Literature

Crane & Co. of Dalton, Massachusetts, was featured in a Fortune article an quality in American products, in the March 28 issue. It said that U.S. currency is printed exclusively on Crane paper, and Crane letterhead is used in the White House and sold by Tiffany and Co. Many of its 730 workers are third or fourth generation employees.

Color for the Hand Papermaker, by Elaine Koretsky. Published in 1983 by Carriage House Press, 8 Evans Rd., Brookline, MA 02146. 2 v. IC # 83-62415. Regular ed. $35;

Special ed. (with more paper samples and a special box for the lab sheets) $200. A landmark work, covering aesthetics, permanence, availability, ease of application, cost , safety, theory of dyes and pigments, nomenclature, in-depth analysis of nine types of dyes and various pigments, bibliography, suppliers, and more. The author is a professional hand papermaker and paper historian, a member of TAPPI and the Inter-Society Color Council. The work on which this book was based was supported with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Institute of Paper Chemistry published bibliographies on permanent paper in 1964, 1970 and 1977, which are available for $13, $8 and $12 respectively from the Business Office, Institute of Paper Chemistry, PO Box 1039, Appleton, WI 54911. The page total for the three is 241 pages. References since 1967 are covered by PAPERCHEM, an online database. Users need to have an account with DIALOG, IPC's database vendor. Refer to File 240.

"Alkaline Papermaking: What is it? and What Will it Mean to You?" is a pamphlet issued earlier this year by Hammermill Papers, primarily for the use of distributors, but well suited for giving the basic facts in question-and-answer form to any group of paper consumers. Sample Q and A:

Q: I understand that alkaline papers have been around since the late 1800s. Why all this sudden interest?

A: Yes, they have been around for quite a while, but in limited supply and used primarily because of their archival value. They were difficult to manufacture and had some undesirable characteristics that, at times, caused problem. It wasn't until 1959 that a synthetic sizing agent, compatible with the alkaline process, was developed. That kicked off a spate of initially cautious conversions. However, use of this technology has snowballed. Currently over 65% of Europe's paper production is alkaline and in the United States 25% of the fine paper mills are using the alkaline process.

The pamphlet says the time is not far off when Hammermill alkaline grades will be available for sale.

A company spokesman says the Erie plant is in the process of conversion now, one machine at a time, and should be done by early June. The Lock Haven mill should be alkaline by sometime this fall, and the Selma and Oswego mills are expected to follow in 1989. Then all Hammermill Papers' merchant grades (mill brands) will be alkaline.

The Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (4615 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3796, 412/621-6941) sells audiovisual packages (color slides, audiocassette, manuscript of narration) on a number of subjects, two of which are of interest:

"Understanding and Measuring pH," 58 35-on color slides, published in 1973. Covers, among other things, the care " maintenance of electric pH meters; probably does not cover the combination electrode. $63 to GATF members, $126 to nonmembers.

"Milestones in Papermaking," by William H. Bureau, 56 35-on color slides, published in 1982. Covers, other things, the basics of the soda, sulfite, and sulfate (kraft) processes. $60 to members, $120 nonmembers.

Slow Fires: On the Preservation of the Human Record (videotape and film). Narrated by Robert MacNeil, with commentary by James Michener, Barbara Tuchman, Daniel Boorstin, William Welsh, Patricia Battin, Warren Haas, Vartan Gregorian and Margaret Child. Available for sale or rental, in one-hour or half-hour versions, from American Film Foundation, Box 2000, Santa Monica, CA 90406 (213/459-2116 or 394-5689). The cheapest version is the half-hour VHS version, which is $39.50 + $10 shipping, and is not available for renting; %only the 3/4" cassettes and the 16 mm film may be rented, for prices ranging from $45 to $95 + $10 shipping. For price list write the AFF.

"Preservation Photocopying in Libraries and Archives: Conference of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C., December 9, 1986." Special issue of Restaurator, 8(l), 1987. Of especial interest is "Archival Quality of Xerographic Copies," by Sylvia S. Y. Subt, Chief of the Paper and Physical Testing Division, U.S. Government Printing Office. A fuller report of this research is available from the Newsletter office at cost ($2.00 for copying at 10�/page plus 85� postage): "GPO Jacket No. 484-988 Final Report: Archival Xerographic Copying. Special Development Study for National Archives and Record Administration," prepared by Sylvia S. Y. Subt and John G. Koloski. USGPO, Aug. 1987.