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First published online April 21, 2023
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Toxic Tomes: Understanding the Use and Risks of Heavy Metals in Nineteenth-Century Bookcloth

Melissa Tedone https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6472-4812 [email protected] and Rosie GrayburnView all authors and affiliations
Volume 19, Issue 2
https://doi.org/10.1177/15501906231159040

Abstract

The Poison Book Project is an ongoing investigation into the use of heavy metal pigments in nineteenth-century bookbinding cloth and the risks associated with handling books bound in such cloth. A spectrum of pigment colors and toxicities are briefly explored. The most toxic heavy metals identified in bookcloth include arsenic, chromium, lead, and mercury, with arsenic being the most acutely toxic. The primary methods of analysis used by project researchers are X-ray fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy; however, non-instrumental identification methods for confirming the presence of arsenic are also considered. Bookcloth production techniques evolved over the course of the century and may influence the friability of finished bookcloth. Considerations about the varying friability of differently colored bookcloths inform handling advice.

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Biographies

Melissa Tedone is conservator/head of Library Materials Conservation at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, and affiliated associate professor in the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation. She is a professional associate of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC), and founding co-chair of the Bibliotoxicology Working Group (BibTox).
Rosie Grayburn is scientist/head of the Scientific Research and Analysis Laboratory at Winterthur Museum, and affiliated associate professor in the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation. She is founding co-chair of the Bibliotoxicology Working Group (BibTox).
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