keep is not easy. In the end, the things we choose to hold onto become that more precious to us, and it is important that we care for them properly." Caring for Your Family Treasures includes sections on books, scrapbooks and albums, photographs, home movies (film and video), paintings, fabrics, furniture, silver, jewelry, ceramics, musical instruments, and dolls and stuffed animals. In addition, there are chapters on how to recognize agents of deterioration, how to combat them, and where to go for help (both professional and do-it-yourself).

Caring for Your Family Treasures is thorough, well written, and filled with over 150 color photographs. The authors explain in detail how to recognize organic and inorganic materials and the best way to care for them (our favorite tips: never put a rubber band around a book--it'll eat into the often fragile pages; and never use magnetized photo albums as they discolor and the photos may rip if you try to remove them). This is a book for the serious conservator who is willing to spend time and money safeguarding his or her treasures. Follow their advice and your great-grandchildren will still be enjoying that antique oil painting. --Dana Van Nest

From Library Journal

Although there are plenty of guidebooks on preserving museum-quality antiques, this book is unique in that it focuses on the care and handling of precious family heirlooms such as old silver, wedding gowns, scrapbooks, photos, books, and dolls. It was assembled under the guidance of Heritage Preservation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving cultural artifacts, sites, natural science specimens, buildings, and works of art. (It has also published the highly regarded Caring for Your Collections and, more recently, Caring for Your Historic House.) In addition to providing solid and easy-to-understand information on object preservation, the book offers advice on where to find archival supplies, genealogical information, and, if need be, a professional conservator. The many color photos show how artifactual damage is caused and in some instances how it can be treated. Highly recommended for all public libraries and for decorative arts collections everywhere. Margarete Gross, Chicago P.L.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 162 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810929090
• ISBN-13: 978-0810929098
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #590,955 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #63 in

  Books > Home & Garden > Antiques & Collectibles > Care & Restoration

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Super How To Do It Book For Preserving Your Past !!, May 30, 2001

By	Irvin Goodman - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is a most useful, new (year 2000) 164 page, fully illustrated guide to preserving your family treasures. All of the information in this lovely guidebook was approved by a panel of experts. Topics range from protecting photos, film and videos, movies, paintings, clothing, furniture, glassware and musical instruments, to dolls, toys, natural items and military things, and more. The chapters are very concise, yet complete. Instructions are complete, and simple to follow. It even covers security and insurance of items. The time to begin preserving the items is now, and this book really shows you how. Add it to your library.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I saved my family treasures, May 24, 2001

By	Mark Allen Maser (Omaha, NE United States) - See all my reviews

This book is a treasure and a saviour. I was able to preserve my family heritage using advise and techniques I learned from this book. It describes how to salvage and protect everything from paper items to military mementos. I cannot recommend it enough for anyone who is interested in keeping their family's keepsakes in good shape. Kudos to those who put this book together. It was as if they were talking to me!