OT: pictures in books
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: OT: pictures in books
- From: "* A* S* <m*@erols.com>
- Date: Fri, 6 Mar 1998 19:01:26 -0700 (MST)
Rima wrote:
>the illustrations are so gorgeous
>I wish I could find a second copy so I can frame them
Please reconsider, Rima. Cibachrome photograhic reproductions of your
flower plates would be lovely in frames; and they are much less prone to
yellowing, fading, and foxing than paper. Removing prints and drawings from
books is an old tradition, and one that has had some dire effects for
scholarship. Many volumes that originally contained beautiful
illustrations were taken apart for the pictures, and now complete copies of
some of them are so rare they can be found in only a few collections in the
world. And sometimes they aren't even safe in libraries. The Library of
Congress was forced to close its book stacks to both the public and the
staff because many of its important books were destroyed by thieves stealing
the prints. Maybe you read about it in the newspaper. Of course, I'm not
suggesting that you or anyone else on the list would ever consider
vandalizing a library book, but I felt obliged to speak up on behalf of
books because I spend my professional life trying to preserve them.
Merrily on Capitol Hill, where crocuses and daffodils are blooming up a
storm, and a clump of purple TB's are blooming on the south side of
somebody's row house (not mine, alas)
