Musty Boxes

I've continued to unpack the materials which were in storage in Lansing for 30 years.  These include books from my grandmother's home.  Most are leather bound sets: Thoreau's Works (3 vols.), The Writings of John Burroughs (noted nature essayist), and Blackmore's Lorna Doone (2 vols.).  There's also an interesting 15-volume set on Northern European mythology and literature, published in 1906 by the Norroena Society which, I find, is still around.

These books have patches of white powder on the covers.  If this is mildew, I need to find how to treat them.  An antique store in Alpena recommended wiping them down with a cloth lightly treated with mineral oil.  But will that ruin the bindings?  There's an abundance of advice on the Net, some of which may be factual.

The first box of books is opened, containing Strickland's
Lives of the Queens of England.

Many of these are lovely books, but if mildewed,
can they be saved?

I've decided that much of the foul odor is probably lodged in the old cardboard boxes and newspaper cushioning, so I'm un-boxing things and getting rid of the packing materials.  Hopefully that will sweeten the atmosphere in my house!  Some personal papers also smell a bit ripe, so I've put them in a plastic bin with boxes of baking soda.  We'll see if that helps.

Altar in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd.

On Christmas Eve a service of lessons and music will be broadcast from the Chapel of the Good Shepherd at The General Theological Seminary in New York City, where I studied from 1981-84.  The program is supposed to air at 11:30 p.m. on CBS affiliates.  Check your local listings.  Watch if you can, or set your DVR to record the program. •••