Rare Books in the Press - Conservation of Jefferson's Bible

Fine Books & Collections announces:

"The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History is currently performing a conservation treatment to ensure the long-term preservation of Thomas Jefferson’s bible, a small handmade book that provides an intimate view of Jefferson’s private religious and moral philosophy.

After nearly 200 years, the book has become fragile and requires treatment to ensure its long-term preservation. Because of its age and the glue used to adhere the clippings to the blank paper, the pages are extremely stiff and inflexible and the tight binding has led to cracking and some tearing of the pages. The goal of the conservation is to clean and stabilize the book, mend damaged pages and return the manuscript back into Jefferson’s original binding. This will allow the museum to once again display the book safely in a new exhibition mount at an angle of 90 degrees. In addition, the team will construct a custom protective enclosure to house the bible when in storage."

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>>> Conservation of Jefferson's Bible Underway

>>> National Museum of American History