A rare book containing the fatal poison arsenic has been discovered by librarians; an inscription on the first page shows that it was originally given to a little girl by her own father.
Caroline Gott’s father William received a copy of My Own Garden: The Young Gardener’s Yearbook in 1855, the same year it was published by Leeds Central Library.
According to experts, the brilliant green coloring in the book is actually a toxin-containing pigment.
The library stated that the book, which had been concealed from visitors, would be tested to determine how much arsenic it contains.
Arsenic can be fatal if consumed.
My Own Garden: The Young Gardener’s Yearbook was published in 1855, the same year Caroline Gott’s father William gave a copy to the Leeds Central Library. Senior librarian Rhian Isaac is pictured with the dangerous copy.
The bright emerald green coloring of the inscriptions is attributed by experts to the presence of a hazardous substance within the text’s dye.
In 1858, the toxin was responsible for more than 200 deaths in neighboring Bradford, where sweets prepared with the toxin were unintentionally sold at a market booth.
Senior librarian Rhian Isaac discovered the book by cross-referencing the library’s collection with The Poison Book Project’s global database.
The project, initiated by the International Institute for Conservation in the United States, seeks to identify old book editions containing dangerous chemicals and heavy metals.
Rhian continued, ‘As a librarian, it is always tremendously exciting to find a rare or uncommon book in our collection.
‘However, this project is also crucial because it enables librarians from all around the world to collaborate and understand how and when these books were created, as well as what steps we can take to maintain track of them and ensure they are preserved and cared for properly.
Amazingly, heavy metals were formerly widely utilized in the manufacture of books to generate a shade of green that was regarded to be highly aesthetically beautiful.
In 1855, Caroline Gott’s father William gave her a book containing gardening advice with an inscription indicating that it was a present.
The book, which provides advice for aspiring young gardeners, was presented to Caroline Gott by her father William in 1855, as shown by an inscription in the book.
Both were descended from wool merchant Benjamin Gott, who formerly controlled Armley Mills and whose family remained major local businessmen for years.
Beryl Gott bequeathed a considerable portion of her personal library, consisting primarily of early botanical volumes, to the Leeds Public Library collection.
Rhian continued, “Although people at the time were aware that compounds such as arsenic were poisonous, they were likely unaware of the numerous ways they may be mistakenly ingested.”
The fact that this book formerly belonged to the Gott family means that its tale is also part of Leeds’s history, and with proper care and storage, it can be a part of our collection for many years to come.