Old library book with a 1983 repair job still holding up

Stopped by the used book sale in Denver last week and grabbed a 1940s field guide. Someone had taped the spine with what looks like classic cloth tape, probably from a library repair kit, and that patch is still solid after 40 years. Makes me wonder if my modern glue jobs will last half that long. Anyone else find old fixes that outlast the newer stuff?

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garcia.kelly24d ago

...and honestly I gotta push back on that. That cloth tape is probably holding the cover on but the adhesive has turned to goo underneath, and if you actually open that book flat you'll see the binding is shot. Modern glues like PVA or even the good book glue we have now are designed to flex and stay clear, they don't dry out and crumble like that old stuff does. Plus that tape is likely staining the pages and leaving that weird sticky residue that pulls off paper if you ever try to remove it. I've seen those old repair jobs look fine on the shelf but then the text block just falls out when someone actually reads it, so I'd take a fresh acid free repair over that vintage patch any day.