The tool was developed by University of St Andrews, not the poisonous books.
timbaboon · 29m ago
Haha that’s exactly why I clicked on the story :)
jwagenet · 2h ago
I thought the final note “which can irritate modern day readers” in the heading was a funny comment. Were historic readers immune to the effects? Has a binder deteriorated such that the irritants come off more readily? Likely neither and it’s always been a problem, but it’s an unanswered question.
userbinator · 1h ago
Probably has always been a largely occupational hazard and otherwise of little concern to the general public, even those who read books regularly. Of course in this era where fear sells and everything has to be harmless regardless of real risk, it's become a more prominent issue.
nickdothutton · 1h ago
Great, first I had to buy a geiger counter for my old watch collection, now I need to worry about my old books too.
gmuslera · 1h ago
This is from a sequel or a remake of The Name of the Rose?
The tool was developed by University of St Andrews, not the poisonous books.
I knew about toxic wallpaper, but hadn’t turned the page on poisonous books. (Apologies for the pun. I’ll see myself out.)
But in all seriousness, I’m glad to see efforts like this helping to identify and prevent potential harm.
It is “developed by” not “in”. No Harry Potter corner not allowing students to visit. Actually they do. But every library has green cover does.
At least he can go to the exhibition I guess.