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Should books be stored upright or flat?

Preservation, Storage & Insurance · Revised 3 August 2026

VALÉORINE editorial artwork: an ivory plane sheltered within larger softly shadowed forms

Store ordinary volumes upright, supported by neighbours of similar height so that the spine is not distorted. Large, heavy or fragile volumes, and any book with a detached or weakened joint, should lie flat, with no more than two or three stacked together.

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