Gray, Thomas. Elegy (London: Longman; New York: Wiley and Putnam, 1846).

Thomas Gray's 1751 Elegy became a staple of English poetry. This 1846 publication of that poem has illuminations by famed book artist Owen Jones and a leather binding molded to resemble carved wood. The volume's pages were all detached from the binding.

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Evelyn, John. Sylva, or, A Discourse of Forest-trees and the Propagation of Timber in His Majesties Dominions (London : Printed for John Martyn, printer to the Royal Society, [1679])

John Evelyn's book Sylva, or, A Discourse of Forest-trees and the Propagation of Timber in His Majesties Dominions, published in 1679, discussed forest conservation. The volume's protective covers were worn and detached; without conservation treatment the book would have suffered further damage with each use.

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[19th century peepshow]

This early example of a peep show forms part of the Libraries' Henrietta Hochschild Collection of Children's Books. The structure consists of a series of illustrated cut-outs connected by paper hinges to create a three-dimensional scene viewed through the opening at the center. Many of the hinges in this copy have been weakened or split through use by previous owners, making the item vulnerable to further deterioration.

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Brackenridge, H. M. (Henry Marie), 1786-1871. Views of Louisiana : Together With a Journal of a Voyage up the Missouri River, in 1811 (Pittsburgh: Printed and published by Cramer, Spear and Eichbaum, Franklin Head Office, 1814).

In this work Brackenridge, a lawyer and journalist who moved to Missouri in 1810, records details of his journey up the Missouri River, along with information about the history and geography of the area. Both covers of the volume are detached.

Link to conservator's treament report