Leeds Central Library's poisonous book
27 Oct 2022
Rhian Isaac, Leeds Central Library's senior librarian with the library's copy of My Own Garden: The Young Gardener’s Yearbook. Published back in 1855, it has been safely tucked away behind the scenes at Leeds Central Library, well away from visitors. Recent research carried out by experts at the library revealed that the seemingly unassuming book most likely owes its vivid, emerald, green colour to a dye containing quantities of arsenic, which can be lethal when ingested.
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