Good old dictionary

RACCOON:

One of the features of our 1944 Webster's Collegiate Dictionary we like is the lithographic illustrations so abundant in the oft-referred-to, much-thumbed volume. So often referred-to that over much time the old book's leather binding has dried and crumbled. It's been handled to the max. Several times we've put Elmer's glue under the worn and jagged flaps of the delaminating cover.

Too late now to feed the deteriorating leather with something like mink oil, but in the interest of keeping the dictionary around for a while longer without having to pick up shed pieces of the binding, (everytime we lay the book down on the scanner, for ex.) we contemplate giving the cover a careful coating or two or three of polyurethane varnish, clear gloss.

We have put the question to friends and relatives working in library science, but immediate answers have not been forthcoming. Our daughter, a grad student at UW-Madison in archival library science who works part-time in book preservation, is checking into the varnishing question.

We can see no harm in applying some careful layers of urethane as long as we don't get any on the pages.

Any suggestions from SRN readers would be appreciated.
On our pile of books stacked at the bedside table, the Webster's glints from its better side, with semi-intact gilt. It's ready to be pulled out and used, as it will be, again and again.