I just opened some old (3-4years) books that i hadn't even touched for a few years and am devastated to see that they've all become yellowed and have brown and dark yellow spots all over the pages, some covers and pages have these brown/black dots on them, looks like if you'd stab a page with the tip of your pen, where'd this come from? Foxing Heavy foxing on the title page of an 1832 textbook Foxing is an age-related process of deterioration that causes spots and browning on paper documents such as books, postage stamps, old paper money and certificates, and on textiles like clothing and artists' canvasses. If you love books and try diligently to take care of them, it can be distressing to find that the pages of some of your classic collectibles no longer look pristine. You find you are downgrading their condition from good to fair, just because of the brown spots (also called foxing), yellowing, or browning over the pages.
Foxing Foxing is an age-related process of deterioration that causes spots and browning on old paper documents such as books, postage stamps, old paper money and certificates. The name may derive from the fox-like reddish-brown color of the stains, or the rust chemical ferric oxide which may be involved. Paper so affected is said to be "foxed".
Have you ever wondered why book pages turn yellow? Here is the science behind it and what you can do to prevent your books from discoloriing. So, I've been concerned about my books turning yellow recently. After comparing the colour of the books on my bookcase to those in my overflow drawer, the thought won't stop bothering me.
I've looked up some stuff about it, but most articles that offer advice are more referring to old, important texts and papers. Discover what foxing in books is, its causes, and how to prevent it in your collection to maintain their value and quality. Imagine pulling a book from the shelf and noticing the pages have yellowed since it was purchased.
You open the book, only to see brown spots all over the title page. Confused, you close the book, and flakes of leather fall to the floor. "What happened to my book?" you wonder.
But books may be exposed to moisture or environmental air pollutants that interact with the parts of the books. The reason pages and a book change colour after reading is simple and I am surprised no one has yet come up with the correct answer. Before hand it is simply in black and white.
Tips to Prevent Books from Turning Yellow! Well, it's basic science, you see. Paper is made out of wood that consists of cellulose and the wood component lignin. Now, lignin and cellulose, both the components are prone to oxidation.
And oxidation, in turn, is responsible for the paper to turn yellow and eventually brown.