We love this fascinating article about how to preserve old newspapers – using, of all things, water!

But the conservator also used a special wax called ‘cyclododecane’, so as to preserve the ink before the water treatment is started.

It really is a terrific article, which also sheds light on the history of reading in the early 19^th Century, as well as the preservation process itself.

– http://www.thecourier.co.uk/Community/Heritage-and-History/article/23407/it-might-look-a-bit-scary-first-edition-of-the-dundee-courier-cleaned-up-for-the-future.html

We actually have digital copies of the ‘Dundee Courier’ dating from 1844, and the ‘Dundee Advertiser’ from 1866. So once you’ve read this article, who not check out the digital method of conserving newspapers?