Cleaning paper

[ELAND101]

I have inherited a large Chambers dictionary in need of some tlc. Have rebacked the cover but the edges of the pages are filthy. Any ideas,please, as to how they can be cleaned - ordinary eraser has no effect.

[AlBags]

That's a specialist job for a book restorer .. May not be worth it!
Once paper is impregnated with dirt/oil, it's almost impossible to remove it.

[ELAND101]

Thanks AlBags - I thought that might be the case but at £40 for a new one I was hoping to save some money!

[bookbinder]

I am a retired bookbinder, ELAND101. The only way to clean the book's dirty edges is to remove the case [as the hard back/cover is called in the trade] and trim the page edges in a paper guillotine. This can also be done with a hand tool, called a plough, but both methods require specialist equipment. Rubbing the page edges with anything won't improve them.

[ELAND101]

Thanks bookbinder for that information. It's not really worth the effort so will have to splash out on a new one!

[Wak]

Just a last idea.
Why not hold a steel ruler close to the outer edge of the first page and then trim a 1/16th strip off using a razor blade or craft knife.
You will do 2 or 3 pages with each stroke and keep you pleasantly occupied for a while.
Just a thought!