Adopt a Book
Exeter Library's Special Collections Archive consists of early printed books ranging in date from an Incunable of 1480 to C.1900. Many of these rare and valuable items are in need of care and attention, from simple repairs to full-scale restorations. The aim is to protect these often fragile and deteriorating volumes for future generation to enjoy.
How do I Adopt a Book?
Below is the list of books that Exeter Library has identified as priority titles in need of restoration. This is based on the fragility of the items and on the level of demand for access to the books.
1. Choose the book you’d like to adopt from the list of priority titles (alternatively, you may choose for your donation to go towards the purchase of consumable materials for use in the Archive such as acid-free book boxes, labels and display resources).
2. Choose how much you would like to donate (recommended £25.00).
3. Fill out the Donation Form on the Adopt a Book leaflet. Leaflets can be collected from Exeter Library or printed at home via the pdf below.
4. Return the form and a cheque for the appropriate amount to Exeter Library. Please make cheques payable to Libraries Unlimited South West.
All money raised through Adopt a Book will go directly towards the restoration of the priority items or towards purchasing consumable materials for Exeter Library’s Special Collections Archive.
To find out more about how to Adopt a Book, download the leaflet here.
What do I get when I Adopt a Book?
In return for your donation you or the recipient will receive:
- A specially designed certificate
- Email newsletters about Exeter Library’s Special Collections Archive and the ongoing conservation work
- Your donation recognised online and in Exeter Library’s annual Adopt a Book exhibition
Your donation of £25.00 could:
- Provide the means to rebind a fragile book
- Buy materials for five acid free book boxes to prevent further deterioration of delicate paper
- Cover the cost of 50 minor paper repairs
Exeter Library’s restoration objective is to use as much of the original materials and binding history as possible. Where new materials must be incorporated the look of the old will complement the strength of the new. The benefit is the future longevity of the individual bindings, as well as the library as a whole.
- The First Folio, facsimile edition of the Chatsworth Copy - funding required £350
- A Complete Body of Ancient Geography, Mons D'Anville, 1775 - funding required £350
- The Arundel Society Portfolio - funding required £675
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll, 1898 - funding required £170
- The Book of the Dead: the Papyrus of Ani in the British Museum, E.A. Wallis Budge, 1895 - funding required £200
- The Child's Guide to Knowledge, Fanny Umpelby, 1848 - funding required £220.00
- A New and Accurate Description of all the Direct and Principal Cross Roads in England and Wales, Daniel Paterson, 1786 - funding required £270.00
- Phraseologia Generalis, William Robertson, 1693 - funding required £280.00
- The Philosophical Principles of the Science of Brewing: containing theoretic hints on an improved practice of brewing malt liquors, John Richardson, 1798 - funding required £180.00
- Theatrum Botanicum, John Parkinson, 1640 - funding required £280.00
- Twelve sermons upon several subjects and Occasions: the Third Volume. Never before printed, Robert South, 1698 - funding required £250.00