Even if the 2e books are falling apart, the good thing is that they are stitched rather than glued.  This makes them much easier to save.  If the stitched packets are coming off the cloth strip merely fill in the gap with PVA glue (blowing or light bouncing or using a thin skewer can help spread it down the gap) and let dry closed.  Also glue can be applied outside the cloth strip to glue it directly to the spine.  This can really make the books solid!

Another thing to do is use library or linen tape to tape the block to the covers on the inside.

If you guys are real book repair folks the above will seem like super ghetto solutions, but they are easy and work well!  Real book repair requires skill and tools.  The above only requires a $1 bottle of glue and is good enough.

If a stitched page is coming of if the packet, resecure it with a very thin bed of PVA glue.

Stitched books ftw!

Quote from: camazotz;583491The black-border revised 2nd edition books? They were better quality paper, I think. The art changed...not for better or worse, I suppose, though I liked the look of the first prints under the TSR days. The hard-covers also were a bit sturdier....my original 2nd edition books were well frayed and by the time the reprints were done I was happy to trade up. My reprints never got the corner and spine wear that the originals did (and I was using them for as often and right up to the arrival of 3E).

No the TSR black border ones.  There are Wotc branded 2e books out there, books that do not bear the TSR logo, but the Wotc logo.

Cheers