Georgius Everhardus Rumphius, D‘Amboinsche Rariteitkamer. Amsterdam: Printed by François Halma, 1705.
This first edition of this classic work of natural history is a “curiosity cabinet” of tropical shellfish, rocks, minerals, and fossils featuring many wonderful plates of these items.

Proposed Conservation Treatment:
Remove remnants of rotted leather from spine. Line spine with linen and Japanese paper to use as hinges. Remove stained leaves at the front, wash, deacidify, reattach to text block. Make new endleaves and flyleaves from a handmade paper that coordinates with the text paper. Make a new binding from 100% Japanese linen cloth. Make new gold stamped leather labels for the spine. Original boards will be saved. Cloth covered clamshell box with acid-free paper linings. A separate compartment will be built at bottom for old boards.

Adopt this book ($3,350)