The Poison Book Project: The Mysterious History of Victorian-Era 'Poison Books' and Their Legacy Today

Are there really old books full of arsenic and other toxic heavy metals? How common are they? How dangerous are they? Why were they made at all? Melissa Tedone, co-founder of the Poison Book Project, will share the colorful history of Victorian bookbinding and its legacy on our bookshelves today.

Dr. Tedone is an Assistant Professor in the University of Delaware Department of Art Conservation and Associate Director of the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation (WUDPAC). She leads the Poison Book Project, a joint research initiative at the University of Delaware and Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library. Tedone also co-founded the Bibliotoxicology Working Group (BibTox), an international cohort of over 90 conservators, scientists, librarians, and health and safety professionals working to define safer practices for managing toxic library and archives collections.

This is event, which is free and open to the public, will be held in Shambaugh Auditorium in the Main Library. This event is part of the Iowa City Book Festival.