Tips to Keep Your Books Looking Great 书籍保存的秘诀

If you’re a bookworm， you see books the way others see their closest friends and family. And， just like people， these companions need a little care and attention if you want them to remain with you. Luckily， books are easier than humans—only a few basic rules will keep them happy. Here are a few tips to keep your books from being damaged.

如果你是一個书迷，你会像其他人对待他们最亲密的朋友和家人一样对待书籍。而且，就像对待人一样，如果你想让这些“同伴”留在你身边，它们需要一点照顾和关注。幸运的是，书籍比人类更容易留存——只需注意简单的几点就能让它们“感到高兴”。这里有一些防止书籍受损的小贴士。

1.Use a bookmark—but don’t leave it in there forever.

使用书签——但不要将它一直留在那里。

We’ve been interrupted mid-chapter—who hasn’t been guilty of splaying a book text down onto a table？ A little planning will save your book from dog-earing. However， if you leave a bookmark in a book for years， it’s easy for bookmarks themselves to put undue pressure on the binding or leave unwanted traces， like outlines.

我们曾在读某章节时被打断过，谁没有因为把书本翻开铺在桌子上而感到内疚呢？稍加注意就可以避免你的书出现折角。然而，如果你把书签留在书页间多年，书签本身很容易对书页施加过度压力或留下不需要的痕迹，例如轮廓。

2.Don’t pull the top of the book’s spine.

不要拉扯书脊的顶部。

It’s so handy， that extra bit of material on the head of the book’s spine. While that little section of the book is one of the weakest parts. The more you fiddle with it， the more likely you are to damage the book. Just reach a bit further back and pull the book down by the edges of the text block， or grab the book by its sides.

抓住书脊上方的突出部分非常方便拿取，但这一小部件是书籍最薄弱的部分之一。你越是摆弄它，就越有可能损坏这本书。只需够到书脊上方后面一点，通过书芯的外缘将书向下拉，或者抓住书的两侧即可。

3. Keep books out of direct sunlight.

让书籍远离直射的阳光。

Just like a sunburn， too much exposure to UV rays will change the color of your books. Some colors are notoriously fugitive， like the red band on the dust jacket of the first edition of The Sound and the Fury—but an unfaded red band on that jacket can make a difference of $10，000 in the rare book world.

就像晒伤一样，过多地暴露在紫外线下会改变书籍的颜色。有些颜色是出了名的容易褪色，比如《喧哗与骚动》第一版护封上的红色带，在珍本市场，若护封上的红色带未褪色，那么它的估价会比褪色的高10 000 美元。

4. Pick a room temperature and stick with it.

选择一个室温并保持不变。

No attics！ No garages！ No cars！ Books ideally like their surroundings a little bit cool， but the most important aspect of temperature is consistency. Any room that experiences wide variations in temperature is going to cause disasters on your books.

阁楼不行！车库不行！汽车也不行！理想情况下，微凉的环境有利于书籍的存放，但有关温度最重要的还是其衡定性。任何温度变化较大的房间都会对您的书籍造成严重破坏。

5. Watch out for mold.

注意霉菌。

According to Michael Frazier， conservator at University of Nevada， Las Vegas’s Special Collections， mold is “a tricky and dangerous business”. In other words， any time the word MOLD appears in a sentence with books， it should be read in ALL CAPS. If you see MOLD on a book， isolate that sucker as soon as possible.

内华达大学拉斯维加斯分校的特殊收集中心的管理员迈克尔·弗雷泽表示：出现霉菌是“一件棘手且危险的事情”。换句话说，任何时候“霉菌”一词和书同时出现在一个句子中，都应该全部大写。如果你在一本书上看到“霉菌”，请尽快隔离那个“浑蛋”。

Word Bank

guilty /'ɡɪlti/ adj. 感到内疚的

fiddle with 不断摆弄

He was fiddling with his keys while listening to the speech.

consistency /kən'sɪstənsi/ n. 一致性；连贯性

isolate /'aɪsəleɪt/ v. （使）隔离，分离