"Urgent: Book in Need of Medical Attention!"

The book conservation lab at the Metropolitan Museum of Art serves as a hospital for ailing books, processing an astonishing 2,500 books each year. With fearsome machines and antique tools, the lab restores books from every department of the museum, some rare and valuable, others ordinary. The lab's head, Mindell Dubansky, advises readers on how to keep their own books in superb condition, emphasizing the avoidance of light, dust, extreme temperature fluctuations, and improper storage.