It doesn't surprise me that the 1898 records are still intact. I have at least a dozen books from the 1850's in my library. Many of the covers show heavy wear as they were used for sermon preparation, but the paper is still in great shape. I think it was in the 1930' & 40's when they started using the junk paper in paperbacks that deteriorated badly.
One other photo I found also from 2007.
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Regards,
Bob