The National Trust Manual of Housekeeping is the most comprehensive guide ever published to the care and management of houses and contents.

It is essential reading for anyone interested in the care and maintenance of fragile interiors and decorative fittings and fixtures.

In more than 900 pages, this book explains both the practical expertise and latest scientific research into the ways in which preventative conservation measures can help reduce expensive repair care at a later date.

Produced by the National Trust and published by Elsevier, this book brings together many years of practical experience in the care of hundreds of internationally renowned historic houses and their collections. From the risk factors – biological and chemical, natural and artificial lighting, and relative humidity – to the solutions, this wide-ranging guide covers the care of every imaginable household artefact.

Practical advice on the care of interior objects is balanced with external artefacts: statuary and stonework, garden furniture and structures, even elderly vehicles.

For the specialist, there is information on the transporting of delicate objects, the commissioning of conservation work, storage and display – even advice on living in historic houses and how to open them to visitors.

The National Trust Manual of Housekeeping is published by Elsevier at £49.99. Hardback format, 954 pages. ISBN: 0750655291. For more information and online purchasing visit Elsevier's website.