if blown up to a large scale of some contemporary paintings, would rank as modern master- 
pieces. Yet the painting under observation may itself be insignificant and the microscopic 
view may cover less than one-half inch of background taken out of context.' 
Mr Kelly is obviously a painter himself. He is also an amateur intrigued by restoration. 
Had he written his book consistently from this superficial point of view, his contribution 
might have been a charming diversion. 
CAROLINE K. KECK 
Received 28 March 1972 
Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, Cooperstown Graduate Programs, Cooperstown, New York, 
11326, U.S.A. 
H. J. PLENDERLEITH and A. E. A. WERNER, The Conservation of Antiquities and Works 
of Art, Oxford University Press, London 1971, xix + 394 pp., plates 46, figslO, ? 6*50. 
This second edition of a book that has been translated into many languages and used liteIally 
world-wide has been extensively revised in the course of gaining a second author. Quanti- 
tatively it has gained twenty pages of text, including five appendixes and some references, 
but it has lost nine plates and a figure. A number of its original plates have been replaced 
by others. Some of these illustrate methods developed in recent years. Others newly il- 
lustrate the problems of glass. This is an improvement: the new selection of plates and 
figures is better distributed over the many topics discussed in the text. The extra appendices 
should prove particularly useful because they are concerned variously with: the toxicity 
of organic solvents; differences between United States and United Kingdom usage of 
nomenclature and units; the much-used soluble nylon; the recently devised circuit for 
consolidative cathodic reduction of silver. 
It is proper for the present reviewer to declare his interest before proceeding further. He 
has himself worked in the British Museum Research Laboratory, whence comes much of 
the material. Nevertheless, his present activities are so distant and different that a detached 
viewpoint is practicable. The following comments are intended particularly to help readers 
who work in American areas of influence, but they will also indicate something of the 
content of the book for anyone who happens to be unfamiliar with it. The subjects of 
comment have been discussed with the authors, but not this actual text. 
The Hygrometric Chart shown in Fig. 1 of the book is more than an illustration: it can 
actually be used to solve practical problems. However, computation can be made easier 
for users of the metric system - all of us in the not-too-distant future - if it is remem- 
bered that 1 grain per cubic foot is equivalent to 0-0648 gram per cubic foot or to 2-29 mg 
per litre. For use in dry climates it would have been helpful to include lines representing 
relative humidities lower than 30 per cent. Some readers may also wish to add degrees 
Celsius to the dry-bulb scale, available from Appendix vii, although described there as 
'Centigrade', a term superseded since the 9th General Conference of the International 
Committee of Weights and Measures, 1948. 
Inhabitants of the less temperate climatic regions of the world may find difficulty in com- 
plying with the recommendation of 50 per cent as the lower safety limit of relative humidity 
for organic materials: their buildings cannot contain so much moisture safely during freezing 
weather. In fact, a lesser lower limit has been found to be satisfactory provided that ob- 
Studies in Conservation, 18 (1973), 189-194 
Book reviews 189 
jects brought in from other climates have been allowed to acclimatise themselves to the 
new conditions extremely slowly. 
The injunction to plan a method of conservation that will not cause loss of essential charac- 
teristics indicative of the age, authenticity or provenance of the object accords perfectly 
with the Code of Ethics formulated in 1968 that has now been adopted as a condition of 
membership by the American Institute for Conservation, previously IIC-AG. The diagrams 
intended to assist conservators in their planning of technical treatment have been retained 
at the ends of the chapters on various metals. 
In descriptions of insecticides there is no mention in the text of the present-day legal regula- 
tion of sales of DDT, nor of the health risks asssociated with regular use of carbon disulphide 
and carbon tetrachloride. If the reader seeks, he will find a new Appendix II on the toxicity 
of organic solvents. 
Present-day inability to use certain inexpensive poisons freely does, however, make problems 
for museums. They may instead choose to sterilize objects in elaborate gas-fumigation 
chambers. Use of these will sometimes necessitate temporary storage of the objects in the 
cellophane bags (currently made more usually of polyethylene) that are also suggested. 
The sealing recommended involves no risk if the climate of the whole museum is properly 
controlled, but if it is not, then it must be remembered that there is a risk of condensation 
when passing through areas of lower temperature. The possibility of risk in any actual 
situation can be assessed by intelligent use of the authors' Fig. 1. 
Some slips in proof-read!ng are evident. For example, 'adsorb' on page 50 should read 
'absorb' and the name 'Perriman' in the footnote on page 149 should read 'Penniman'. 
Several references to 'Topanews' are errata for 'Topane w.s.', meaning the water-soluble 
sodium salt of orthophenylphenol. Other startling usages, such as 'et sqq.' in place of 
'et seq.' or 'et seqq.', and 'gm' in place of the American standard and Systeme International 
'g', representing 'gram', are to be attributed to the house-style of the Oxford University 
Press. The first edition lacked these affectations. 
Another apparent oddity, in a procedure for fumigating a room with formaldehyde, is a 
quotation from an American Chemical Society Monograph. In this the formaldehyde 
solution is measured out by weight, despite the fact that it is more easily measured by 
volume and indeed is sold by the pint. The statement in this form does, however, prevent 
misunderstanding that could arise from the fact that the u.s. pint is smaller (four-fifths) 
than the Imperial pint, as stated elsewhere, in Table v. 
A convention important to note is the special usage of 'per cent' explained in Appendix I. 
Clearly intended for the non-chemist and easy to understand, it actually results in so- 
called '10 per cent hydrochloric acid' containing 3-5 per cent of HC1 and so-called '10 per 
cent nitric acid' containing 7-2 per cent HNO3. As a result, one cannot take equal volumes 
of dilute acid and alkali from the shelf and know that their mixture will be neutral (pH 7). 
In treatments where pH is important this non-standardization could be a hindrance to 
high-quality work. 
The statement on page 53 that carbon tetrachloride fire extinguishers are perfectly safe 
should not be read out of context. Although, as stated, safe for application to parchment 
documents, these extinguishers are NOT safe for humans. Anyone still housing sealed glass 
spherical extinguishers - they are sometimes to be found in odd corners of long-established 
workshops, painted red -- or the antique type of vacuum electric lamp that, burned-out, 
was filled with carbon tetrachloride to serve the same purpose by pinching off its 'pip' 
while held under the liquid, would be well advised to dispose of them. An alternative 
less-hazardous liquid having similar properties is trichlorotrifluoroethane (Freon 113). 
Studies in Conservation, 18 (1973), 189-194 
190 Book reviews 
Passing to considerations of paper. a number of methods of deacidification are described. 
It would have been instructive here, in view of the warning against alkalinities above pH 9, 
if the pH values attained during the treatments could have been stated, together with their 
durations during the various stages. 
In a discussion of uses of impregnated paper, fungicidal sheets are advocated for insertion 
between documents wetted by accidental flooding. It would have been helpful at this 
point, although strictly not appropriate, to mention the use of freezing as a method of 
preventing growth of moulds. Advocated by Carolyn Horton a decade ago as an emergency 
measure, subsequent drying by sublimation of the ice ('freeze-drying') has sometimes 
even resulted in separation of adjacent sheets of art paper, usually impossible to separate 
after soaking. 
'Fortnight', the suggested minimum time for exposure of insect-ridden manuscripts to 
paradichlorobenzene, is an anglicism, a contraction of 'fourteen nights', meaning two 
weeks. 
A commercial preparation named Insecta-Lac is suggested for the lacquering of storage 
shelving, without naming a source of supply. A formula quoted in The Conservation of 
Cultural Propertv, UNESCO 1968, page 68, may prove satisfactory and still respect health 
laws if DDT is replaced by Methoxychlor, and Aroclor (a chlorinated biphenyl) by ethyl 
cellulose. 
Later, soap is suggested as a possible cleaning agent for paper but without further qualifi.. 
cation. In view of the wide range of soaps on the market, compounded with coloi, perfume, 
antiseptic, emollients, alkali, fortifiers and other additives of dubious benefit to paper, 
it would be wise to read 'soft soap' or at least 'neutral white soap' (perhaps Ivory) in this 
context. 
A section on the bleaching of stains from prints describes three methods and contains much 
good advice. However, since the time at which this work was revised there has been develop- 
ing a considerable scientific interest in the very long-term effects of such treatments. Final 
conclusions have not yet been reached, but there is evidence that use of antichlor should never 
be neglected and that a compound other than the suggested and much-used sodium thiosul- 
phate might be preferable. Furthermore, the very controllaole and popular chloramine-T 
method may have long-delayed effects unless the reagent is thoroughly washed out during 
many hours. In bleaching by hydrogen peroxide, using non-ethereal methods several 
workers have found serious degradation of the papei. Some of this may be attributable 
to the use of commercial dilute solutions which in the u.s. contain various stabilising sub- 
stances. This possibility is mentioned later, on page 87. The difficulty may be avoided by 
purchasing 95 per cent hydrogen peroxide, said to be free from additives, and diluting 
appropriately. The user should observe all of the precautions recommended for this unstable 
material. Indeed, concentrations lowered to one-tenth or even one-hundredth of those 
specified here seem to be desirable if damage to the paper is to be avoided. 
Leaving paper for the subject of textiles, the space available has been very well filled with 
data on cleaning, stain-removal, fungal and insect attack, repairing and mounting, pro- 
tection in storage and exhibition, embroidered textiles and archaeological textiles. These latter 
titles have been completely revised or are new, but a complete account of treatment of all 
textiles cannot be encompassed in twenty-four pages. It is astonishing how much has in 
fact been included. A few comments can be made usefully as follows. Saponin is toxic and 
its solution should not be allowed to come into contact with open wounds. 'Batter' in cloth 
is an impregnant applied by the manufacturer to stiffen it. Protracted exposure to the 
vapour of paradichlorobenzene insecticide will soften and make sticky the surfaces of 
Studies in Conservation, 18 (1973), 189-194 
Book reviews 191 
clothes-hangers made of some of the modern plastic materials and of wood that has been 
varnished with shellac. 
The section on wood is as varied as that on textiles and does serve to give a rapid overview 
of the subject, with descriptions of representative methods. Individual readers with ex- 
perience and who work in a less well-controlled museum may hold different opinions on 
some subjects discussed. For example, a craftsman might use hide glue in preference to 
any of the synthetic resins listed, especially if he anticipated having to remake a joint at some 
future date. Furthermore, the use of a linseed oil-turpentine-vinegar mixture as a cleaner 
and polish is recommended in moderation. This advice is seldom heeded as written, nor 
the housekeeper's injunction to 'rub off more than you put on'. As a result, furniture 
may darken after decades of treatment because of a slow build-up of ageing linseed oil. 
It would be preferable to suggest a non-drying oil. 
In the description of the alum process for waterlogged wood it is good to find potash alum 
defined by formula. The earlier reference to alum size in paper lacks a formula. In fact, 
it concerns the simple aluminum sulphate. 
It is a pity that the substances poly(ethylene glycol) are associated with the word 'wax'. 
Although their solubility in water is here made perfectly clear, individuals have been found 
to use the material mistakenly on iron objects in place of paraffin or microcrystalline waxes, 
with the inevitable consequence that rusting was accelerated instead of prevented. 
Next, a note on the chapter on ivory. The 5 per cent solution of soluble nylon in ethanol 
suggested here as having a matt surface has been found sometimes to yield a sheen. Much 
depends on the nature of the substrate: if absorbent, the consolidant will appear matt; 
if non-absorbent, it will have a sheen. Preliminary experiment will allow change to a weaker, 
say 2 per cent, solution if necessary. 
Control of relative humidity by use of a suitable chemical is described on page 157: a list 
of the actual chemicals appears nowhere except in the footnote on page 3. Direction to 
this location could usefully have been inserted in the text in the unused half-line: the index 
is not particularly helpful in this matter although generally better than in the first edition. 
In discussion of the cleaning of jewellery inlaid with shell and coral there is a welcome 
warning against the use of acidic cleaning agents, without, however, a note that the widely 
used silver dips are all acidic in nature. 
The chapter on easel paintings is as comprehensive as other chapters, within the space 
allotted. The new writing leaves out trade names, so it becomes less immediately useful. 
Who, for example, without trade name or laboratory guidance, could select a 'polyvinyl- 
acetate emulsion' adhesive from among those offered over the counter? The deletion does, 
however, imply the general problem - that manufacturers are under no compulsion to 
continue a particular formulation, or to change the name when they change the formu- 
lation, with the result that formula xYz: 1956 may differ entirely in material and conse- 
quently in long-term stability from formula xYz: 1971, sold to serve an identical short-term 
purpose. A practical example is that of 'Calgon', recommended three times elsewhere in 
the book. This product is now sold in supermarkets in a 'new improved' version that con- 
tains less of the ingredient actually needed by the museum worker. He must now turn to 
the chemical supplier, unfortunately less accessible than the store. 
Part ii, on metals, is again a major portion of the book. The material is largely identical 
with that of the first edition except for rearrangement and insertion of newer methods 
such as the electrolytic consolidation of mineralized silver and lead, the stabilization of 
corroding copper alloys by means of silver oxide or benzotriazole, the cleaning of lead by 
chelation and the use of powered tools for mechanical cleaning. 
Studies in Conservation, 18 (1973), 189-194 
192 Book reviews 
In the condensation inseparable from so encyclopedic a work some useful practical detail 
have been lost. For example, the method described for the cleaning for re-use of granulated 
('mossy') zinc after apparent exhaustion in electro-chemical treatment is tedious. More 
satisfactory results can be achieved by melting in a ladle under a reducing gas flame and 
pouring into water. Again, in an initial general description of electrolytic reduction, the 
need for proper distribution of anodes is not emphasized. We know that the whole of the 
corroded surface of the cathodic object must 'see' anodes. For this reason a suitably shaped 
anode may even have to be installed in cavities in hollow objects. The use of stainless- 
steel anodes is also advocated without note of attendant difficulties: that because the anode 
is usually unreactive, allowing chlorides to build up in the electrolyte, the liquid must be 
replaced very frequently; that if low current densities are used the 'stainless' alloy may 
actually corrode, a condition correctable by reducing the total area of the anode but distri- 
buting the lesser area as numerous smaller anodes all around the object. 
The paragraphs on soldering fluxes are still a little disappointing. On careful reading the 
essential warnings against use of acid chloride fluxes are clearly expressed, but the mere 
mention of 'Baker's Fluid' and 'Arax' lends countenance to any craftsman who already 
leans heavily towards such short-term aids, neglectful of the subsequent disastrous 
corrosion. Now that there are so many excellent organic adhesives available it would 
surely be wise to advocate their use to the exclusion of soft solders (lead solders) 
altogether. 
A reference to the use of silver nitrate solution for the removal of films of copper from silver 
neglects acknowledgement to Earle Caley who reported experiments w'th the method in 
Technical Studies, 3, No. 3 (1935), 122-132. 
If conservators are not to be disappointed, a few more lines should be added to the de- 
scription of the toughening of a silver alloy that does not respond to annealing at 600?C 
(p. 234). The heating must be carried out for an adequate time while the silver is embedded 
in wood charcoal, and then the whole, charcoal and silver together, quenched in cold water. 
Reshaping must then also be carried out without delay, while the silver is at its softest, 
because precipitation-hardening may occur within ten days at room-temperature. More 
information on this subject will be found in Application of Science in Examination of Works 
of Art, Museum of Fine Art, Boston 1965, pp. 99 et seq. and 131, a reference that could 
usefully have been added. 
In the chapter on copper alloys there is a possible slip on page 250, where the formula 
for alkaline glycerol measures the liquid glycerol by gram. This can be done, of course, 
especially when the balance has just been used to weigh out solid caustic soda, but measure- 
ment in millilitres is usually easier and then gives the correct ratio, 50 ml to 150 gram, 
in contrast to 50 g, which actually occupies 40 ml and then requires only 120 g of soda. 
Many references occur to commercial chelating agents similar to EDTA (ethylenediamine- 
tetraacetic acid). This same substance is available as Versene Acid (Dow Chemical) or as 
Sequestrene (Geigy). The disodium salt (Titriplex II and Disodium Deterate) is apparently 
not available in u.s. in the Versene series but can be obtained from Geigy as Sequestrene 
NA2 or described as the disodium salt of EDTA from the Fisher Scientific catalog. Detarol 
(trisodium salt of N-hydroxy-ethylene-diaminotriacetic acid) corresponds with Versenol 
120; Detarex HM probably with Versene Fe3-Specific [N-N-di(2-hydroxyethyl)glycine]. 
Versene powder, Versene liquid, Versene 100 and Sequestrene NA4 all contain the tetra- 
sodium salt of EDTA in various concentrations. The acid and the various salts naturally 
have different values of pH and of solubility in water. These factors have been considered 
in the recipes. It would have been helpful here if it had been pointed out that only the 
Studies in Conservation, 18 (1973), 189-194 
Book reviews 193 
EDTA acid need be stocked, and that the two sodium salts can be made as needed by dis- 
solving it in the appropriate amounts of sodium hydroxide. 
The chapter on stone has been lengthened and considerably revised by insertion of con- 
temporary ideas. Again there are a few difficulties of nomenclature. The effective ingredient 
in Nitromors paint-stripper is methylene chloride, and alternative commercial strippers 
should be selected with this in mind. A reference to white glue has fortunately been defined 
by content: the same name is now applied sometimes to emulsion or latex adhesives which 
also are white in color. Soluble nylon has also wisely been qualified as Calaton CB. Several 
other soluble nylons on the market do not have the same properties. For 'methylated spirit' 
read de-natured alcohol of the isopropanol- or methanol-containing varieties, for example, 
Solox, but see also Appendix Iv. 
One useful gap-filler omitted from the section on repair of pottery - perhaps more useful 
even than AJK dough - is Polyfilla, a plaster-like substance containing a substituted- 
cellulose adhesive, unfortunately without equivalent in u.s. but available in Canada. 
The problem of finding a supplier for small quantities of unusual substances has been 
faced in this edition by incorporating a list of them. Naturally, all of them are located in 
England, but a few small firms there are prepared to export, notably Picreator (address 
listed) and Frank W. Joel, 9 Church Manor, Bishops Stortford, Herts, England (not listed). 
A u.s. source of materials needed for treatment of paper and books is: TALAS, 104 Fifth 
Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10011. 
This second edition is as important as the first was in 1956 because it presents its subject 
without difficult reading in one wide sweep. For this reason it is essential reading for any 
would-be conservator. Yet in a way this attribute has become a weakness. Conservation 
treatment has advanced so much that there are now many more methods than can be 
condensed into a single volume, each attuned to some particular need of an ailing object 
made of some one or of many different materials. It used to be possible for a challenged 
conservator to reply simply: 'But I followed Plenderleith'. Now one has to ask: 'Which 
part of Plenderleith and Werner? Did you not observe A, B, C, . . ? Would it not have 
satisfied the need better to have used X's method?' (not even noted in P. and W.) We 
must anticipate future textbooks that confine themselves to specific subject-areas. We 
must hope that they, also, will be written by practical people who understand the problems 
at first hand from their own experience. Meanwhile we must be cautious in using this 
edition, being careful not to lift statements from their context, reading all of the text on 
a given topic, in order to understand the implied restrictions on any particular method 
before putting it to the test. 
R. M. ORGAN 
Received 31 May 1973. 
Conservation-Analytical Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C. 20560. U.S.A. 
Studies in Conservation, 18 (1973), 189-194 
194 Book reviews