A scientist works on part of a travel book note of Cesare Pasquarella, dated 1200.
A scientist works on part of a travel book note of Cesare Pasquarella, dated 1200.

The Italian workshop where books go to heal



Ancient manuscripts are treated like hospital patients at a famous book-restoration institute in Rome that has worked on everything from the Dead Sea Scrolls to one of the oldest Qurans in the world.

"Look at this poor man suffering!" exclaimed Marina Bicchieri, head of the chemistry department at the Institute of the Pathology of the Book, as she examined oxidation levels on the unique institution's most recent project.

Bicchieri was looking at a chart with the scientific analysis of one of the last letters written by a captive Aldo Moro, a former Italian prime minister who was kidnapped and killed by far-left Red Brigades militants in 1978.

Founded in 1938 to preserve Italy's priceless archives, the laboratory is tucked away inside a walled garden in the city centre. "This interdisciplinary institute was the first of its kind in the world," Bicchieri said.

The museum is filled with books suffering from the worst kinds of ailments — including one with a hole as big as a fist (eaten by termites) and another riddled with bullet holes from the Battle of Monte Cassino during the Second World War.

The institute is the main point of reference for book and archive restoration in Italy but also does work for the Vatican and internationally.

One recent research project was carried out on fragments of Quranic manuscripts found in Sanaa in Yemen dating back to at least the eighth century.

Researchers are so keen they even donated blood to carry out experiments after finding that an ink with human blood had been used to write the Dead Sea Scrolls — apparently because of its iron content to help stabilise colours.

"The main problems we see are linked to water, heat, dust and insects," said Flavia Pinzari, head of the biology department.

Their projects can be long- running but also emergency interventions.

"Following the recent flooding in Tuscany, we were called by the local authorities to help them with flooded archives," Pinzari said.

"We told them to freeze the books, since that stops the water from diluting the ink and micro- organisms from propagating. Then we can vaporise the frozen water, avoiding damage linked to the water," she said.

The institute brings together scientists as well as literature specialists and artisans with a range of skills from traditional book binding, to the production of parchment, to the restoration of mediaeval illuminations.

They work with X-ray microscopes but also pincers, old printing presses and special machinery that ages paper artificially.

"We consult old recipes, some of them mediaeval, to make colours and certain types of ink," Pinzari said.

They also rely on specialised firms in Italy and abroad, including one in Japan that makes a special paper used to "reconstruct" damaged pages.

It is painstaking work, as shown by a restorer of one of the Moro letters who attached a tiny fragment of the Japanese paper to one of the pages and fixed it with a special ultra-thin plastic film developed in Rome.

The institute's book restoration course lasts a full five years.

"Books don't like moving, travelling. They adapt to their environment even when it's not ideal and it is the change in temperature and humidity and manipulation that cause the majority of damage," said Bicchieri.

Pinzari added: "But even the most ancient books were written and made to be read. We therefore have to find the right middle ground between consultation and conservation."

Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

Hidden killer

Sepsis arises when the body tries to fight an infection but damages its own tissue and organs in the process.

The World Health Organisation estimates it affects about 30 million people each year and that about six million die.

Of those about three million are newborns and 1.2 are young children.

Patients with septic shock must often have limbs amputated if clots in their limbs prevent blood flow, causing the limbs to die.

Campaigners say the condition is often diagnosed far too late by medical professionals and that many patients wait too long to seek treatment, confusing the symptoms with flu. 

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

'Nope'
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4

Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The specs

Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo

Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed

Power: 271 and 409 horsepower

Torque: 385 and 650Nm

Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000

Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

On sale: Now

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