450 Years New: The Revival of Copernicus’ Revolutionary Text
A conservators guide to the restoration process
The book: a revolutionary discovery
Nicolaus Copernicus’ De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres) is a revolutionary piece of scientific literature.
The accepted knowledge at the time was that the universe revolved around the Earth.
Copernicus’ work revolutionised this concept and provided a mathematical model of the universe which revolved around the sun.
Our copy
Printed in Switzerland in 1566, our copy has passed through many hands, many leaving their mark by annotating the text and diagrams.
In the hundreds of years since it was printed and bound, the binding had broken, with many pages dirty and stained.
Restoring this classic text
In 2024, the University of Sydney worked with a conservator to restore this 458 year old book.
The conservator carefully restored each part of the book to bring it back from its brittle, dark, and unusable state, and to preserve it for generations to come.
Conservation notes for 'De revolutionibus orbium coelestium' (2024) by Vanessa LowUniversity of Sydney Library
The process
The conservator examines the binding, end papers, and the text, and they make a record of any damage.
It is important for a conservator to take extensive notes to ensure that the page order remains the same at the end of the process.
Now the restoration process can begin.
Dismantling the book
The outer skin-like layer that holds the book together, the vellum binding, is extracted first. Then, the sewing thread that holds each section together by double cords is removed. Now the book is ready for a refresh.
The clean-up
The conservator starts the dry surface cleaning process. First, surface dirt is gently removed and brushed away.
Great care is taken around the edges to avoid tearing or damaging the paper, this area also tends to accumulate the most amount of dirt and acid build-up.
Using a soft pad of powdered rubber, each page is carefully cleared to lift the surface dirt. Dirt and rubber particles are then removed from each page using a soft brush.
Because paper in the early modern period was made of textile fibres, it is able to be washed. This is called 'float washing'. To do this, an alkaline bath made of deionised water and calcium hydroxide is prepared.
Float washing
Each pair of pages (called a "leaf") is placed on a support material to protect the pages from damage while they are in the alkaline bath.
Float washing in this way, helps to remove the dirt and acid.
Next, a small piece of blotter is used, via capillary action, to lift stubborn stains.
Once bathed, the supported pages, are exposed to sunlight for around 20 minutes and are then hung to dry.
Piecing the book back together
Once each page has been treated and is completely dry, the leaves are collated into sections and pressed.
Because the pagination on this book was incorrect, the conservator used their notes and the "catch words" at the bottom of each page to ensure it was in the same order.
Re-binding the book
Using the same mediaeval method of sewing the sections are sewn onto double linen cords, using linen threads which have been dyed to match the sewing.
The original vellum covers are cleaned and repaired using new vellum, coloured to match.
End papers are removed, repaired, and pasted onto the boards. The headband of the book is replicated to match the original.
Returning the book to the original vellum binding
This copy of Copernicus' work still has contemporary bindings, which is quite unusual. This is because it was the fashion of the time for new owners to rebind books to match the rest of their library.
This original cover has now been repaired and reattached to the text block.
After conservation treatment is finished, this 458 year old scientific treasure returns to the University of Sydney Rare Books and Special Collections.
It can once again be accessed by researchers, students, and visitors to the University of Sydney.
How the University of Sydney acquired this book
During the Cold War, W.H. Deane became concerned about the chance of nuclear war in the Northern Hemisphere, and wanted to create a collection of key texts from the history of science to preserve these works for future generations.
De revolutionibus orbium coelestium donated to the University of Sydney by W.H. & Elizabeth Deane. The W.H. and Elizabeth Deane Collection began in 1957, when William Houison Deane, a University of Sydney alumnus first contacted the University proposing a collection and began his significant financial support for the purchase of rare and special books.
Photography by Vanessa Low for the University of Sydney Library.
Book conservation by Gillian McElroy.
This book, Deane RB 8266.1 can be visited in person or viewed through our Digital Collections.
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