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A few people recommended setting fabric covers out in the sun to dry and air out. You can also try brushing the book with a cloth or brush that has been dampened with ammonia or vineger. Blotting tissues between pages can also help reduce dampness.

Sunlight and dry air are a good start.

If the books are made of leather then use Murphey's soap or saddle soap and then a coating of neat's foot oil.

One poster described his success with record album jackets. He
basically dusts the affected areas with cornstarch, and places them in sunlight for a short amount of time (outside, not through a window, since you want the UV). Some combination of the cornstarch, heat, UV light and/or dry air kills all the mildew.

For further info contact a local university library for advice.

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Hints from Alison Harding's "Renovating Books" I've found useful, with a tip of my own to start.

I bought a blusher brush which I use to rub off as much dirt as I can. It's a reasonable size, so it doesn't take too long per book, and it's soft enough not to cause damage.

On glossy covers, a damp sponge is a good start, but avoid
overwetting. Patience is the key.

Cloth or linen covers won't be waterproof. In desperation, try a light alcohol or spirit like isopropanol, but this may lift colour and cause rings on the cover, so use it on a Q-tip if at all. I prefer to rub a piece of bread over the cover, rolling it gently along. A stiff piece of dough works even better, if you happen to be a breadmaker; and if the cover is embossed, sprinkle some talc over the design, leave it to stand for a half-hour, then brush it off.

For leather, I'd use a proprietary leather cleaner.

On the pages, you can use a 2% solution of Chloramine T, but test on an endpaper first if the book is valuable. It's a gentle bleach, but go easy because the dampness may crinkle the page if you overdo it.

I haven't tried it myself, but a friend has made a sausage of Blu-tack and rolled it across the edges of a closed book to get grime off the paper.

Use any of these ideas at your own risk, but I'd practise on the cheap books first!

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professional binder talking.

don't use any chemicals unless you KNOW the results.
Naptha (lighter fluid) is okay for stickers on covers.

Vulcanized rubber spongers used professionally to remove
smoke & grime.. they are great & cheap (see you hardware store)

white vinyl erasers are the best for not harming paper yet removing writing & marks.

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