Horror is big business, especially in the world of literature. Last year, horror fiction sales rose by 33% in the UK, totaling 4.2 million in profit. in the UK, totaling 4.2 million in profit.
If you love a good scary story, you may have all sorts of horror books lying around. Some might be rarer than you think!
Keeping your beloved books in great condition ensures that generations to come can enjoy them. It also increases their overall value if you ever want to sell them.
Nothing is scarier than a ruined book, so keep reading for a guide on how you can protect your favorite horror books.
Store Your Horror Books Safely
Where you store your books is, without a doubt, the most important aspect of care. You can have a pristine, mint condition first-edition "Dracula" that you've never opened, but if you're storing it incorrectly, you're run the risk of ruining it all the same.
Where to Store
The best thing you can do for your beloved books is to keep them out of the sunlight.
Have you ever seen a book with yellowed pages? It's because the paper manufacturers use contains a chemical that oxidizes when exposed to sunlight.
Not only can improper storage ruin your pages, but sunlight also affects the cover. Storing books in well-lit, sunny areas can dull even the brightest of book covers.
Keep your books in a dark or dim area away from sunlight.
Temperature Control
This tends to be the trickiest part of caring for older books.
While you won't be able to keep your tomes of terror away from heat and humidity altogether, do your best to keep them away from vents, heaters, and pipes. Heat weakens the paper, while condensation creates the perfect environment for mold and mildew.
Other Considerations
Can't afford top of the line storage for your books? No worries. At the very least, you should keep up with regular maintenance.
You can dust them with a microfiber cloth, for instance. As long as you're gentle, you shouldn't impact their overall condition.
Likewise, watch out for pests like insects and vermin. Insects like to nest in dark, warm areas, while vermin may use your books as a snack.
Invest in Plastic Covers
To go above and beyond in the care of your books, consider investing in UV-resistant book covers. Since sunlight is a death sentence for books, a UV cover can keep your cover looking as good as it did the day you brought it home.
If the book is already damaged, you can print replacement book covers online.
Avoid a Shock: Keep Your Horror Books Safe
We don't know about you, but we'd take a stay in a haunted house over the loss of our favorite horror books any day.
While caring for books isn't always easy, it is rewarding. Knowing that you're preserving a bit of horror history is well worth a little extra work!
Want to learn more about horror memorabilia? Then be sure to visit our blog for even more awesome horror-related content.
