Repairing Jeff Clinton's Wanted: Wildcat O'Shea

 

In the late hours I tell myself I’m a reader, not a collector, which is (mostly) true and so I’ve never had a problem repairing books for the purpose of making them readable. I’ll use glue, tape, and pretty much anything else I can think of to keep the pages intact, the spine solid, and the cover attached. In a recent purchase of a lot of five Wildcat O’Shea westerns, by Jeff Clinton (Jack M. Bickham), Wanted: Wildcat O’Shea came with a split spine, a few pages falling out, and the cover completely detached. So, in my amateurish ways I made it readable again with glue, clamps, and patience. Will it stand the test of time? Maybe not, but I’m certain I’ll be able to read it before it falls apart. The photographs below tell the story much better than I can… Unfortunately, I failed to photograph the spine before repairing the damaged spots.
Day 1: Gluing the spine… waiting and gluing again.
Day 2: The spine is solid and flexible, awaiting the cover to be reattached.
Day 3: A done deal…