Re: Cleaning radio related books.
What needs cleaning? If it's the outer covers then I'd suggest just a light dusting with a can of dry air [as used for cleaning computers/keyboards] - perhaps also with a bit of brushing with a bristle paintbrush to help dislodge any long-accreted dust.
The pages themselves may well be 'foxed', that being the technical term for the reddish, vaguely-rust-like discolouration that comes from acids within the paper reacting with air - old paper can become embrittled this way. Controlled humidity is important for long-term storage.
And remember that the glues used historically in book-binding often contained either animal-based protein-glue [they boiled-down old horses to make it] or starch - both of which can attract insects - the famed 'book-worms' and equally-nasty book-lice - who see old books as a tasty meal! If you have either of these then freezing, or storage in an atmosphere of pure CO2 are the archivist's favourite cures.
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