Paper and Water

摘要

Most veteran conservators will agree with the axiom that 'science is nothing but trained and organized common sense' (Thomas H. Huxley, English biologist, 1825-1895). As common sense is a direct result of experience, practicing paper conservators will enjoy many 'a-ha' moments as the scientific underpinnings of their empirical knowledge are systematically revealed by Gerhard Banik and Irene Bruckle in Paper and Water. Readers of Paper and Water are expertly led by scientist Banik and paper conservator Bruckle through 437 pages of scientific and practical information starting with water and culminating in paper's total immersion in this remarkable liquid. The focus of the journey is on the interaction of paper and water; the goal is to integrate successfully scientific and engineering explanations of this interaction with conservation practice. Along the way, the authors wrestle with the sometimes uncomfortable consequences of what is chemically occurring when water comes into contact with paper. As a result,