May 29, 2012, Filed Under: ConservationYour Humble Serpent: “Book Snake” and “Book Worm” are unsung Reading Room companions Though seldom spoken of, the “book snake” has been a staple for patrons in the Ransom Center’s reading room for many years, while its smaller cousin, the “book worm” has appeared more recently. The story behind these creatures, often seen draped over the sides of books or nestled between the… read more
May 22, 2012, Filed Under: Books + Manuscripts, Conservation, Exhibitions + EventsBefore and After: Mark Twain’s Bible While writing Innocents Abroad, Samuel Clemens (known more familiarly as Mark Twain) carried a Bible during a trip to Constantinople in 1867. The book is now part of the Ransom Center’s collections and can be seen in the exhibition The King James Bible: Its History and Influence, which runs through… read more
April 19, 2012, Filed Under: ConservationBugs, Mold, and Conservation Mary Baughman, a Harry Ransom Center book conservator, hunts bugs. When she discovers them in materials at the Center, she destroys them, typically with a 72-hour stint in a freezer at 20 degrees centigrade or below. But don’t ask Baughman which of the cellulose-munching bugs she wishes didn’t exist at… read more
